Tag: Retail

The Retail industry is unique as it pertains to Supply Chain and the challenges that are associated with serving individual consumers on a personalized basis.

Complexity in the Retail Supply Chain!

International Expansion in Retail (Infographic)

As consumers the complexity in the retail supply chain is usually oblivious to us. We go to the store and pick up the goods that we want. Or we order goods online from our devices at home, in the office, or anywhere for that matter. We consume the items, returning them if necessary, unaware of all of the work that went into making those goods available to us.

A phenomenal amount of activity goes on behind the scenes to make this experience as seamless as possible. I am not saying that it always goes smoothly. Sometimes items are broken. They are late. Or there is some other issue.

But behind the curtain that is Retail there are a lot of people managing a lot of processes and dealing with a lot of complexity earnestly trying to make your goods available to you.

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Supply Chain Predictions!

Spreadsheets – A History and a Future!

As to Supply Chain predictions, in the book The Living Supply Chain, the authors argue that, “Speeding up the supply chain is at the root of everything that is good: improved revenue, reduced working capital, higher profitability, and less obsolete inventory. Conversely, slowing down the supply chain is at the root of everything that is bad: working capital write-offs, reduced profitability, and slowing revenues.”

To “speed” up the supply chain is to invest in change and change will come with the digital transformation of the supply chain, which is the major focus for executives in the future.

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Lessons from the Edge of the Abyss! Surviving a System Implementation!

10 Supply Chain Investment Challenges – Real and Imagined!
SC Viral The Pandemic Diaries
GET EBOOK

The company I had just joined was nearing the finish line on the implementation of a new WMS system.  They had been working on the system change for a few years.  Now implementation was only a few months away.  There were going to be lessons from the edge of this experience.

As the implementation date drew closer one of the key Warehouse management leaders, heading the project from the beginning, left the company.  We forged ahead and implemented the system on April 1st.  That’s right, April 1st!

And that’s when the “fun” began!

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Multichannel vs Omnichannel Fulfillment Solutions!

Which is Better? Amazon FBA or 3PL?
Unchaining Change Leadership

“Omnichannel” is certainly the prevalent phrase in the E-Commerce arena.  The expectation in an Omnichannel Fulfillment world is that a customer can order what they want, when they want, on whatever device they want, and have it delivered how they want.

The physical delivery part of the Omnichannel expectation can be very elusive.  Many companies claim that they are Omnichannel service providers.  But are they really?

How many E-Commerce Fulfillment options are there?  And how many do you provide in your company?

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What is a Multichannel Distribution Management System?

Which is Better? Amazon FBA or 3PL?

Many businesses begin with single-channel distribution. That sole channel could be a brick-and-mortar store or an e-commerce website. In either case, all sales flow through one outlet.

The advantage of a single-channel distribution management system is simplicity. There’s only one channel to manage, one channel to stock, and one channel to market to customers. As a business expands, however, the single-channel model can limit growth.

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Introducing Lean In Retail … Start in the Backroom!

The Agile Supply Chain! Why Agility is Trumping Lean!

The Retail company I had just joined was undergoing a massive transformation.  Fundamentally the new merchandising strategy was to curate a dramatically different set of products from that which was carried historically, but in addition to what was carried historically.  What did this mean for the backroom in every store?

This meant that an enormous number of the business processes had to be transformed to support the new product set because management of the new merchandise required much different capabilities in all aspects of running a retail company.  Not only did this transformation require new capabilities but it also required  improvements to productivity and efficiency throughout the company.  And overall this meant a need for cultural change.

I decided that I would introduce Lean process improvement techniques to this company.

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

Disruptive Warehouse Technologies for Any Company!

The capability we had in E-Commerce order fulfillment was rather basic.  We had employees manually pushing carts up and down standard warehouse racking aisles picking goods off of shelves.  And when they had completed an order or a set of orders they would then push the entire cart back to a centralized order packing station.

As a Supply Chain Services company we needed a dramatically better capability if we were wanted to have customers trust their growing E-Commerce business with us.  Pushing carts around a warehouse is both inefficient and lacks innovation.

We had to go back to the drawing board.  But in doing so we would end up with a World Class solution!

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To DC Or Not To DC? That is the Warehouse Design Question!

Network Optimization Success Criteria!

The fast growing E-Commerce channel makes it an attractive avenue for most companies to participate in.  The tremendous amount of investment required to participate in online product sales requires explicit decision making as to how a company is going to fulfill those orders.  

