Bealls, Inc. Reduces Fulfillment Costs and Lays the Foundation for Scalable Growth with Manhattan Active® Omni
Bealls, Inc., a family-owned, privately held retailer with stores in 22 states, has significantly reduced its split shipments while improving store fulfillment fill rates by 50% with Manhattan Active Omni. Headquartered in Bradenton, Fla., Bealls, Inc. operates under the names bealls, Bealls Florida, and Home Centric. The 110-year-old retailer’s longevity is based on the motto “outfitting families for less.” Its stores offer a vast selection of the latest brands, styles, and fashions at exceptional value. Known for fun and engaging shopping experiences, the guest-centric company has a robust customer loyalty program. Now 650 locations strong, this growing retailer initiated an enterprise-wide systems modernization project. The brand looked to upgrade and update its order management systems as part of this initiative and brought together the industry’s top solution with respected experts from Manhattan Associates and Columbus Consulting.
The Challenges: Disconnected Systems and Limited Flexibility
Bealls, Inc. had long relied on disparate legacy systems that restricted flexibility and innovation. With growing guest expectations and operational complexity, the retailer needed a unified platform to integrate ecommerce, store operations, and guest services. The goal: to ensure Bealls, Inc. had the bestin-the-business tools so it can sustainably scale its business, empower its business teams, and achieve centralized visibility and agility while enabling modernized fulfillment processes.
The Solution: Manhattan Active Omni
Bealls, Inc. selected Manhattan’s order management and store fulfillment solutions to modernize its online and in-store shopping experiences. Built on a microservices, API-first, and headless architecture, Manhattan Active Omni offered the scalability required and the flexibility to integrate seamlessly with existing and future technologies.
The Right Partners: Bealls, Inc., Manhattan, and Columbus Consulting
To ensure a successful implementation, Bealls, Inc. brought together a carefully selected, cross-functional team made up of internal experts and key players from Manhattan Associates and Columbus Consulting. The quality and synergy of the team were crucial because this complex implementation had to be completed before the company launched its new rewards program in six months.
The Results: Decreased Fulfillment Costs
Bealls, Inc.’s implementation of Manhattan Active Omni has reduced fulfillment costs in a few ways.
Improved Store Fulfillment First-Fill Rate: With the previous solution, if the first store was not able to fill an order, it would bounce around from store to store— resulting in a longer wait time for guests and wasted time for associates. With Manhattan Active Omni, Bealls, Inc. has seen an almost 90% improvement in its first-fill numbers.
Split Shipment Reduction: Bealls, Inc. has been able to reduce the number of shipments per order by 17%, saving the company tens of thousands of dollars.
Streamlined Store Fulfillment
Bealls, Inc. currently fulfills half of its online orders from its stores. The new system enhanced efficiency by enabling employees to use handheld devices for picking and packing orders. This approach replaced outdated manual processes, reducing errors and improving productivity.
Efficient Picking: Employees now pick multiple orders in the same area of the store, minimizing time spent and optimizing resources.
Error Reduction: Barcode scanning during packing ensures accuracy, reducing shipping mistakes and related customer service issues.
Enhanced Visibility: Managers can monitor staffing needs, backlog status, and productivity in real time, enabling proactive adjustments.
Enhanced Efficiency and Customer Service / Empowered Guest Services Teams
Before Manhattan Active Omni, Bealls, Inc. guest services agents used disconnected systems to manage inquiries. With a single, centralized platform, agents can now access real-time customer and order data, enabling faster and more effective resolutions.
The Results: Why Manhattan Active Omni?
Bealls, Inc. selected Manhattan Active Omni for its advanced technology, including:
- Microservices Architecture – Facilitates scalability and integration with additional Manhattan solutions.
- Industry Recognition – Forrester considers Manhattan’s order management solution the only leader in omnichannel order management.
- Seamless Adoption – Cross-departmental collaboration during the decision-making process ensured buy-in and smooth onboarding for employees.
Why Columbus Consulting?
Bealls, Inc. selected Columbus Consulting for its retail and project expertise:
Assessment and Selection – Facilitates evaluating requirements and software for vendor options, requests for proposal, and vendor recommendations.
Project Planning and Staffing – Drives the creation of strategic long-range and detailed short-range plans that accurately estimate timelines, cost, and people required for success.
Implementation – Provides project management and deep domain expertise to help steer critical business and technical decisions throughout the project and ensure “future-proofed” solutions of extremely high quality.
Order Management Subject Matter Expertise: Provides hands-on guidance that supports both the business and technology, ensuring wholistic success throughout the implementation.
The Impact: A Foundation for Growth
By unifying its operations with Manhattan Active Omni, Bealls, Inc. has elevated its guest service, optimized fulfillment, and reduced operational costs. These improvements position the retailer for sustained growth and innovation.
“Within months, we’ve completely upgraded our systems, empowering the business and laying the foundation for further growth,” Beebe said. “Manhattan Active Omni has been a game-changer for Bealls, Inc.”
ABOUT MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES
Manhattan Associates is a global technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. We unite information across the enterprise, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Our software, platform technology, and unmatched experience help drive both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for our customers.
Manhattan Associates designs, builds, and delivers leading edge cloud and on-premises solutions so that across the store, through your network or from your fulfillment center, you are ready to reap the rewards of the omnichannel marketplace. For more information, please visit www.manh.com.
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ABOUT BEALLS, INC.
Headquartered in Bradenton, Fla. since 1915, Bealls, Inc. is a privately held company that has been owned and operated by the founding family for nearly 110 years. The company operates more than 650 retail stores in 22 states under the names bealls, Bealls Florida, and Home Centric, and online at bealls.com and beallsflorida.com. To learn more about Bealls, Inc., please visit www.beallsinc.com.
ABOUT COLUMBUS CONSULTING
Columbus Consulting delivers solutions that drive true value and have been transforming the retail and CPG industries for over two decades. We are a retail consulting company of industry experts. Our approach is simple: I, if you do it, we do it. We are more than consultants; we are experienced practitioners who actually sat in our clients’ seats. We understand the challenges, know what questions to ask, and deliver the right solutions. Columbus offers a unique, consumer-centric approach with an end-to-end perspective that bridges functional & organization silos from strategy to execution. Our specialties include: unified commerce; merchandising & category management; planning and inventory management; sourcing & supply chain; data and analytics; accounting; finance & operations; people and organization; and information technology. Let us know how we can help you. To learn more, visit COLUMBUSCONSULTING.COM