Supply Chain

Against a backdrop of inflation, weakened consumer spending power, and lingering supply chain disruption sparked by the pandemic, retailers continue to face growing complexity and uncertainty. Traffic routing, inventory management, omnichannel purchasing, staff scheduling — all have contributed to increased challenges for the industry. Forward-looking retailers are embracing new technologies to help navigate today’s dynamic…

Predictions for 2023 seem pretty dismal right now. As the recession and labor shortage continue to batter retailers, however, there are a few things they can do to become more efficient while setting themselves up for a more promising 2024. Supply chain efficiency will be one of the biggest challenges facing retailers and impacting consumers.…

The events of the last few years — Brexit, the pandemic, The Great Resignation, a cost-of-living crisis — have caused evolving challenges that continue to ripple through the retail industry. One of the biggest causes for concern for businesses today is a mass shortage of workers as people switch to remote or at-home working, decide…

Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. In the first half of 2022, shoppers buoyed the economy — or at least kept it from falling deeply into recession. However, they’re starting to feel the pinch from inflation and rising interest rates. The supply chain was more stable in 2022, but retailers…

Earlier this year, Walmart issued a new mandate which required suppliers in certain departments to begin providing RFID tags, joining retailers such as Nordstrom in expanding its use of the technology. Having succeeded with its use of RFID for its apparel products, Walmart has told its suppliers that any brand supplying products for its home,…

The retail industry has struggled to cope with the unprecedented changes in the last few years spurred by the pandemic, leading to a scarcity of goods and overstocking in many cases. Additionally, snarls in supply chains resulted in bulk purchases until inflation changed consumer shopping patterns. Failure to identify and forecast changes resulted in excess…

Retail warehouse space during the holiday season is absolutely essential. The busiest time of the year typically sees retailers increase their inventory three to four times normal just to meet consumer demand. This year’s inventory glut created a tricky situation for the retail market. U.S. retailers saw a record $732 billion of inventory in 2022,…

SHEIN, the global fast-fashion e-commerce company, said it would commit $15 billion to "improving standards" at suppliers' factories in the wake of allegations of labor exploitation among its factory workers in China. The Chinese company, which was founded in 2008 by entrepreneur Chris Xu, was recently the subject of a U.K. documentary that claimed employees…

E-commerce sales rose steadily the first half of 2022, with sales increasing 2.7 percent between Q1 and Q2. But even with the coming holiday sales surge, that trend might not continue. In fact, some reports predict that the number of online orders this holiday season will be down 5 percent compared to 2021. Why? And…

In episode 378 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Nathan Sanders, CEO of Brook Furniture Rental, an industry leader in home and office furniture rentals. Sanders discusses Brook Furniture Rental's recent expansion from its core B-to-B business into direct-to-consumer selling (0:52), how both consumer and business customers can order from the company (4:13), and…