Omnichannel Archives - Supply Chain Game Changer™

World Class E-Commerce Fulfillment Principles! (Infographic)

Keys to Success in Warehouse Management/Order Fulfillment! (Video)

E-Commerce is the fastest growing avenue for doing business anywhere. It has been for many years and it will be for many years to come. In support of this your operations need to be World Class.

It is certainly a challenge to establish the sales, marketing, merchandising and transactional infrastructure to offer an efficient and effective E-Commerce solution to your customers.

At the core of the Supply Chain an enormous challenge is to have a highly competitive and compelling E-Commerce Fulfillment solution. So what are the key principles that you must have in place to design, construct and deliver a leading E-Commerce Fulfillment solution?

Has Walmart Beat Amazon Using an Omnichannel Returns Strategy?

Customer Returns State … And What to Do Next! (Infographic)

Amazon has reigned supreme in e-commerce for years, but Walmart is well on its way to making the e-commerce giant a little nervous. Amazon acquired Whole Foods and dropped the price of Prime Pantry through Prime Perks. Amazon began looking into brick-and-mortar storefronts, hoping to capture a new slice of the omnichannel pie.

Walmart has a different approach, and in several ways, Walmart is positioning itself to best Amazon in e-commerce through an innovative, omnichannel return strategy. To understand the true scope of this accomplishment, supply chain leaders need to understand the precursor steps Walmart has taken.

3 Challenges Facing Supply Chain in the Next 5 Years!

Imagining the Supply Chain of the Future!

We stand at the cusp of some interesting new possibilities for business. As such, we can expect some potentially drastic changes, and with them the need for smart solutions. We’ll take a look at a handful of the major challenges facing supply chain over the next half-decade, and how the industry is approaching these.

It can sometimes feel as though our commercial landscape is in a constant state of flux. Whether due to frequent changes in technology, attitudes of consumers, or shifts in working practices, this can breed both an exciting sense of competition, as well as uncertainty. Supply chain managers are often at the forefront of these developments.

Omnichannel Customer Service Best Practices!

The Omni-channel Approach to Customer Experience!

The growing size of today’s consumer market sets the stage for entrepreneurs and companies of varying capacities to take part. The US consumer market alone was at $1.5 trillion in 2016. And this number is continuously increasing, including omnichannel customer service.

According to an article from AdAge, US Gen Y or millennials are also swiftly increasing their slice of the pie, spending more than $200 billion annually.

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.

The Omnichannel Alphabet Soup!

From Click to Ship in 4 Minutes! Ultimate Principles for World Class Fulfillment!

At the start of my career, most brands and OEMs used a traditional two-tier distribution process through wholesalers and retailers to sell their products. There was no omnichannel alphabet soup.

“Advanced” companies passed orders via EDI. Brands knew little about their end-users, a far cry from today’s growing customer-centric approach with expanding arrays of channels and convenience options.

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.

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.

Space Planning: Could You Run Out of Space in Your Warehouse too?

What’s the Difference Between Logistics and Distribution?

“We are out of space!”

“What? We’re only in the middle of September.”

“The receiving docks are backed up. We have trucks in the parking lot waiting to unload their goods. There are even more containers on their way. And we have no empty space left in the warehouse racking.”

That was the actual conversation I had with the head of the Distribution Centre (DC). We had a big problem on our hands to say the least.

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

Black Friday – If Your Supply Chain Isn’t Ready Now You Are In Trouble!

The Holiday season finished recently. And the next Holiday season may seem far away. But in the area of E-Commerce Fulfillment it will be here before you know it. Now is the time to begin implementing the improvements and strategies you need to make this coming Holiday season more successful than last year.

Having gone through the ups and downs and stresses of several Retail Holiday seasons myself, one January I gave this direction to my team. For the upcoming Holiday our theme was that we were going to have a BORING Holiday season … from a Supply Chain perspective.

Competing against Amazon? You Need A Blue Ocean Strategy!

The Amazon Effect is the New Walmart Effect!

Amazon is far and away the leader in the E-C0mmerce space. Their growth continues at an exceptional pace. And they continue to expand their products, services, and capabilities. In short they continue to press their advantage and make it difficult for anyone else to compete with them. You need a Blue Ocean strategy!

But if you are in the E-Commerce space that is your reality. Amazon is the biggest shark in the room. So how do you compete in the face of such an overwhelming adversary?

One technique is to consider creating your own Blue Ocean Strategy to create competitive advantage! If you can define dramatically different space in which to do business you may be able to keep this shark, and others, at bay (at least for a period of time).

The Omni-channel Approach to Customer Experience!

How to Synchronize Your Supply Chain!

In the last decade, the growing adoption of ecommerce has been swift–and ruthless. Huge retail market players like Best Buy and Toys R’ Us are shutting down huge chunks of their physical locations due to plummeting revenue and poor customer experience.

Not only is this a result of not embracing ecommerce early in its wave, they are also now competing with ecommerce giants like Amazon and Alibaba who sell the same or competing products online.

Traffic drought in physical stores could be attributed to the rising number of purchases made over the internet for certain customer and product segments. For some, the revenue drop is significant. And yet another part of the challenge big box retailers face as publicly traded companies is that they have to answer to their investors–and with ecommerce delivering superior results, the patience afforded to big box retailers is just not as generous.

So, where does the success of ecommerce lie?

Turn your Brick And Mortar Stores into E-Commerce Distribution Hubs!

Brick and Mortar Stores: Stand Up and Unite!

Retailers with Brick and Mortar stores continue to be under tremendous pressure. Competition is intense in the fast growing Omnichannel E-Commerce world. Every week there seems to be news about how one Retailer or another is closing more of their stores when they could be using them as Distribution hubs.

And very few Retailers with Brick And Mortar stores have been able to make a profit in E-Commerce. Competitors who only sell online without physical stores appear to have an advantage with lower overhead costs.

So how can Brick And Mortar Retailers turn their stores into a competitive advantage plus a source of greater profitability?

Last Mile Delivery! What is your Strategy?

What are the Top 7 Trends in Last Mile Logistics?

Amazon has set the benchmark for Last Mile Delivery. With massive Distribution Centres within a short distance of every major population centre they are able to offer fast delivery of virtually any product they sell. The Amazon Prime Now service promises delivery within 1 hour.

Amazon Fresh is their grocery delivery option and with their Whole Foods acquisition they are obviously planning for rapid delivery. Amazon Go is their Retail store option. Amazon Key is their in home delivery service. And the Amazon promise of drone delivery will further cement their leadership in the Last Mile Delivery race.

So how do you compete with that? What are your options? And what is your Strategy?

3 Key Trends in E-Commerce Logistics!

Amazon and Uber Impact on Logistics!

With the increase in the popularity of e-shops and delivery companies, the e-commerce logistics business keeps growing. It faces more and more challenges, as customers need companies to be quick and increase their logistics performance more than ever before.

What does it mean for your business? This article explains why understanding and following the key trends in logistics e-commerce are crucial for organizations that want to save their place in the supply chain and get better results with less effort.