Supply Chain

While retailers have been grappling with reverse logistics challenges for years, the current global supply chain disruption and ensuing logistics chaos are shining a spotlight on the issue. The pandemic shifted consumer spending away from service-based expenditures (e.g., restaurants, travel) and towards the purchase of goods. As a result, the e-commerce market skyrocketed — and…

Increased consumer interest in outdoor lifestyles during the pandemic contributed to double-digit revenue growth for L.L.Bean in its 2021 fiscal year, according to company press release published on March 18. Sales for the outdoor retailer totaled $1.8 billion, a 14 percent increase over 2020, and making it one of L.L.Bean’s most successful years in company history. In…

The pandemic was a shock for retailers. Panic-buying of disinfectants, hand sanitizers and countless other goods resulted in historic demand and out-of-stocks for many products, leading to lower customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, not to mention loss of sales. As upstream suppliers dealt with their own supply chain disruptions, retailers were left with empty shelves…

The modern shopper experience extends far beyond the four walls of the physical store. In today’s omnichannel landscape, shipping has become an increasingly important part of the consumer experience. It’s not just product availability or quality that boosts brand image any longer; it’s the way an order arrives. Was it on time? Did it contain…

It’s no secret, supply chain disruption has been dominating the news. While many of the supply chain conversations have been centered around the recently passed holiday season, the issues won’t end in this new year. Supply chain inefficiencies will plague retailers well into 2022 and potentially create ripple effects beyond that. With the tremendous growth…

The retail industry has seen no shortage of changes over the past year, and that’s showing no sign of slowing down as we enter 2022. With U.S. online sales reaching $8.9 billion on Black Friday this year, slightly below 2020 levels, retailers are still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, according to Adobe Analytics. As we…

The theory goes that consumers come in two varieties: those who shop with a focus and those who browse at leisure. It’s a tidy split. However, shoppers aren’t so tidy in practice. They switch between purpose and leisure as easily as they glide between online and offline. Many retailers accommodate various types of shoppers by…

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Omar Akilah, corporate vice president of commerce products, and Eugene Amigud, corporate vice president of commerce at Blue Yonder, the world leader in digital supply chain and omnichannel commerce fulfillment. Akilah and Amigud discuss their professional backgrounds and current roles, how Blue Yonder helps…

Creating innovative products from properly sourced raw materials. Hiring social media influencers to show off your latest product release. Using data to deliver an amazing web and app experience. These are the kinds of things that e-commerce brands dream about when launching a business. They're the fun parts of e-commerce, but they're only half the…

Increasing digitalization has had a huge impact on our economy, and retailers’ supply chains are no exception. For example, new digitized shipment documentation, cargo visibility, inventory management, customer service and other supply chain process data streams are more efficient and accurate than the manual processes they replaced. However, many of these data streams are poorly…