A number of retailers joined Brian Leinbach from Macy’s and Tedd Winneberger from Under Armour to share their experiences and success stories during the Manhattan Associates Momentum 2012 conference in Orlando last week.

Currently undergoing a four-year expansion at its New York City flagship, with a price tag in the hundreds of millions, Macy’s is tapping Manhattan Associates’ supply chain expertise with the SCOPE solution suite. The $260B retailer is using Manhattan’s Warehouse Management Slotting Optimization, Labor Management and Distribution Management solutions.

As Macy’s cross-channel business continues to grow, the need for more effective supply chain solutions has become apparent. “Our web sites are growing at 40% each year,” said Leinbach, SVP, Systems Development and Field Services for the 840-store retailer. Macy’s also found that “90% of our customer research online at least occasionally before purchasing in-store.”

Store operators are faced with numerous challenges, from employee hiring to product merchandising. As competition continues to heat up, along with pressure to hold the line on expenses, store operations executives are faced with an uphill battle.

Advances in mobile and tablet technology have created the opportunity to hire, train and retain employees more efficiently. But are retail companies making the investment in these technologies?

Just released, the Retail TouchPoints Store Operations survey is designed to uncover the most pressing issues facing store operators, including questions around:

• Employee hiring, training and retention;
• Product merchandising and inventory management; and
• The HQ-store connection.

Today’s retailer is challenged not only by competition from other stores, but by a growing number of consumers whose preference is to shop online from home or work. Retailers need to lure these consumers back into the store by creating an engaging customer experience that far exceeds the online experience. Solutions such as in-store mobile marketing and digital signage combined with targeted loyalty programs can enhance both acquisition and retention of customers to positively impact in-store purchasing decisions. However, there are many possible pitfalls associated with these solutions.

Store networks have evolved dramatically over the past decade. What was once a simple private network designed to handle credit card transactions and support basic back office applications has transformed into a complex, open network required to support guest Wi-Fi and multi-vendor access, network security services, and distribution of many forms of multimedia content. This expansion in scope has challenged many retailers to redesign their store networks to satisfy new business requirements to increase customer engagement in the store.

Gamification offers retailers the opportunity to integrate game mechanics into digital experiences to influence and motivate engagement. By incorporating gaming tactics into online communities and user-generated content, retailers can deliver more compelling brand impressions and establish customer loyalty.

Retail demand for gamification platforms is deepened today by a technology-driven shopping environment in which users expect relevant, targeted offers, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

In response, Bunchball launched Nitro Flamethrower in March 2012 to help retailers create personalized gamification programs aimed at meeting the interests of specific users. Flamethrower currently serves up to 70 million unique users and 2.3 billion actions each month.

RedPrairie, a supply chain and retail technology provider, announced the latest upgrade to its RedPrairie Product Suite. Version 2012.1 connects supply chain execution capabilities to the store and e-Commerce sites. The product release “is designed to help retailers, manufacturers and distributors manage inventory with greater speed and accuracy," said John Kopcke, CTO and EVP of Product Development for RedPrairie. "New integrations between our solutions deliver improved visibility between store operations and the supply chains serving them." Enhancements to this solution include new integrations; global labor standards compliance; enhanced support of industry standards such as GS1 barcoding requirements, VMI, VAT, GSIN, SSCC and others; and a new traceability offering. Advancements also were made to RedPrairie's Enterprise Store Operations, Warehouse Management and Enterprise Workforce Management product suites.

Etsy ― an e-Commerce community for craftsmen and their products ― recently launched its Wedding and Wedding Registry portals, designed to provide inspiration and guidance to couples during the planning process. Etsy Weddings offers a combination of wedding items, trends, expert advice and stories from real couples. It’s “a new way for shoppers to explore a wide range of products, when they may not have a specific item in mind,” said Natalie Schwartz, Product Marketing Manager for Etsy, in a blog post. “If shoppers are inspired by what they see, searching on Etsy will deliver results from across the entire marketplace.” Etsy Weddings will replace the company’s previous weddings category and subcategories, as well as its Showcase feature. With Wedding Registry, couples can explore and record the gifts that pique their interests and lifestyles.