Inventory Management
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,"…
April 22, 2015
Target Corp. is responding to customers frustrated by their inability to buy items from the chain's Lilly Pulitzer collection. The limited-edition line went live in stores and online Sunday morning, with most of the items selling out within minutes. In a Q&A on Target's website, Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer Kathee Tesija said that while Target's limited-edition designer collaborations often sell out, this one was unique "for how quickly our guests shopped and how much they purchased."
April 22, 2015
While returns and e-tail typically go hand-in-hand, successful businesses today are realizing the advantages of properly analyzing products in new and innovative ways. By understanding the underlying reasons that can often contribute to returned goods, online merchants will begin to appreciate that a good return experience can offer them a serious competitive advantage.
April 14, 2015
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said it had a range of measures to fight counterfeits on its websites — remarks that come after a trade group requested U.S. government help in prodding the Chinese e-commerce giant into action against fake goods.
