Implementing a Centralized Commerce Platform Unifies Inventory Across Stores and Sales Channels
About the Client
This family-owned department store chain with more than 50 outlets across the United States offers a wide range of high-quality merchandise and services at honest prices. For more than 100 years, the organization has helped customers and communities meet their diverse family needs, earning exceptional customer loyalty and a distinguished reputation throughout the retail industry.
- Industry: Retail and Consumer Goods
- Platforms: IBM Mainframe and Cloud
The Challenge
The client’s inventory operations depended on a complex mix of mainframe systems, in-store applications, integrations, and terminal-based processes that lacked real-time visibility. Inventory data was fragmented across stores, distribution centers, online channels, and vendors, making it difficult to track order and inventory activity as changes occurred.
Batch-based updates and manual reconciliation further slowed operations, creating delays in order updates and making discrepancies and stock anomalies harder to trace. At the same time, inconsistent authentication processes added complexity for store associates and corporate staff.
The client needed a solution that could support multiple storefronts as well as online ordering, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and ship-from-store workflows. To support real time updates, our team would need to configure a solution to be compatible with their IBM Z mainframe and other consumer sources.
Our Solution
Our team implemented Manhattan Active Omni (MAO), a cloud-native, centralized commerce platform that established a single source of truth for inventory management across stores and sales channels.
Commerce Platform Configuration
Our team configured Manhattan Active Omni to support multiple storefronts for the client, which consolidated their inventory operations into a single, unified view. This platform was selected due to its capabilities with real-time global inventory visibility, intelligent order sourcing and routing, cross-border fulfillment, and return orchestration.
Event-Driven Update Enablement
Order activities were captured from the mainframe outbox and translated into inventory actions like shipment reductions, returns, reservations, and cancellations. This enabled inventory data to remain up to date without relying on batch-processing.
Enterprise-Wide System Integration
APIs were established to enable seamless communication and data exchange between the commerce platform and the IBM mainframe and other supply and consumer sources.
Integration Architecture Design
A robust integration architecture was developed to deliver supply data from distribution centers, stores, and vendors back to the commerce platform, mainframe, and other digital channels.
Technologies Used
Our software architects and engineers are experts in using the latest technologies.
- Confluence
- Db2
- FedEx Ship Manager
- IBM Mainframe
- Jira
- KIBO Commerce
- Logicbroker
- Microsoft Entra ID
- SharePoint
- Manhattan Active Omni
Business Impact
The new commerce platform delivered tangible results across inventory operations.
Here’s how we did it
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Improved Inventory Accuracy
By using the centralized commerce platform to capture, synchronize, and consolidate inventory data across distribution centers, stores, and vendors in a single platform.
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Delivered Real-Time Order Visibility
By enabling event-driven updates that removed batch job-based delays.
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Reduced Manual Reconciliation
By using an integration architecture that tracks every inventory change back to the event that caused it.
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Enhanced Visibility into Product Availability and Store Pickups
By integrating the commerce platform with critical applications and systems across the enterprise.
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Strengthened Data Security
By applying role-based access controls that govern adjustments, counts, receiving, and transfers at each step.
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Minimized Maintenance and Licensing Costs
By retiring the in-store retail application suite and mainframe-based access.
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