Inventory Management
August 3, 2015 at 2:02 pm
One of the buzz phrases that's surfaced with merchandise and inventory planning systems over the last few years is “predictive analytics.” At its simplest, the term reflects the fact that data processing capabilities have advanced to the point where they don’t simply generate operational reports and ask the user to interpret information. They're now capable…
July 14, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Amazon.com’s Prime Day is tomorrow, and retailers will need to be prepared for the tidal wave of purchasing activity on Amazon. In honor of the e-commerce behemoth’s 20th birthday, Amazon plans to host a day of crazy sales and giveaways, with sales forecast to be greater than on Black Friday. Third-party Amazon sellers stand to…
July 7, 2015 at 1:59 pm
The numbers are mind-boggling: a new research report from retail analyst firm IHL Group, sponsored by OrderDynamics, points out that retailers worldwide lose $1.75 trillion (that’s trillion, not billion) annually in revenue opportunities due to the combined costs of overstocks, out-of-stocks and sales returns. It’s a phenomenon that IHL and OrderDynamics call the “Ghost Economy,”…
June 29, 2015 at 3:28 pm
The use of handheld RFID readers for retail cycle counting and inventory management is exploding — and for good reason. They’re inexpensive, tangible and convenient, and provide a familiar form factor for store associates. However, while handhelds are well suited for initial retail pilots, deploying them in scaled-up enterprise environments requires careful thought and planning.…
June 26, 2015 at 3:54 pm
This spring, Target made the strategic decision to integrate clothing designer Lilly Pulitzer into its array of product offerings. Within half an hour, the preppy, chic floral prints were completely sold out — signifying both success and opportunity. Before its collaboration with Lily Pulitzer, it can be assumed that Target researched its audience, understanding that…
June 23, 2015 at 2:47 pm
As many readers of this blog know, I've been working with Direct Tech, a 26-year-old provider of merchandise and inventory planning tools for direct-to-consumer retailers, for the last few years. Earlier this year, Direct Tech was acquired by Software Paradigms International (SPI), a 20-year-old provider of IT solutions to brick-and-mortar retailers. It’s exciting to be…
June 16, 2015 at 2:59 pm
M.Fredric is a California-based apparel retailer that sells its products via nine brick-and-mortar stores and an e-commerce website. Like many omnichannel brands, managing inventory levels in real time to prevent out-of-stocks and overstocks was a challenge for M.Fredric. In addition, a lack of real-time sales data meant buying decisions were delayed, a serious inhibitor for…
June 10, 2015 at 4:32 pm
Investors might appreciate it more if Burlington Stores just said, “we blew it, and it won’t happen again,” rather than blaming “receipt flow issues” related to the timing of Easter for disappointing sales. The discount retailer’s stock tumbled 8.4 percent Tuesday, suffering the biggest one-day percentage selloff since the company went public on Oct. 2,…
May 27, 2015 at 6:52 pm
The fashion times are a-changin’. New products have an estimated failure rate of 50 percent, costing over $400 billion each year collecting dust on store shelves. With that kind of risk involved, a systematic assessment of consumer preferences should be par for the course. However, retailers are constantly struggling to determine what styles consumers are…
May 21, 2015 at 4:04 pm
A month after facing criticism over its handling of a designer collaboration, Target has apparently handed down a directive regarding resellers. It's the latest retailer to crack down on eBay and Amazon.com sellers who use retail stores to source inventory in what's known as retail arbitrage. On April 19, Target launched "Lilly Pulitzer for Target,"…
