Articles
E-commerce
Macy’s Parades Digital Lead
Digitally mature retailers better reacted to COVID-19 disruptions, finds a study by tech company Incisiv. Based on performance along the customer journey, the study names the top North American apparel retailers in digital maturity: Overall 1. Macy’s 2. Kohl’s 3. Neiman Marcus 4. Target 5. Nordstrom 6. Ann Taylor 7. Chico’s 8. J.C. Penney Co. […]
Read MoreThe Need for Shipping Speed
Consumers now make 58% of their purchases online since COVID-19 began compared to just 32% before the pandemic, and many will spend more for expedited shipping, says a LaserShip survey. The study reveals: Gen Z and millennials are more likely to shop at new retailers if expedited shipping is provided compared to older generations. 40% […]
Read More
Easing E-Commerce Pain Points
Although key logistics capabilities are needed to build and maintain successful e-commerce operations, few brands excel at them, according to a study from Geodis and Accenture Interactive. The study highlights: E-commerce acceleration: Brands estimate that e-commerce in 2020 will represent nearly half of their sales. Before COVID-19, companies were making 34% of their sales online. […]
Read More
E-Fulfillment Picks Up Speed
How e-commerce companies and transportation services meet demand when fast delivery isn’t fast enough.
Read More
Omnichannel and Supply Chain Work Together for Competitive Advantage
The days of going to a department store to shop for a TV, viewing the options, and making a purchase now seem quaint. The emergence of the internet, smartphones, social media, and other technologies has opened a world of new options for consumers and businesses to review, research, and buy online with ever-increasing delivery choices.
Read MoreWhat’s the Holiday Sales Scenario?
The holiday retail season will play out in one of two ways—a relatively stable year-over-year sales increase of 0% to 1%, or a jump of 2.5% to 3.5%—both of which are lower than prior years, according to Deloitte. Scenario one: Consumers experience growing anxiety about their health and finances. This reinforces the current high savings […]
Read MoreConsumers Set Their Sights on Visibility
With COVID-19 disrupting the traditional retail model and more consumers expecting to find, buy, and receive products wherever and however they desire, the need for retailers to optimize and elevate their supply chain capabilities is imperative for maintaining sales and brand loyalty, finds a survey by enVista. Other key findings in the survey include: 87% […]
Read More5 Must-Take Actions to Prepare for the 2020 Holiday Season
This year has been, and continues to be, unprecedented. Not since the Second World War have global supply chains been so dramatically interrupted. And given the integration of these global supply chains (thanks to the marvels of the integrated circuit) and advances in modern transportation, the disruption caused by COVID-19 is, arguably, unprecedented in modern […]
Read More
The World Is Your Warehouse 3.0
In a column I wrote 20 years ago called "Millennium Musings," I used the phrase "make the world your warehouse." It took two decades, but it appears that we may be on the cusp of that actually happening, not just in developed countries, but across the entire world. How? Enter Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, […]
Read More