Articles
Retail
3 Ways Retailers Can Get on the Fast Track to Digital Transformation
Retailers can use these three practical tips to successfully execute their digital transformation: Make digital moves your strategy centerpiece: Develop a mobile and web commerce initiative right away. Assume people are using your app or web commerce interface for the first time. This is because the number of new users is vastly increasing as a […]
Read More
What COVID-19 supply chain pivot impressed you the most? Why?
One Million Masks, founded by Shafqat Islam, which has built a digital supply chain. Powered by UPS, they have secured hundreds of thousands of PPE units for hospitals. Furthermore, it demonstrates a supply chain that was built in months that otherwise would have taken years. Over the coming months, we will continue to see this type of rapid innovation from savvy organizations.
Read More
The Importance of Inventory Accuracy After COVID-19
Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and doors reopen, apparel and footwear retailers say their main concern is inventory accuracy—even over improving online order fulfillment and managing returns, according to a survey by SML RFID, an enterprise software solutions provider. Retailers have more inventory than ever throughout their supply chains, and with staff being furloughed and […]
Read More
Tailoring Apparel Supply Chains for the Future
Apparel brands and retailers can use the COVID-19 crisis to take stock of existing business models and create more stable and sustainable supply chains for the future, finds GlobalData. Fashion retailers in key consumer markets across Europe and North America fight for survival as stores close, sales slump, and inventories mount. For many, the response […]
Read MoreRetailers: It’s Time to Act
While 43% of retailers say they’re taking aggressive action to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, 38% are taking only some action, and 19% are taking a wait-and-see approach, according to Digital Commerce 360. Retailers need to take significant action, however, to address the following five issues, says the research company: 1. Consumer confidence: 97% of […]
Read More
Vertical Focus: Pet Industry
“Nearly 85 million U.S. households today have at least one pet, up from 73 million in 2010.”
Read More
Fortune 500 Retailer Finds Cost Savings, Improves Performance with Data Solution
With RateLinx’s TracLinx module, an electronics retailer boosted the accuracy of its shipment tracking data, gaining real-time visibility for data-driven insights into its logistics performance.
Read More
Providing Solutions Through Unprecedented Times
With the demand for essential supplies skyrocketing across the country, Hub Group’s collaboration with retailers has helped suppliers deliver critical loads quickly and safely.
Read More
Agility On Demand
An instantaneous experience. It’s what consumers expect and the environment online retailers face. When consumers are captured by a product they must have, online retailers have only a few swipes and a few minutes until their brand’s reputation is on the clock.
Read More
Battling Through Crisis Together
As society adjusts to the impact of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, many households have stockpiled goods for safety reassurance. With retail stores being one of the few businesses that remain open to the general public, supply chain operations have had to embrace creativity to deliver effectively. Q: What are some of the bigger challenges that […]
Read MoreU.S. States Reopen During COVID-19 Pandemic
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, is allowing her state to start reopening on April 30, 2020, after her stay-at-home order expires. “As of this week, we no longer believe our hospitals will see an overwhelming amount of ICU patients who need ventilators, as we once believed, and that is sure good news,” Ivey said. […]
Read MoreAmazon Shoppers Won’t Abandon Ship
Many U.S. consumers have negative feelings toward Amazon’s impact on the retail industry and the environment, according to a recent consumer survey by Convey. The negative sentiment, however, doesn’t translate to lost sales. The key to Amazon’s success is its industry-disrupting shipping. Major findings include: 25% of Americans have negative feelings about Amazon’s impact on […]
Read More
There’s No Business Like Shoe Business
About 12 years ago, G. Brent Barkin, the son of Shoe Station founder Terry S. Barkin, urged his father to start a website for the family-owned business. The senior Barkin followed his son’s advice and invested some money in creating a new channel. But he had his doubts, asking, “Who’s going to buy shoes from a website?”
Read More
State of Retail Tech
Equity funding to retail tech companies slowed globally in 2019—down 31% to $45.2 billion—largely due to a slide in funding to e-commerce platforms and enabling technologies, finds CB Insights’ State of Retail Tech report, a comprehensive look into retail trends from 2019 and what to look for in 2020. Specifically, funding to supply chain and […]
Read More
Map Mishaps Throw Last-Mile Drivers Off Course
Nearly all last-mile delivery drivers say they would be more effective if they had better maps, according to a new report from Mapillary, a street-level imagery platform that uses computer vision to automate mapping. The delivery industry is racking up $2.5 billion in wasted salary and $611 million in extra miles due to bad maps, […]
Read More
Robot Return Ratios
More robots are on the way to Walmart, says John Crecelius, the retailer’s vice president in charge of in-store innovations. Walmart will add shelf-scanning Bossa Nova robots to 650 more U.S. stores in 2020, for a total of 1,000 or more by the fall. Either Bossa Nova or Simbe robots will be in “the majority” […]
Read MoreHow Does Coronavirus Impact the Supply Chain, and How Can Retailers Minimize Disruption?
With the new coronavirus impacting supply chains globally and shifting consumer spending habits, retailers must assess their response on a daily—or even hourly—basis. COVID-19 has impacted the supply chain by limiting access to employees due to quarantines, closing factories or slowing down manufacturers, and limiting access to logistics to move goods, according to Gartner. Retailers can minimize these disruptions in three ways:
Read More
Coronavirus Precautions
The Chinese government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak has impacted 280 supplier sites near Wuhan, China, according to Bindiya Vakil, chief executive officer of Resilinc, a provider of cognitive supply chain monitoring and mitigation solutions. Businesses could experience supply chain disruptions for three to six months, which is comparable to disruptions caused by the swine […]
Read More
Crossing the Final-Mile Finish Line
Total e-commerce revenue in 2020 will reach $3.52 trillion, growing year-over-year at nearly 19%, according to global tech market advisory firm ABI Research. This explosion is forcing retailers to find faster and more convenient modes to reach the final mile. Retailers will likely trade profits to continue investments in the e-commerce explosion. This growth depends […]
Read More
I Like Big-Box and I Cannot Lie
Nearly half of small to mid-sized business (SMB) decision-makers involved in distribution, logistics, and/or procurement estimate an increase in shipping spend in 2020 compared to 2019, and big-box retailers are influencing their strategy, finds logistics technology platform uShip’s 2020 SMB Shipping Strategies report. About 25% of decision-makers say the logistics strategies of Amazon and Walmart […]
Read More