As At Home Opens New Stores, Its OMS Gets an Upgrade
At Home Group is investing in its order management system (OMS) as the home décor retailer swings back into growth mode.
The Plano, TX-headquartered company will join the growing list of retailers prioritizing order management technology by implementing Manhattan Active Omni’s OMS. At Home currently operates 225 store locations in 40 states, and is positioning the upgrade as a foundation for its future e-commerce upgrades, including optimizing inventory availability across the store network.
In addition to offering real-time control of customer transactions, the tech will improve inventory visibility and availability, as well as order management across the enterprise.
“Our success has been driven by three key competitive advantages: a differentiated home décor concept, a highly efficient operating model and a deep understanding of our customers,” said Julie Coffman, At Home VP of e-commerce and omnichannel, in a statement. “Implementing Manhattan’s OMS will enhance our performance in all three of these areas and allow At Home to build an agile, powerful and fully optimized fulfillment network tailored to the needs of our customers.”
Chris Houston, At Home VP of technology strategy and solution delivery, further described it as a milestone in the retailer’s tech modernization journey.
At Home, which reported net sales increases of 41% to $562 million in the fourth quarter, and comp-store sales increases of 31%, opened a trio of stores last month in Leesburg, VA; Oklahoma City, OK; and Charlotte, NC. The company had temporarily placed expansion plans on hold during the pandemic but expects to open 15 net new stores this year.
Lee Bird, At Home chairman and CEO, has described the company as being in the early innings of many initiatives, noting that optimizing its inventory position is one of its key priorities.
With stores averaging just over 100,000 square feet and offering upward of 50,000 items, At Home has doubled the number of inventory planners and allocators, and enhanced its data analytics team.
“We wanted more analytics around it and more eyes on our decisions,” said Bird during a Q4 investors call. “We put new tools in place and … enhanced the data analytics team, looking at sales curves, which then is provided to our buying team.”
The retailer also intends to test ship-from-store in the fall of this year and drop-ship next year.
At Home’s long-term plans include operating more than 600 stores, supported in part by strong housing sales.
