Software

As more people head online instead of into a store, forward-thinking retail software strategies no longer belong on a wish list, but on a to-do list. A critical piece of that strategy has emerged with progressive delivery of software — i.e., the ability to gradually roll out new features online or even in-store. Progressive delivery…

The latest Consumer Price Index confirmed that inflation is up 7.9 percent year-over-year (YoY), proving again that the United States is experiencing the highest inflation levels in 40 years. While those in the retail and CPG industry expect price fluctuations, sustained cost increases across the board, from wheat to packaging, are putting severe strains on…

“Greater competition, increasing consumer demands, a tight labor market, new compliance legislation, and a workforce expecting more from employers — all are making life difficult for retailers around the world.” Sound familiar? Of course it does. The truth is “upheaval” is the standard state of business. “New technologies disrupting business as usual” is a complaint…

CPGS Walk a Fine Line of Profitability and Loss When it comes to profitability, CPGs don’t have much wiggle room to begin with, let alone small and midsized CPGs looking to establish and maintain shelf space in a hypercompetitive retail environment. And deductions management plays a big role in protecting profitability. Validating deductions and managing…

Prior to 2020, the gradual shift from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce shopping had already begun. The pandemic, however, accelerated this shift as more consumers elected to shop online. The U.S. e-commerce forecast had online sales growing by double digits — 17.9 percent year-over-year — in 2021. Online sales were forecast to reach $933.30 billion last year, accounting for…

Since the pandemic, consumers have become more accustomed to buying and shopping online, with a recent study finding that over 75 percent of people are doing so at least once a month. Primarily, people cite convenience as the main reason why they choose to continue to shop online. Nevertheless, purchasing a product online has become so convenient…

Whatever convenience e-commerce provides, it can never replace the in-person shopping experience. Therefore, it’s no surprise that consumers are returning to brick-and-mortar shops as the economy slowly recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and more retailers offer in-store shopping. How Does This Impact the Retail Industry? Increased consumer traffic could lead to a new outbreak if…

In an e-commerce world obsessed with finding a magic cure for creating the perfect customer experience (CX), headless commerce is the hot new elixir. Retailers have heard time and again how a headless website architecture improves speed and performance by decoupling the front-end and back-end of their core systems. It sounds so enticing that some…

To address the challenge of balancing inventory and gaining visibility into it, requirements for effective and efficient buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup programs, retailers are increasingly turning to automated technology solutions. They’re automating order and delivery flows with their product suppliers through the use of EDI (i.e., the electronic interchange of business…

The use of automation technology to facilitate the seamless flow of information between product suppliers and retailers is critical to meeting consumers’ omnichannel fulfillment demands. Automation is necessary for retailers to not only satisfy their customers’ lofty expectations for buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup, but also to keep pace with their…