Manhattan Honors Trailblazers in Supply Chain Commerce
Manhattan Associates Inc. , a global leader in supply chain commerce solutions, proudly announced the recipients of its prestigious 2025 Spotlight on Innovation Awards during Momentum 2025, the company’s annual flagship customer conference. Held this year with record-breaking attendance from industry leaders, innovators, and technology pioneers, the event served as the ideal stage to recognize and celebrate the organizations that are revolutionizing the landscape of supply chain operations.
These annual awards spotlight companies that have made significant strides in advancing their digital and physical supply chain capabilities through the strategic deployment of Manhattan’s industry-leading technology solutions. Winners were selected based on their exemplary use of innovation to enhance operational efficiency, elevate customer experience, and generate competitive advantage in an increasingly complex and fast-evolving global commerce environment.
“Manhattan continually innovates to provide top brands with industry-leading solutions so they can deliver exceptional end-consumer experiences and successfully maneuver this complex ecosystem,” said Bob Howell, Executive Vice President for the Americas at Manhattan Associates. “The companies we honor today are not just users of our technology — they are true pioneers. They are reimagining supply chains, transforming customer engagement, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in commerce.”
Honoring the Best in Supply Chain Innovation
This year’s award recipients span diverse industries including retail, logistics, government services, and pet care. Each award category is tailored to highlight a particular area of strategic excellence, with winners chosen for their visionary approaches and measurable success.
Best Retail Customer Experience: Pacsun
Pacsun, the youth-focused fashion and lifestyle brand, received top honors for Best Retail Customer Experience in recognition of its commitment to delivering a seamless, omnichannel experience that resonates with today’s digital-native consumers. Through the strategic implementation of Manhattan’s unified commerce solutions, Pacsun has succeeded in integrating all core retail functions—customer service, point of sale, fulfillment, and returns—into one cohesive ecosystem.
This single-platform approach ensures that customers receive a modern, personalized, and frictionless shopping experience across both physical and digital touchpoints. The company’s ability to turn stores into full-service experience hubs where staff can assist with everything from styling advice to processing online returns demonstrates how thoughtful technology deployment can become a true brand differentiator.
Transportation Innovation Leader: Ocean State Job Lot
Ocean State Job Lot, a leading discount retailer known for its wide-ranging product offerings and strong value proposition, earned the Transportation Innovation Leader award. The company was celebrated for its forward-thinking investment in logistics optimization, aimed at building a smarter, faster, and more responsive transportation network.
Leveraging Manhattan’s suite of transportation solutions, Ocean State Job Lot is breaking down traditional silos in distribution, labor, and fleet management. By synchronizing logistics functions and automating critical workflows, the retailer is driving cost efficiencies and increasing supply chain agility. This has enabled the company to better navigate disruptions, meet growing customer expectations, and future-proof its transportation infrastructure.
Inventory Innovator: Pet Supplies Plus
Pet Supplies Plus, one of the largest pet retail franchises in North America, was honored as the Inventory Innovator for its transformative approach to inventory planning and supply chain synchronization. Utilizing Manhattan Active® Supply Chain Planning, the company has created a unified planning framework that spans demand forecasting, allocation, replenishment, and store fulfillment.
By adopting AI-driven insights and machine learning models, Pet Supplies Plus has substantially improved its forecast accuracy and alignment between planning and execution systems. The integrated platform enables faster, more informed decisions that directly enhance product availability and customer satisfaction while reducing excess inventory and operational overhead.
Most Unified Supply Chain: Duluth Trading
Duluth Trading Company, renowned for its workwear and lifestyle apparel, was awarded Most Unified Supply Chain for its end-to-end integration of key business functions including supply chain, order management, customer service, and store operations. With Manhattan Active® solutions at its core, Duluth has successfully built a centralized ecosystem that bridges digital and physical retail environments.
This unified approach empowers Duluth to offer a truly seamless customer experience, whether fulfilling an online order from a store, handling an exchange in a distribution center, or managing a complex return. The result is a highly responsive and customer-centric operation that supports rapid scaling and adaptive service models.
AI Innovation in Supply Chain: Army & Air Force Exchange Service
In a groundbreaking use case for artificial intelligence in retail operations, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) took home the award for AI Innovation in Supply Chain. AAFES has deployed Manhattan Active® Maven, an AI-powered digital assistant designed to enhance customer service operations through automation and intelligent decision-making.
With Maven, AAFES is now capable of managing a broader range of customer interactions autonomously, including tracking shipments, checking order statuses, providing pickup instructions, and answering FAQs. This initiative has not only improved response times and service quality but also significantly reduced the administrative workload of human agents, allowing them to focus on more complex and strategic issues.
Outstanding Woman in Supply Chain: Annie Barua, Floor & Decor
The Outstanding Woman in Supply Chain award was presented to Annie Barua, Vice President of Supply Chain Technology at Floor & Decor, in recognition of her extraordinary leadership in one of the most ambitious digital transformations in the retail sector. Barua is overseeing the migration of all four Manhattan solution pillars—Order Management, Transportation Management, Warehouse Management, and Supply Chain Planning—to the cloud-based Manhattan Active® platform, all while executing a full-scale ERP implementation.
Such a comprehensive, parallel migration is rare in the industry due to its complexity and scale. Barua’s strategic oversight and technical acumen are enabling Floor & Decor to build a future-proof, fully unified commerce operation, setting new standards for agility, scalability, and customer service excellence.
A Philanthropic Twist: Giving Back Through Innovation
As part of the 2025 Spotlight on Innovation Awards, Manhattan Associates is making charitable donations on behalf of each award winner to a nonprofit organization of their choice. This initiative reinforces the company’s broader commitment to corporate social responsibility and supports the values that drive innovation—collaboration, community, and compassion.