Articles
Retail
The Beauty of Global Logistics
A total makeover of EM Cosmetics’ global distribution process, and partnership with a consolidator, produces amazing results.
Read MoreTrends—October 2015
Amazon Dash Turns the Tide When Amazon debuted its Dash Replenishment Service (DRS) and buttons in spring 2015, it gave consumers a taste for how the Internet of Things (IoT) can simplify even mundane tasks. The underlying DRS architecture enables connected devices that measure consumable usage to automatically order physical goods from Amazon when supplies […]
Read MoreReader Profile | Jeff Larson: A Gem of a Job
Jeff Larson is director of distribution engineering analysis at Tiffany & Co. in Parsippany, N.J. He joined Tiffany in 2001 and has held his current position since 2009. Responsibilities: Process improvement, distribution strategy, user testing and integration for the warehouse management system, and some procurement activities. Experience: Process engineer, manager – engineering analysis, Tiffany & […]
Read MoreTrends—September 2015
Rising Labor Costs Eat Into Fast Food Supply Chains When New York State’s wage board voted to raise minimum pay to $15 in July 2015, it set tails wagging around the country. The wage hike, which will be phased in over the next three years upon approval by the state’s labor commissioner, only applies to […]
Read MoreJust Another Brick in the Mall
Travel around the world, and you see up-and-coming economies sporting many shiny new buildings, airports, ports, and factories, while more mature economies display aging legacy infrastructure. It’s the nature of progress. You see the same parallel in retail operations, where newer e-commerce models seem to overcome legacy brick-and-mortar models. But not entirely. Yes, e-commerce is […]
Read MoreCPG Market Demanding More Flexible Logistics Solutions
According to a new study released by Transport Intelligence (Ti), one of the world’s leading providers of expert research and analysis dedicated to the global logistics industry, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector (also known as Fast Moving Consumer Goods or FMCG) is a giant with global sales exceeding $550bn (USD). The Consumer Packaged Goods […]
Read MoreChanneling the Brick and Click Dilemma
As e-commerce continues to transform consumer behavior, retailers explore hybrid omni-channel supply chain models that deliver the best that online and in-store have to offer.
Read MoreGrowing Efficiency and Weeding Out Waste
With millions of dollars in annual waste bogging it down, Bell Nursery struggled to grow. But today, a new inventory management system helps business blossom.
Read MoreRetail Collaboration: It’s All in the Jeans
Work with a team of service providers to get a new retail distribution center up and running in only six months? We should all be so lucky.
Read MoreRetail Collaboration: It’s All in the Jeans
When Lucky Brand Jeans was sold to a private equity firm, and had to separate from the supply chain of former parent company Fifth & Pacific Companies, the apparel business needed to quickly establish its own, standalone distribution center (DC). The company marshalled help from a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, a technology firm, and a […]
Read MoreBaubleBar Makes International Shipping Sparkle
For online jewelry retailer BaubleBar, partnering with DHL to streamline international shipping was a gem of an idea.
Read MoreWhat Customers Expect in the E-Commerce Age
Twenty years ago, selling and delivering retail goods to consumers was a relatively simple process. Nearly all purchases were made in stores, so if a retailer adequately stocked its shelves with desirable, dependable goods, shoppers were usually satisfied. If they weren’t, they often had limited options, depending on how far they had to travel to […]
Read MoreInventory Replenishment: Why Push When You Can Pull?
Today‘s supply chains are undergoing significant pressures to become more demand-driven. Retailers, distributors, and manufacturers must choose the approach they hope will make the most profit. Should you produce goods according to demand forecasts, or by reacting to what consumers already bought? Companies are investing in a new generation of cloud technologies that enable the […]
Read MoreAwake at the Wheel: Delivering Customer Satisfaction
When Sleepy’s customers got tired of short notice and missed deliveries, the specialty mattress retailer brought in a technology partner and dreamed up a solution that put those problems to bed.
Read MoreImproving Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Engagement Apps
Walking into a retail store today, customers are presented with myriad options for every product. But how can they know which is the best for their needs, among two, five, or 10 different options? Before the digital age, we might have asked a friend or neighbor which product they use. Now, we turn to the […]
Read MoreTrends—April 2015
Supply Chain Modeling: Believe It! The supply chain sector is increasingly adapting and deploying technology to better understand the unknown. Big data provides a wealth of information and historical precedent to benchmark and optimize current and future events. Modeling and design software similarly affords users the latitude to engineer and plan for potentialities before they […]
Read MoreTrends—March 2015
Learning the ABCs of DCs To be competitive in today’s dynamic retail space, online companies need to rethink distribution networks that were built to serve the brick-and-mortar store model, suggests research conducted by supply chain faculty at the University of Tennessee’s (UT) Haslam College of Business. Supply chain faculty surveyed more than 200 companies, and […]
Read MoreHow Omni-Channel Commerce Is Changing Traditional Supply Chains
With the introduction of online (e) and mobile (m) commerce, consumers are now more comfortable than ever making purchases from any place, at any time, on virtually any device. This shift in consumer behavior has changed how goods and products flow through the supply chain to the end user. As a result, supply chain partners […]
Read MorePopping the Cork on Outsourced Logistics
To get its innovative wine access system to market, Coravin raises a glass to its third-party logistics provider..
Read MoreDesigning a New Strategy for a New Year
With the New Year upon us, retailers and manufacturers need to rethink their supply chains and find new ways to work together, according to the 2016 Future Supply Chain, a report from the Global Commerce Initiative and Capgemini. Here’s a look at some external and internal industry trends from a Lean perspective. It’s not hard […]
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