Inventory

As the holiday season approaches, brands shipping direct-to-consumer (DTC) or to retailers face the significant challenge of ensuring timely product delivery. The end goal, no matter your e-commerce omnichannel strategy, is to get products in customers' hands by the holiday gift-giving season. Proper forecasting and strategic planning are essential to meet customer expectations and capitalize…

I have a confession to make: A few weeks ago I found myself buying toys for my kids — toys that they really don’t need. I hadn’t planned the splurge, but as I strolled the charming streets of San Diego, my eyes fell upon an incredible feat of store design: a gigantic wooden puppet, its…

In the omnichannel retail world, inventory optimization is more important than ever before. Retailers need to get the right products to the right places at the right time to satisfy demand in an efficient and profitable way — no matter how, when or where their customers choose to shop. With this in mind, many retailers…

Every year, designers push creative horizons, unveiling innovative styles that push the boundaries of traditional design and showcasing new and unique items that align with current trends. Some of these new pieces quickly capture retailers’ attention and become best-sellers, while others fade into obscurity. Retailers are also dealing with past trends making a comeback while…

Research from Morgan Stanley suggests that inventory restocking may face sustained headwinds as companies respond to persistently high interest rates. The report indicates shippers are increasingly reluctant to rebuild inventory, preferring instead to run leaner operations even at the expense of being late on orders. Meanwhile, the enduring drought in the Panama Canal and the escalating conflict in the Red…

Demand planning uses available data and analytics into past market behavior in and around a business to predict the future. Without these insights, business owners could make inventory misreads, marketing mistakes, shipping blunders, and hiring miscues, all eating into profit margins. By assessing your current business performance and past order histories, you can anticipate the…

In an age where everyday goods cost more than ever, is our appetite for the finer things subsiding? According to Bank of America card data, credit card spending for luxury fashion is down 16 percent year-over-year, the product of a six-quarter-long decline. In October, one of the world’s top luxury retailers saw its stock drop…

Engagement ring spending in the United States rose 9.2 percent in 2022 year-over-year, according to the latest data from The Wedding Report, and another 2 million-plus weddings are likely for 2023. As a result, there are going to be lots of young couples walking into jewelry stores with that gleam in their eyes, ready to…

The last two years have been a roller coaster for online stores. The supply chain disruptions of 2021 led to many merchants struggling to get their hands on enough inventory, and then overbuying to compensate in 2022. But now, with an economic downturn looming and the threat of reduced consumer spending increasing, stores that overstocked…

Planning for a new store location? If so, choosing the right strategies is critical to success. Here are various options that merchandise planning teams can consider. Inventory Planning for Your First Store If your company is preparing to launch its very first store, it’s an exhilarating and exhausting time. It’s also the time when your…