Kronos, Manhattan Associates Help Retailers Reap from Omni-Channel Initiatives

Kronos (News - Alert), a provider of workforce optimization solutions in the cloud, recently partnered with Manhattan Associates (News - Alert), a provider of supply chain solutions, to empower retailers to exploit profit margin potentials from channel store operations.

Thanks to the partnership, retailers can efficiently execute store fulfillment processes while better staffing their stores accordingly. The combined solution will account for labor demands from all selling channels and from all non service-based activities now required to support the omni-channel initiatives, the company said.

According to David Landau, vice president, product management, Manhattan Associates, as omni-channel initiatives increasingly turn to stores and store inventory to help meet customer demand, the need for process integration between store fulfillment and workforce management will be an imperative for maintaining profit margins.

“The combination of Kronos and Manhattan Associates' domain expertise will give retailers the solutions to ensure their strategies provide profitable growth, all while maintaining and growing customer service levels," Landau added.

Early adopters of omni-channel strategies are realizing that incorporating labor and store fulfillment can lead to greater profit margins. The new partnership between the companies allows retailers profitably integrate their stores into their digital selling strategy so they can increase customer satisfaction and drive sales by freeing up trapped inventory in the store, while managing labor costs.

Leslie Hand, research director, IDC (News - Alert) Retail Insights, commented, "Optimizing for the omni-channel customer requires that retailers tap into their inventory and human resources efficiently in order to provide the best service level possible. The relationship between Kronos and Manhattan will help retailers accomplish this goal."

The partnership helps retailers drive sales by tapping into inventory assets across all stores and distribution centers, which were previously unavailable to online shoppers. The integration helps them manage labor costs eliminating overstaffing due to an uninformed attempt at managing an omni-channel strategy with siloed data. They can increase customer satisfaction by better scheduling and staffing in-store associates to meet customer demand.

According to Liz Moughan, director, retail and hospitality practice group, Kronos, comprehensive real-time labor and supply chain data is essential in an omni-channel approach, as consumers today move from one channel to another, often returning through different channels to finish the purchasing process.

“Workforce management and supply chain optimization are at the core of an omni-channel retailing strategy,” Moughan added. “Together with Manhattan Associates we look forward to offering retailers a powerful solution leading to better business outcomes."

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