Supply Chain
February 15, 2021 at 4:51 pm
Following a record year, imports at the largest U.S. retail container ports are expected to set new monthly records from now into the summer as the nation’s economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, a maritime strategy and…
February 14, 2021 at 11:44 am
From small local boutiques to iconic department stores, no corner of the retail sector has been untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the separation between winners and losers has never been so stark. For every mall chain declaring bankruptcy, there’s a competitor that’s quickly responded to the new normal and is reaping the revenue benefits.…
February 10, 2021 at 3:06 pm
In part one of this three-part series, I will decode Amazon.com's latest and most radical changes to its Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) program. I will share what merchants can do to adapt and thrive in the new one-day e-commerce delivery world. On August 20, 2020, in a post titled Important Updates to Seller Fulfilled Prime…
February 9, 2021 at 7:29 pm
2020 was an unprecedented year that has changed the retail industry forever, turning omnichannel operations on its head. With many stores closed and customers staying at home, retailers had to rethink their overall strategy, many converting in-store inventory to fulfill online orders and turning stores into temporary distribution centers. Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS)…
February 9, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Enterprises in virtually every industry are utilizing a bevy of new technologies that create efficiencies and cut costs through new, advanced virtual services. Many of these organizations are working to harness these virtual technologies through automation so that they can vastly improve the customer experience whereby digital processes are accessible through optimized services. Leading technologies…
February 7, 2021 at 8:45 am
The COVID-19 pandemic created a major spike in outsourced delivery services as restaurants, grocery stores and retailers rushed to adapt to an overnight shift in consumer behavior. Months later it has become clear that the home delivery shift is here to stay, and the high fees and unpredictability of outsourced services are no longer tenable.…
February 4, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Many companies are now wondering about the long-term impact of coronavirus on the retail and e-commerce industry, and what lasting changes it may leave. Despite the doom mongering, many brick-and-mortar stores are doing very nicely online, and so are smaller e-commerce players, with average e-commerce businesses reporting a 15 percent increase in annual revenue since…
January 28, 2021 at 4:53 pm
Amazon.com dominates the e-commerce arena with a market share of nearly 40 percent. However, despite its ever-strengthening grip on the digital world of retail, the e-commerce giant has made efforts to build a brick-and-mortar presence in the past few years — uncharacteristic of other retailers. Amazon has made highly publicized efforts to establish physical stores in…
January 28, 2021 at 4:08 pm
On-demand manufacturing, also called cloud manufacturing, emerged over the past decade and is beginning to revolutionize the supply chain industry. Driven by the explosive growth of e-commerce and shifting consumer preferences, the global cloud manufacturing market is expected to reach about $112 billion by 2024, growing at an astounding 19.8 percent annually, according to MarketWatch.…
January 27, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Brick-and-mortar stores were already evolving before the global pandemic accelerated the shift to e-commerce. More than ever, customers know what they need and are going directly to a store that has it, either to buy it or pick it up having ordered online. This consumer behavior makes inventory visibility more important than ever for retailers.…