You need a warehouse design strategy to provide your fulfillment solution.

The E-Commerce Fulfillment solution you choose must take into account your customer’s demands, your competitive pressures, and the financial constraints that most companies have to deal with.

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Why Millennials are Different and How Marketers can Engage Them!

Our New, Flexible Workforce! Are You Reaping the Benefits?

Understanding your Customer is the first and most important consideration in designing, defining and refining your company and your go to market business model. And millennials are different.

In the Retail sector one key demographic that demands consideration is that group called Millennials.  Whether it be Marketing, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or any other aspect of your Go to Market experience understanding what is important to Millennials is critically important.

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What are the Supply Chain Impacts of Amazon’s Whole Foods Acquisition?

Amazon and Uber Impact on Logistics!

Big news out of the grocery retail world as Amazon has announced its acquisition of major organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market – for an eye-popping $13.7 billion sale price that doesn’t look so massive given Amazon’s $136 billion sales volume in 2016.

Analysts across the retail industry are talking about the huge implications of this sale for a retail industry that many say is in the middle of a major meltdown, in part owing to Amazon’s massive growth in the eCommerce space. This foray into the grocery business is a big challenge to companies like Target, Wal-Mart, and others, and also a sign that reports of brick and mortar retail’s demise might be greatly exaggerated.

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How to Sell on Amazon! The Complete Guide!

Shipping With Amazon: Cutting out the Middle Man!

Amazon is an online marketplace used by millions of people globally. From clothing to electronics to toiletries, you can find almost anything on Amazon.Wondering how you can get in on the action and how to sell on Amazon? All you need is a small monetary investment to get started and the knowledge of how to run a successful listing.

Anyone can sell on Amazon if they can choose a product, set up a profile and find a fulfillment provider. The benefits of selling on Amazon range from access to millions of customers to the ease of their platform.

Here we’ll walk you through each step of the selling process from setting up your account to expanding globally. Learn how to sell on Amazon.

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Amazon by the Numbers! (Infographic)

How to Sell on Amazon! The Complete Guide!

Whether you love, hate or remain neutral on Amazon, one can only marvel and admire Amazon by the numbers which only appear to be accelerating.

The infographic from Fortna in this post from Jeff Ashcroft provides a startling picture of where Amazon is at currently and how they’re expected to handle over half of online e-commerce transactions with Walmart now only at 5% and growing!

Content provided by Jeff Ashcroft.

Competing against Amazon? You need a Blue Ocean strategy!

Amazon by the numbers article and permission to publish here provided by Jeff Ashcroft. Originally published on Supply Chain Game Changer on August 24, 2017.

Brick and Mortar Stores: Stand Up and Unite!

International Expansion in Retail (Infographic)

It’s time for the Retail Brick and Mortar Store to stand up and be counted!   All of the talk about the demise of Brick and Mortar stores is premature.

In this age of E-Commerce the vast majority of retail sales are still conducted face to face in a physical store.  Even Millennials shop in a physical store 50% of the time.

The phenomenal growth of E-Commerce is undeniable.  But more importantly we must remember that customers want an OMNICHANNEL experience, NOT a Single Channel experience.

At the intersection of what the Customer wants and what the Retailer wants is the Brick and Mortar store!  This is where the Brick and Mortar Store is uniquely positioned to leverage its significant advantages!

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IKEA’s IWAY Lessons For Procurement!

Differentiate With Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)!

My girlfriend and I have a dog, named Charlie.

He’s only one and a half years old and is already, now, rather well trained. Sure, he has an occasional hiccup and puts his paws on a friend from over excitement, or pulls on the leash a bit too much as we approach the lake. But, all in all, my girlfriend and I (mainly her) have done a pretty solid job raising him.

Then again, we didn’t approach this whole dog ownership business with a ‘wilyl-nilly’ mindset.

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9 Key Considerations in an Effective Last Mile Delivery Strategy

Same Day vs Next Day Delivery … What’s the Difference? (Infographic)

Understanding last mile logistics is only half the battle. Shippers need to reevaluate their existing last mile logistics processes and devise an effective last mile delivery logistics strategy that aligns consumer and business expectation.

This is the only way shippers can safeguard their position in the market and continue to provide products to their consumers. In fact, an effective last mile logistics strategy must consider these nine key points.

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