About 15 years ago, I changed industries from healthcare to logistics. As I am an IT professional, you might think it was a jump from an antiquated, paper-based world to a high-speed, technologically advanced one. Actually, I’ve been surprised at the extent to which the exchange of supply chain data in the logistics world remains old-school or simply manual.
Many logistics executives in consumer packaged goods companies have come to believe that a shared warehousing environment generally requires that you sacrifice your ability to get your goods ‘retail ready’ – that is, ready to meet unique retailer requirements. Learn more about how this misconception can get in the way of consumer packaged goods companies achieving 99.5% shipping accuracy from their warehouse operation.
ProShip’s Parcel Locker article is featured on Shep Hyken’s Customer Service Experience Blog and talks to how parcel lockers can benefit retailers.
Delivering packages and products on time is more important than ever in our economy of instant gratification.
Following our previous discussion on traditional retail brands and off-price retailers, another strong category of enterprises which managed to survive the latest disruptions are wholesale companies. These shops focus on selling goods in bulk to large families (and individuals) and small businesses. The most prominent examples are Costco, Sam’s Club, and PriceSmart. With smart investment in PIM solutions, all three were able to increase their revenue at a time of general market downturn.
‘Tis the season when supply chains are under pressure to meet customer demands and to keep internal business procedures running smoothly. Companies not optimizing their holiday supply chain and procurement processes are subject to risk. Disruptions, unpredictable demand, increased customer service expectations, and the need for faster communication between buyers and suppliers have made maintaining a robust and efficient supply chain a necessity.
Product Returns have become an accepted part of the shopping process for those retailers who have an established a digital presence, representing at least 30% of all the products ordered online. As a shopper, this sounds pretty reasonable if we take into consideration the need to try and test what we buy, but perhaps retailers can do more to reduce this rate. In comparison, only 8.89% of goods bought in brick-and-mortar shops have been returned during the last year.
In the history of grocery operations, electronic data interchange (EDI) may have been one of the game changing developments in the last 30 years. Of course, we’re a little biased, but we’ve seen how EDI has greatly improved back office efficiency, helped operations reduce unnecessary staffing levels, helped reduce the number of errors and even cut down on late payments for suppliers.
Amazon is currently dominating the online shopping experience, but here’s what retailers can do to keep customers loyal.
Retailers who want to work with large suppliers like Nike, Adidas, or other international brands may have their work cut out for them before they even get started. For one thing, retailers of almost any size may find they’re the ones being told what to do to a degree.
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