Supply Chain

There are multiple departments within a retail organization, so which are most important? If we’re equating worth to cost — i.e., the annual salaries of employees within each department — then supply chain executives are most critical (see chart below). This was just one of the findings of Total Retail's recently released 2018 Salary Benchmark Report,…

With 3,000 points of sale in over 100 countries around the world, ALDO Group, a designer, manufacturer and retailer of footwear and accessories, sought a solution to help it better optimize its inventory across its online and offline sales channels. After a thorough vetting process, ALDO announced that it was partnering with Celect, a predictive…

Steve Jobs once said, “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.” For apparel manufacturers and retailers, no statement could be truer. Consumers want to be able to research merchandise, compare prices and move between purchasing channels seamlessly. Without seamless purchasing…

More than ever, consumers are making purchase decisions based on how fast they can get products in their hands. To meet these growing expectations for speed and convenience, traditional retailers are overhauling their supply chains to compete with Amazon.com and other rivals. Retailers also are asking more of their suppliers to help keep inventory low…

The traditional supply chain model is being upended, shifting from one designed for relatively standardized products to one that's highly complex and data driven. These shifts demand mass product customization, more accurate supply chain planning, and faster multichannel retail responsiveness that go far beyond the abilities of the typical workforce and infrastructure. While this may…

Amazon.com announced today the launch of a new offering designed to help individuals build their own companies that deliver Amazon packages. With the offering, Amazon will provide an active role in helping interested entrepreneurs start, set up and manage their own delivery businesses, even with little or no logistics experience. Amazon will offer the  couriers — who…

The prevalence of e-commerce giants has completely changed consumer buying expectations. Apparel, fashion and retail companies are all feeling the effects of the shift toward unified commerce and the pressure to deliver on consumer demands. Going beyond shipping, fulfillment and customer experience, consumers are looking closely at how a product is made, and making purchase decisions…

Today’s digitally empowered consumer wants retailers to offer more omnichannel fulfillment options, including choices in how and where they can buy merchandise. In The Future of Fulfillment Vision Study, Zebra Technologies surveyed more than 2,700 professionals in the global retail, delivery and logistics, and manufacturing industries to determine the extent to which retailers and their…

The linear models of many consumer goods supply chains are now shifting towards consumer-led, data-driven, highly complex supply networks. The consumer increasingly drives innovation from the heart of the network, demanding mass product customization, more accurate synchronization, and faster multichannel retail responsiveness. Going far beyond the abilities of the typical workforce and infrastructure, these shifts require instant visibility, quick decision making and increased flexibility. Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics automation have the potential to overcome these challenges and revolutionize consumer goods supply chains. For organizations willing to embrace this inevitable evolution, AI and robotics automation will enable innovation, ensure optimum service levels, and deliver growth at low cost. It will become a major source of competitive advantage.

This week, Home Depot announced plans to spend $1.2 billion over the next five years to speed up and improve its supply chain process. The Wall Street Journal reports the home improvement retailer is spending the majority of the budget on solutions to improve delivery of goods to homes and job sites as the rise of…