Retail Supply Chain Archives - Page 5 of 13 - Supply Chain Game Changer™

The Christmas Retail Checklist – Get Your Store Prepared! (Infographic)

Innovations in Offline Retail! (Infographic)

Now that the record-breaking Black Friday is behind us, retailers small and large must place their focus over the coming weeks on preparing for the Christmas retail holiday shopping season.

According to a report by Gartner L2, nearly 85%of holiday sales in 2017 took place in brick-and-mortar stores. It’s therefore hugely important for retailers to make the most of this time to get everything ready to maximise sales over the holiday period.

If you’re unsure where to start, we recommend taking a look at this helpful infographic from the team at Colourfast Printing which offers a handy Christmas retail checklist.

How to Safely Ship Craft Beer!

How to Prevent Shipping Damage! (Infographic)

Entrusting your beer to the American postal service can be a scary task. For one, you need to know how to pack your craft beer properly so it reaches its destination safely. For another, you have to research if you even can ship your craft beer inside the US or internationally.

Shipping a keg is one thing. After all, kegs are virtually indestructible, but if you want to send individual brewed beer or a case of it, you’ll need to take the proper precautions.

International Expansion in Retail (Infographic)

Innovations in Offline Retail! (Infographic)

The road to international expansion in Retail has been successfully travelled but it is also lined with a lot of accidents and failures. But is it that easy?

“We are going to expand in to the U.S.!”

I heard this refrain many, many times. The growth and success that a Retailer experiences as they expand in their original, domestic market inspires a level of confidence in the company’s ability to expand beyond it’s geographic borders.

McDonald’s Supply Chain Challenge: Switching from Frozen to Fresh Burgers!

KFC Ran Out of Chicken! What Supply Chain Lessons Can We Learn?

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Back in early 2018, McDonald’s – a pioneer in cold chain distribution – announced that it was testing out using fresh patties instead of frozen in burgers at 300 of its U.S. locations.

Which doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but for one of the world’s largest Supply Chains – one that’s been using frozen burgers in its stores for decades – it represented an interesting test case in how companies can use supply chain strength to pivot as the market changes.

The Future of Distribution!

Featuring Our 10 Best Warehouse Order Fulfillment Articles!

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The eCommerce distribution system is never static, as new technologies cause fundamental changes in how distribution works. Societal disruptions, like those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, can also lead to changes in the way producers and supply chain managers handle the future of distribution networks, including eCommerce fulfillment.

The future of distribution is challenging and changing more quickly every year.

Producers, distributors, and retailers compete for market share and a bigger slice of the overall pie with unpredictable outcomes. Using innovative approaches, some companies attempt to cover an entire market segment, from production to retail. Others specialize in becoming an all-purpose intermediary or try to excel in a particular niche.

Why Amazon’s Increased Fees Have a Silver Lining for Sellers!

How to Sell on Amazon! The Complete Guide!

At first glance, it looks like it isn’t going to be the easiest year for Amazon sellers. Not only will they be paying more in Amazon seller fees, but they’ll also have to adjust to new limitations on inventory storage in FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) warehouses.

Even so, Amazon’s increased fees isn’t the whole story; some sellers see this as an opportunity, as well as a challenge.

Last Minute Supply Chain Preparation for Black Friday!

Get Ready for Next Holiday Now … Make It Boring (From A Supply Chain Perspective)!

Black Friday is almost here!

Retailers have been anticipating and preparing for this over the last year. It has become the biggest online shopping period of the entire year with expectations for exponential growth over last year.

Further this period is so dramatically busier than at any other time of the year that it has an absolutely enormous impact on the Supply Chain of these companies.

In fact the readiness of the Supply Chain can make or break the success of Black Friday for most any company.

Retail Analytics for Thrift Stores!

Sustainability and Ethical Practices in Thrift Stores!

In the ever-evolving world of retail, thrift stores are gaining momentum as consumers seek sustainable shopping alternatives. These shops offer an array of pre-loved treasures at affordable prices, making them a popular choice for budget-conscious and environmentally conscious shoppers alike.

However, to thrive in this competitive landscape, thrift stores must embrace modern tools and strategies. One such tool that can significantly enhance their operations is retail analytics.

What are the Top 7 Trends in Last Mile Logistics?

Last Mile Delivery! What is your Strategy?

