Fluent Commerce, a cloud-distributed Order Management System (OMS), and Merkle, Dentsu’s customer experience company, jointly helped the largest retail chain in the Philippines SM Retail launch its new Distributed Order Management System (DOM).
This implementation aims to enhance SM Retail’s customer shopping experience and streamline operations across its nationwide portfolio of stores.
With a diverse range of department stores, supermarkets, and specialty stores under its umbrella, SM Retail is a leading player in the Philippine retail industry.
Merkle helped SM Retail to deploy the Fluent Order Management with the option to be used by more than 50 brands nationwide, with ShopSM being the first brand to integrate with the system. New features like click-and-collect and home delivery have been introduced, providing customers with more convenient online shopping, pickup and delivery options. The new OMS also provides SM Retail with a single view of inventory, allowing it to efficiently manage stock in both its stores and warehouses.
The decision to implement Fluent Order Management was driven by SM Retail’s commitment to creating a seamless shopping experience for its customers, both online and in-store. Customers can now enjoy the flexibility of paying online and picking up in-store, or vice versa. This customer-centric approach caters to the evolving needs and preferences of shoppers, ensuring they have a choice in the way they shop.
Fluent Commerce and Merkle adopted a dynamic logic on the new OMS to address the unique logistical challenges faced by SM Retail in the Philippines. As the country is prone to adverse weather conditions such as earthquakes and typhoons, its OMS enables sourcing and routing items from different locations during emergencies. SM Retail can now effectively manage its inventory in response to increased demand or unforeseen disruptions.
Camila Lopez Lala-an, SAVP – Omnichannel of ShopSM, emphasises that customer experience is SM Retail’s core brand value.
“As one of the largest retailers in the Philippines, ensuring the best customer experience in each one of our stores is paramount. By implementing Fluent Order Management with Merkle, we are giving our customers the flexibility to choose how they want to shop, at a time that suits them.”
Pranatharthi Haran, MD, Apac at Fluent Commerce says: “We are pleased to see SM Retail go live with Fluent Order Management and Merkle, and look forward to hearing about the positive impact it is having on the shopping experience of its customers. Multi-brand inventory is complex, but ultimately, it will provide SM Retail with much more control over its stock and the most efficient way to get that stock into the hands of its customers.”
Patrick Deloy, MD at Merkle Apac Commerce and Loyalty adds: “We are delighted to power SM Retail’s e-commerce operations with Fluent Order Management. The OMS is a powerful addition to SM Retail’s tech stack by providing a hyper-personalised customer experience and a single source of truth of their inventory across its many brands. SM Retail’s newly unlocked ability to seamlessly connect its online and in-store channels, offering its customers unparalleled flexibility in payments and fulfilment, is a great example of how brands can create extraordinary e-commerce experiences to meet today’s customer expectations.”
Please visit here to learn more. For any enquiries, please contact Fluent Commerce at info@fluentcommerce.com or Merkle at commerce@merkle.com.