Manhattan Announces Zero Disappointment Retail Solution

Manhattan Associates’ Zero Disappointment Retai is a system-enabled approach that allows retailers to deploy advanced supply chain optimisation techniques to present a unified brand across all channels - traditional brick and mortar stores, Internet, catalogue, call centre, television and mobile. It relies on a set of software components from the Manhattan SCOPE (Supply Chain Optimisation-Planning through Execution) solutions portfolio. The technology preserves and complements current systems and investments by aggregating inventory, order, pricing, promotion, merchandising and order execution information across all channels.

“Retailers have a challenge to provide whatever customers are looking for in each channel, including a wide product selection and convenient browse, buy, deliver and return options. If a customer switches channels, a retailer risks losing the sale, as research shows that 50 percent of channel switchers also switch brands,” said Jeff Baum, senior vice president, International at Manhattan Associates. “With a truly blended-channel environment, sales and support professionals have all the information they need to give customers what they want and consumers have the selection, convenience and retail options they expect.”

Manhattan has partnered with US-based Retail Systems Research (RSR) – to develop the Blended Channel Revenue Modeller, an objective mathematical model, based on retailer experience, that quantifies the real impact of cross-channel capabilities on a retailer’s top and bottom line. For example, based on initial Blended Channel Revenue Modeller calculations, a retailer with US$1 Billion in revenue across 900 stores could expect to receive up to 5 per cent sales and 7 per cent gross margin improvement from the cross-channel benefits of Zero Disappointment Retail.

“The Blended Channel Revenue Modeller objectively demonstrates the business impact of cross-channel capabilities to retailers,” said Nikki Baird, managing partner, RSR. “Without an idea of the scope of opportunity available to retailers pursuing cross-channel processes, it is hard to overcome investment barriers to making a decision, let alone implementing a project successfully. This model helps bridge that information gap.”