Supply Chain

For the 2021 holiday season, shoppers and retailers worried about inventory shortages and shipping delays, but for this most recent holiday season, many brands were dealing with an excess of product. At the same time, organized retail theft is on the rise, with 57 percent of retailers reporting an increase in 2022 year-over-year, according to…

Amidst skyrocketing digital advertising costs and uncertain macroeconomic conditions, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands that once relied primarily on social advertising to drive customer acquisition are now seeking new ways to reach consumers. Companies like cosmetics maker Jones Road Beauty are shifting ad spend from early DTC mainstays Facebook and Instagram to platforms like TikTok that drive…

With a new year upon us, one of the first things on the horizon for the industry is the introduction of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, which went into effect on Jan. 1 in Germany. The legislation aims to improve the international human rights situation by making it legally binding to ensure certain standards…

Calculating how much inventory to keep on hand can sometimes feel like a Goldilocks story. Too much inventory and you’re left with wasted product. Not enough inventory and you’re left with unhappy shoppers and lost profit. Oftentimes, the amount of inventory on hand is a result of supply chain issues, of which there has been…

Online shoppers have come to count on not only free shipping, but free returns as well. Experts say retailers can expect, on average, about $158 billion of merchandise sold during the recent holiday shopping season to be returned. While some brands are rethinking their return policies, shortening the return window, or even charging a return or restocking fee, there's a bigger picture to consider.  There’s…

Delivery expectations have surged since the beginning of the pandemic, requiring innovative solutions to make shopping easier for the customer, regardless of what they’re buying. Delivery also plays a major role in customer purchasing decisions, especially during the holiday season. According to Oracle, 47 percent of global shoppers say the time it takes to get…

Even though it might not always seem like it, things are getting better across global industry supply chains that have been impacted since the pandemic. As shipping ports are easing up, companies are proactively investing in new technologies and building contingency plans in hopes of making their supply chains more resilient and agile. As we…

In Charles Dickens’ treasured story, "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge peers into his past, present and future, learning valuable lessons from his mistakes and emerging a better man. Thankfully, retailers don’t need a visit from three ghosts to make wiser choices in the new year. As retailers face down a looming recession, here’s what they…

Last year took grocery retailers for a wild ride as the industry worked to please shoppers amid turbulent times. The pandemic refused to go away. Inflation was higher than it has been in 40-plus years. Supply chain snarls continued. So, too, did the labor shortage. All these factors and more took a toll on the…

Throughout the pandemic, we witnessed a massive surge in e-commerce and acceleration in digital transformation by many companies that had been, up until then, slow adopters. Online ordering for everything from groceries to toilet paper to fitness equipment and home office furniture became the norm — and has only recently slowed down after businesses were finally…