The Bangladesh factory collapse. Hurricane Harvey. A union strike at a major port. A massive product recall. Supply chain crises can happen anywhere at any time, as today’s supply chains are more vulnerable. With increasing areas of risk, including environmental impacts, material scarcity, geopolitical changes, cyber-attacks, insolvency, etc., retailers need to plan for the worst […]
The retailer-trading partner relationship is…complicated. While it’s necessary to have trustworthy, scalable and collaborative partners, many retailers might not have the resources needed to fully manage and optimize their partnerships — and it’s costing them. The following outlines key areas for hidden costs associated with trading partners, and solutions to manage them. Inventory […]
In 2017, more than 20 million pounds of food were recalled within the United States. Undeclared allergens and extraneous materials were responsible for almost every recall case, nearly all of which involved reasonable probability that eating the recalled food would cause health problems or death. While the amount of recalled food decreased year-over-year, consumers are […]
Political upheaval in the form of new tariffs have retailers on edge. Last month, President Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum (excluding imports from Canada and Mexico) with potential to enforce tariffs reaching as high as 45 percent on goods imported from China. The tariffs have spurred […]
Department stores have notoriously long, complex supply chains – take it from a leading specialty retailer with more than 30 brands offered in-store and online. The store’s brands, which should act as a cohesive unit, were acting independently of each other and using disparate systems to manage their supply chain processes. With the influx of […]
Warmer weather, longer days, chirping birds – it’s starting to feel like springtime! Now’s the perfect time to revamp the retail backend to ensure your supply chain processes are as efficient as possible. More than ever, retailers need to simplify the backend to bring high quality products to market faster and more effectively to survive […]
Retailers have been talking about how millennials have transformed retail for years: The digital natives have grown up with mobile technology and expect to use it in every aspect of their life – including shopping – forcing retailers to digitize their operations for greater efficiency and growth. Millennials demand a seamless omnichannel, customer-centric experience, and […]
Retail is dead! Vacant store fronts everywhere! It seems all the retail headlines these days are concerned with the annihilation of retail as we know it. While this perception is being fueled by some failing regional shopping malls, highly publicized store closings and general economic skepticism, that’s only a small part of the story. […]