Inventory Management
November 12, 2015 at 11:05 am
When Macy’s, a store closely associated with Christmas, says there's trouble brewing ahead of the holidays, it's enough to send the world of shopping into a tailspin. The retailer of “Miracle on 34th Street” warned Wednesday that its stores were awash with merchandise after a sluggish fall season and that slow business would force it to…
September 22, 2015 at 10:09 am
A highlight of my year is the annual Direct Tech (now SPI) User Conference. (SPI acquired Direct Tech earlier this year.) This event brings together SPI clients for three days to network with their peers, learn more about SPI software applications and services, and discuss best practices related to merchandise and inventory planning. This year’s…
August 24, 2015 at 11:16 am
One of the biggest problems Wal-Mart identified in its latest profit warning was what it calls “shrinkage.” Greg Foran, president and CEO for Wal-Mart U.S. said on the earnings call that “accelerating pressures in shrink” were one of three major factors that contributed to the company’s underperformance. The others were an overall decline in gross…
August 3, 2015 at 2:02 pm
One of the buzz phrases that's surfaced with merchandise and inventory planning systems over the last few years is “predictive analytics.” At its simplest, the term reflects the fact that data processing capabilities have advanced to the point where they don’t simply generate operational reports and ask the user to interpret information. They're now capable…
July 14, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Amazon.com’s Prime Day is tomorrow, and retailers will need to be prepared for the tidal wave of purchasing activity on Amazon. In honor of the e-commerce behemoth’s 20th birthday, Amazon plans to host a day of crazy sales and giveaways, with sales forecast to be greater than on Black Friday. Third-party Amazon sellers stand to…
July 7, 2015 at 1:59 pm
The numbers are mind-boggling: a new research report from retail analyst firm IHL Group, sponsored by OrderDynamics, points out that retailers worldwide lose $1.75 trillion (that’s trillion, not billion) annually in revenue opportunities due to the combined costs of overstocks, out-of-stocks and sales returns. It’s a phenomenon that IHL and OrderDynamics call the “Ghost Economy,”…
June 29, 2015 at 3:28 pm
The use of handheld RFID readers for retail cycle counting and inventory management is exploding — and for good reason. They’re inexpensive, tangible and convenient, and provide a familiar form factor for store associates. However, while handhelds are well suited for initial retail pilots, deploying them in scaled-up enterprise environments requires careful thought and planning.…
June 26, 2015 at 3:54 pm
This spring, Target made the strategic decision to integrate clothing designer Lilly Pulitzer into its array of product offerings. Within half an hour, the preppy, chic floral prints were completely sold out — signifying both success and opportunity. Before its collaboration with Lily Pulitzer, it can be assumed that Target researched its audience, understanding that…
June 23, 2015 at 2:47 pm
As many readers of this blog know, I've been working with Direct Tech, a 26-year-old provider of merchandise and inventory planning tools for direct-to-consumer retailers, for the last few years. Earlier this year, Direct Tech was acquired by Software Paradigms International (SPI), a 20-year-old provider of IT solutions to brick-and-mortar retailers. It’s exciting to be…
June 16, 2015 at 2:59 pm
M.Fredric is a California-based apparel retailer that sells its products via nine brick-and-mortar stores and an e-commerce website. Like many omnichannel brands, managing inventory levels in real time to prevent out-of-stocks and overstocks was a challenge for M.Fredric. In addition, a lack of real-time sales data meant buying decisions were delayed, a serious inhibitor for…
