Articles

Retail

Automation Is a Game Changer for E-tailers

E-commerce is on the rise and only gaining momentum. According to a report by eMarketer Retail, in 2017, retail e-commerce sales worldwide reached $2.3 trillion, a 25% increase over the previous year. Besides discounts on products and the availability of tools for comparing product features and prices, what has really helped boost e-commerce, is the […]

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Nick McLean

Not So Fast: Rethinking Multi-Item Orders

In the name of speed and satisfaction, many retailers think they’re doing the right thing by delivering products to customers as quickly as possible, shipping partial orders, but that isn’t always the case. High on the list of shopper frustrations is placing a multi-item order online only to have it arrive in multiple shipments over […]

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Accuracy and Time Savings Through AI-Driven Forecasting

Despite a wealth of available solutions and methods, retailers still struggle to produce accurate and timely demand forecasts. Existing challenges are further complicated by the idea of unified commerce, as shoppers choose from a variety of more convenient fulfillment options. There are adverse effects throughout the supply chain resulting from inaccurate forecasts, but today’s retailers […]

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Supply Chain Remains the “Next Big Thing”

Symphony RetailAI, a global provider of Artificial Intelligence-enabled decision platforms, solutions and customer-centric insights that drive validated growth for retailers and CPG manufacturers, announced the findings of a benchmark report, “Supply Chain Management 2018: In Service of the Customer.” The fourth annual study, conducted by Retail Systems Research (RSR) and sponsored by Symphony RetailAI, shows […]

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What Will Retailers Find Under The Tree?

A common theme connects several strategies retailers are using to prepare for the holiday season: Enhanced capabilities to seamlessly cater to shoppers in stores, online, and on mobile devices. CBRE’s annual Holiday Retail Trends Guide outlines four trends shaping this season as it unfolds: 1. The optimistic shopper. In a strong economic environment, retailers who […]

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Click & Collect Not Clicking Yet

Click & Collect Not Clicking Yet

Fewer than half of retailers responding to an OrderDynamics survey provide shoppers with access to basic inventory visibility. Of the 2,000+ worldwide retailers participating in Omni-2000 Research: Global, only a surprising 38.1 percent show basic inventory visibility on product pages. A strict like-for-like, year-over-year comparison finds a 30.7-percent decrease in active online inventory visibility. This […]

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Walgreens Launches Home Delivery Program for Prescriptions

Drug store chain Walgreens will now expand home deliveries for prescriptions nationwide. The company plans to partner with FedEx to deliver prescriptions as soon as the next day for a $4.99 fee, and it also is providing same-day deliveries in several cities including New York, Chicago and Dallas. The Deerfield, Ill., company started offering deliveries […]

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What’s Ahead for Retail Technology? Ask the Crystal Ball

What technology developments can retailers expect in 2019? Here’s some perspective from Adam Silverman, senior vice president of marketing for Theatro, and a former Forrester analyst with 20 years of industry experience. 1. E-commerce software will evolve into commerce software that powers both online and offline commerce. As retailers look to replatform antiquated point-of-sale (POS) […]

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Black Friday Delivery Data

Consumer data is rolling in from Black Friday. Convey published data insights that show how deliveries are performing across various categories compared to year-over-year data from 2017. Some key findings include: Shipments way up – The number of shipments for each day last week dramatically increased over 2017, with Black Friday up 284%. This increase […]

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Retailers Plug Into AI

Nearly two-thirds of retail supply chain professionals struggle with disconnects between systems, finds Symphony RetailAI’s Strengthening the Retail Supply Chain survey of North American retailers. The majority of retailers surveyed have confidence in their allocation and inventory planning software, but 48 percent rate their forecasting technology as average to very poor. While they would prefer […]

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Hello, Good Buy

Hello, Good Buy

Today’s retail environment is more complex than ever, given the rise of e-commerce and a rediscovery of the age-old truth that the customer is king. As retailers across the globe struggle with demands for both personalization and convenience, balanced with consumer skepticism on data privacy, JDA Software and Centiro explored consumer trends in key markets […]

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Sean Wilcox

Shipping and Delivery: How to Get it Right

Thanks to the rise of e-commerce and heightening customer expectations, shipping and delivery have become key drivers of overall customer satisfaction. An e-commerce company’s ability to meet customer expectations can be a source of competitive differentiation. Executing against the wrong strategy—or not having a strategy at all—is a recipe for higher costs and lower customer […]

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Paul A. Myerson

Store Delivery Keeps Retailers in the Game

Multi-channel retail and fulfillment is typically based on the assumption that customers choose a main way to connect, whether physical stores or a website. Many retailers manage each channel separately with different teams, budgets, processes, tools, reporting structures, and revenue goals. In multi-channel retail and fulfillment, stores have their own stock and sell directly to […]

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Keith Biondo

Returning Experience

The war between the retail/e-commerce customer experience and increasing costs is heating up, thanks to the impact that rising transportation prices are having on the retail process. That trend plagues e-commerce players and retailers, both large and small. For example, in July 2018, spot market trucking costs were up 30 percent year-over-year, according to DAT. […]

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