Supply Chain

COVID-19 has turned the world of retail upside down. Hundreds of millions of Americans have been ordered to stay home during the pandemic, resulting in thousands of shuttered brick-and-mortar businesses and a surge in online shopping. In the face of all this uncertainty, retailers are trying to understand how COVID-19 will impact everything from maintaining…

Entering a new decade that begins with the year 2020 gives rise to thoughts about what “2020 vision” means for procurement in the next decade, during which supply chain and procurement operations will digitally transform at a rapid pace. The trouble is, observers have been predicting “the changing world of procurement” for many years now…

While countless businesses are scrambling to find alternative ways to serve their customers, many e-commerce brands have seen significant growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For a lot of consumers, social distancing and business closures have changed how they shop, the lengths they’ll go to purchase a product, and what they’re willing to buy online. This…

While customer demands used to soar to levels once considered impossibly high only during holidays like Black Friday and Valentine’s Day,  today, customer demands rise to these levels on an almost daily basis. These demands can cause a steady stream of turbulence. Retailers like Walmart and Target are pushed to stay competitive year-round with online…

There are hidden costs in order fulfillment that can be minimized or eliminated by streamlining your supply chain. Options such as buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and ship-from-store are increasingly popular among merchants as lower-cost fulfillment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any cost reduction within the supply chain can ease the burden of offering…

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is impacting businesses and communities across the world in ways that seemed unimaginable even a month ago. All industries are feeling its effects, but brands and retailers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry are among those on the front lines of this fight. With consumer shopping habits fluctuating rapidly, there…

Disruption vs. destruction is a key distinction for manufacturing and retail-centric supply chains during today’s tumultuous time. Disruption equals delays, while destruction equals damage (beyond repair). COVID-19 is both disruptive and destructive on a global scale. It has and will continue to cause shifts and reduction in “wants” merchandise and an increase in “needs” merchandise.…

Global supply chains haven't had this much disruption since World War II, and the United States wasn’t as dependent on oversea goods and manufacturing then. On March 19, J.C. Penney announced that it was closing 850 stores, affecting 90,000 store associates. Sadly, J.C. Penney joins an illustrious group of retailers closing for several weeks to…

Becoming a member of the C-suite in a large retail company is no small feat, and one that cannot be achieved without building strong relationships with colleagues and department leaders. The ability to collaborate and work efficiently to find solutions that realize the goals of not just of a single department, but the entire organization,…

With current concerns about the impending severity of COVID-19, consumers are taking steps to prepare for personal impact — even to the point of major retailers selling out of supplies such as water and hand sanitizer. Another consideration for retailers, however, should be peripheral effects on the entirety of the supply chain, given China's heavy…