Inventory Management

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…

If small business owners could clone themselves to be in multiple locations executing five critical tasks at once, most probably would. Especially if that meant they could spend more face time with customers. Carson Searcy, owner of CBS Sports, an outdoor and sporting goods independent retailer in Morganton, NC, is no exception. From kayaks and…

In the early 2000s, as smartphones and internet access transformed shopping habits, Best Buy revitalized its brand with a buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) option, offering pickup within 45 minutes. At the time, Best Buy’s strategy was considered a bold and innovative response to customers shifting omnichannel purchasing preferences. Today, this experience is par for the course, offered…

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…

Mastering inventory for special events and seasonality is a key ongoing challenge for retailers of every kind and size. The ebb and flow of sales during festive seasons, promotions, shopping days, and holidays can pose significant hurdles for inventory management. Retailers often find themselves grappling with excess inventory after a season or scrambling to meet…

The holiday season has always been a tricky time for retailers, and this year will be no different. With the inflation rate fluctuating between 3 percent and 4 percent, consumer spending behaviors have become increasingly unpredictable. How can retailers forecast the right products and channels to stock their shelves effectively in Q4? To stay agile…

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…

The retail supply chain is undergoing a major transformation, driven by the rise of e-commerce and the increasing complexity of global supply chains. In Gartner's 2023 Top Supply Chain Technology Trends report, "actionable AI" was named the No. 1 trend. This reflects the growing recognition among retailers that artificial intelligence is essential for modernizing and…

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…