Supply Chain

When a consumer thinks of retail purchasing in the current economic climate, there’s a very good chance they’re comparing their experience to Amazon.com or other titans of the industry. But how do those retailers keep their customers delighted and coming back for more? They exercise strict control over their supply chain. The Customer Experience Increasingly,…

The retail supply chain has experienced some dramatic evolutions over the last 10 years to 15 years. What started out as a straightforward process for getting goods from a warehouse or a distribution center (DC) and out onto the retail floor has become a central focus for companies managing a complex supply chain, including e-commerce,…

During the most recent Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Lounge, Aliza Licht, founder and president, LEAVE YOUR MARK LLC and best-selling author and host of the LEAVE YOUR MARK podcast, interviewed Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint. The pair discussed everything from Goldin’s new book, “Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters” (scheduled to be published in October), to how Hint’s marketing has changed in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and protests against racism, to everything in between.

Thanks to its dominance, Amazon.com is shaping consumer expectations for fast, free order fulfillment that other retailers struggle to meet. However, retailers can fight back by focusing on crucial service offerings and tapping consumer misgivings about Amazon to present a viable alternative. A new survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers conducted by Austin, Texas-based delivery experience…

We’ve seen history repeat itself time and time again this past year. As e-commerce’s impact on retail grows, companies that once viewed the supply chain as transactional are realizing that they must revamp their strategies with a greater emphasis on the business unit. As companies both small and large continue on their quests to deliver…

As states around the U.S. cautiously begin to reopen, the reawakening of the brick-and-mortar retail industry will be a phased approach. But even when all restrictions are lifted, consumers may not be ready to dive right back into their old shopping habits. At-home delivery and curbside pickup will likely remain popular among customers who feel…

In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Bai Gan, chief product officer at Zenni Optical, a leading online retailer of prescription eyewear. Gan discusses how Zenni was ahead of the curve in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic (the company's central manufacturing center is based near Shanghai), and why he feels the eyewear brand is…

U.S. retailers have faced numerous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic: shelter-in-place orders that closed all but essential retail, outbreaks of COVID-19 among employees for those remaining open and, naturally, supply chain shortages as vendors were hit by the same issues. For consumers this has meant some empty shelves — generally on sought-after items such as…

It’s been three months since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and the world is continuing to adapt to what many are calling the “new normal.” All types of industries have been affected by the crisis, but retailers specifically are in a tough spot: consumer behavior has shifted seemingly overnight…

Whether you're a Fortune 500 retailer or an emerging direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brand, your customers expect ease and convenience when ordering online. The problem is, meeting these expectations can put a significant strain on your business. Traditional logistics networks weren’t designed for D-to-C fulfillment because they were built to get goods onto store shelves. To meet…