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Shippers face many challenges in successfully delivering products to end-users, and last mile logistics will be a core focus of change in the coming months. Consumer demands and expectations are rising, and up to 25 percent of consumers are willing to pay extra for same-day delivery.

Also, same-day delivery will reach a 25-percent market share by 2025. By 2018 alone, same-day delivery and last mile logistics will be valued at more than $1.35 billion.

E-commerce is the driving force behind the sudden uptick in last mile logistics, and as explained by Logistics Management, e-commerce is expected to grow to $2.4 trillion by 2018 as well.

To gain a competitive advantage in last mile logistics, shippers need to understand the top seven trends in last mile logistics.

The Thanksgiving Turkey Supply Chain!

Food Waste and World Hunger – The Food Supply Chain is Broken!

Recently we were driving on some back roads and in the distance we saw something on the road. As we got closer we saw that there were a bunch of wild turkeys about to cross the road. Was this Thanksgiving turkey?

The turkeys, hearing us coming, immediately turned around and quickly went back down the side road that they had come from. Apparently they knew that being close to humans was not a good idea, particularly at this time of year.

With this in mind, and with Thanksgiving around the corner, I got to thinking about what the Supply Chain was that brought the Thanksgiving Turkey to the dinner table.

Value Stream Mapping the Current State Process!

Value Stream Mapping the Future State Process!

We had to begin the transformation of the company’s business processes to support the new business objectives. This would mean value stream mapping the current state process. Specifically the company was going to carry a dramatically different set of products which required a new set of capabilities in Strategic Planning, Merchandising, Marketing, Procurement, Inventory Management, Retail Operations and Logistics.

That scope defined the set of processes we needed to change first. The overall goal was to enable the transformation of the company which would manifest itself in higher revenue, improved growth and profitability, greater customer satisfaction and superior employee engagement.

We decided to attack this by introducing the Lean technique of Value Stream Mapping to the organization. We had to start with mapping the Current State process.

Shipping With Amazon: Cutting out the Middle Man!

Competing against Amazon? You Need A Blue Ocean Strategy!

In February, 2018 it was reported that Amazon was going to launch its own delivery service: Shipping With Amazon!

Effectively Amazon has declared that they are officially entering the logistics business. The “Shipping With Amazon” service, albeit currently on a much smaller scale, competes with the logistics service and delivery capabilities offered by UPS, FedEx, and UPS.

But these are incredibly large, well established logistics companies. And they are also the major delivery service suppliers to Amazon.

So why would Amazon choose to go into this space?

Future ECommerce Focus Areas for Supply Chain!

Full Case Fulfillment – The Retail Holy Grail!

The backbone of Retail and ECommerce is Supply Chain. Without Supply Chain they cease to function. Goods don’t move to channels and customers have nothing to buy. It is that simple!

Not only is Supply Chain necessary to make Retail and ECommerce run, but Supply Chain is now a source of customer delightedness and competitive differentiation. Just think of same day delivery … that capability is entirely possible due to Supply Chain.

As such Supply Chain is not just a necessary function but a strategic weapon. Here are our thoughts on future ECommerce focus areas and considerations for the effective management of Supply Chain.

How to Do More With Less in Your Last Mile Service!

Last Mile Delivery! What is your Strategy?

When we look at the industry leaders, the forecast for the logistics market is clear. Amazon’s continued success at omnichannel delivery and fulfillment, including one-day delivery for Prime subscribers, has increased the pressure on retailers and shippers to provide faster, lower priced, more convenient last mile service delivery and fulfillment.

They, in turn, look to their 3PLs, carriers and logistics providers as key partners in meeting these expectations and launching new last mile service delivery models. The raised expectations, coupled with the current wave of demand driving parcel and package delivery, is driving innovation across the market.

Full Case Fulfillment – The Retail Holy Grail!

The Supply Chain Detective™ and the $25M Robbery!

The retail company I had joined had just invested $25 million to automate their Distribution Centre. They automated the process of fulfilling orders in individual units, or eaches, instead of case fulfillment.

As I learned more and more about the system and the operation it became obvious to me that the entire paradigm that went into the $25 million investment was wrong. They wasted at least $20 million by perpetuating individual unit.

They could have save a lot of time and money by changing their fundamental operating model to one of case fulfillment – the Retail Holy Grail!