Supply Chain

Costco is teaming up with delivery startup Instacart to test free delivery of prescription drugs to its members. The pilot program is limited to California and Washington state, according to two people familiar, and includes delivery to a Costco member’s home or office. One Costco member who has used the service told CNBC that he…

Did you know the top three words fashion executives use to describe the industry are digital, optimistic, and fast? This was just one of many findings from Mckinsey’s State of Fashion 2019 report, and it makes perfect sense. The metabolism of the fashion industry keeps getting faster: mega brands associated with fast fashion can restock…

Rising consumer expectations for fast (and oftentimes free) order delivery have forced retailers and brands to adjust how their supply chains operate. Automation within the supply chain has become necessary to compete in today's speed-driven environment. Therefore, retailers are investing in technology systems and solutions, including robots, artificial intelligence, machine learning, order and inventory management…

Products? Prices? Websites? There’s not a lot of difference, really. With so much the same today in business-to-consumer (B-to-C) e-commerce, what really makes the online customer loyal to a retailer? UPS posed this question to consumers worldwide as part of the 2019 Pulse of the Online Shopper study. Respondents made their feelings perfectly clear. Transparency…

Clothing rental service Rent the Runway is temporarily halting accepting new customers or new orders while its tries to fix major operational problems that have caused it to delay or cancel orders, angering legions of its customers. Chief executive Jennifer Hyman told customers in an email on Friday that the delays, which started on Sept. 13, stem…

Every retailer and shipper is constantly trying to keep up with Amazon.com. Some are even chasing the ultimate accomplishment of surpassing the online retail giant. Similarly, even Amazon pushes itself to be the best, as it knows that with each conquered goal there's higher expectations from customers waiting for it. As retailers imagine Amazon flipping…

When it comes to the apparel industry, there's a “gap” in how much water is used in their manufacturing processes and how much water could be saved. According to an article in Bloomberg, Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck is pushing for his company to reduce water waste and look for ways to reduce water usage.…

Hardly a day goes by without the issue of waste appearing in the media. Its impact on the environment is becoming increasingly visible, driving changes in consumer behavior and threatening companies’ license to operate. A Long-Term ‘Dual Challenge’ for Retailers Retailers have been pushing hard to take on big issues like wasted packaging, plastic, food…

DiCentral Partners with Lehigh University on Research Examining the Transformational Supply Chain Challenges Retailers & Manufacturers Face in the New Online Retail Reality

The race is on. In a bid to capture increased wallet spend, brands around the globe, over 57 percent of them in fact, are racing to launch direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) channels. This explosion marks a shift in the way products are sold, disrupting established industries and causing a fundamental change in brands’ relationships with consumers. But perhaps…