Manhattan Associates releases distributed selling for multichannel order capture and optimisation

Manhattan Associates continues to drive innovation in multichannel retailing with the release of Distributed Selling, a cross-channel call centre and in-store order entry application built within its Distributed Order Management (DOM) solution. Distributed Selling enables a retailer to provide the same level of service and purchase power to customers via external applicationsmobile device, point of sale system, or any other application capable of making web service callsas it can within a call centre or store location. Additionally, Distributed Selling provides retailers with full payment processing and financial settlement support for all orders, regardless of where they originated.    
 
To support call centre and in-store order capture capabilities, Manhattan constructed Distributed Selling Services, which can be accessed via DOMs Order Lifecycle Modeller, an Eclipse-based workflow modelling tool. The browser-based application includes services for pricing, promotions management, tax calculation, payment processing (including authorisation, reauthorisation, fraud detection, and settlement) and invoicing/sales posting, and is ideal for usage in both store locations and a call centre where responsiveness is critical.
 
Distributed Selling furthers Manhattans ability to provide Zero Disappointment Retail solutions to customers, reinforcing the view that a cross-channel enabled platform of applications best positions retailers to present a unified brand front for a consistent customer experience, said Terrie OHanlon, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Manhattan Associates.
 
In addition to the debut of Distributed Selling, the 2010 version of Distributed Order Managementa solution within the Order Lifecycle Management platform of the Manhattan SCOPE platformalso reaffirms DOMs integration with IBM WebSphere Commerce, which provides retailers with a complete stack of cross-channel solutions. DOM 2010 ships with a certified integration adapter to WebSphere Commerce V7 covering a number of complex cross-channel scenarios.
 
Beyond the integration with WebSphere Commerce and payment procession/tax integration with Manhattan partners CyberSource and Vertex, DOM continues to support integration with Manhattans own Supplier Enablement, Store Gateway and Warehouse Management applications. Such integration enables the Manhattan SCOPE cross-channel suite of applications to provide support for order capture through order fulfilment, including orchestrating and executing fulfilment from both traditional (DC) and non-traditional locations, such as drop ship vendors and stores.  
 
DOM 2010 also contains an algorithm for sourcing orders from stores for shipment to customers or for transfer between locations. This unique formula factors in a stores inventory level relative to its model stock quantity, the stores currently available labour pool, geographic proximity to the orders destination, as well as any current exceptions occurring within the network.
 
The Manhattan SCOPE portfolio is developed on a supply chain process platform that facilitates the communication of cross-suite applications to address specific supply chain requirements for the goals of each Manhattan customer. Manhattan SCOPE solutions are designed to seamlessly optimise day-to-day processes from one common interface, in real time.   
 
About Manhattan Associates, Inc.
Manhattan Associates continues to deliver on its 20-year heritage of providing global supply chain excellence to more than 1,200 customers worldwide that consider supply chain optimisation core to their strategic market leadership. The company's supply chain innovations include: Manhattan SCOPE, a portfolio of software solutions and technology that leverages a Supply Chain Process Platform to help organisations optimize their supply chains from planning through execution; Manhattan SCALE, a portfolio of distribution management and transportation management solutions built on Microsoft. NET technology; and Manhattan Carrier, a suite of supply chain solutions specifically addressing the needs of the motor carrier industry.