
Supply Chain

Retailers and brands are expecting strong consumer demand this holiday season, with major forecasts predicting a 7 percent to 9 percent increase in sales. Even with prices continuing to rise due to higher materials, labor, shipping and marketing costs, consumers seem unfazed and set to celebrate and spend. However, shoppers’ shifting behaviors and ongoing supply…
At the forefront of evolving customer expectations, the retail industry has weathered several waves of disruption. Retailers have been quick to adopt digital, setting the ball rolling on customer centricity. They were also the ones to brace-up for a pandemic no one saw coming and keep up inventories and essentials despite never-seen-before turmoil. What kept…
American consumers spent a whopping $861.12 billion with online retailers in 2020, up 44 percent from the previous year. Amazon.com, the largest North American online retailer, reported a significant rise in site visits in January 2021, up 20 percent from the year prior. It’s plain to see that e-commerce is blowing up, and we don’t…
‘Tis the season to start thinking about your last-mile deliveries for the holidays. While the end-of-year cheer and festivities might seem like they're still far off, it’s never too early to strategize the best course of action for your business’ last-mile holiday deliveries. What is Last-Mile Delivery? Also referred to as final-mile delivery or final-mile…
External consumer-facing challenges and internal (sometimes immediate) strategic pivots have made the retail vertical very exciting to watch in the past 18 months. On one side, consumers have a major upper hand when it comes to purchasing decisions as there are many retailers that offer the same products, have similar pricing, and offer a variety…
Adobe Analytics is out with its latest holiday shopping forecast, and the analytics firm is predicting record online shopping sales even as supply chain issues continue to challenge retailers. “We're entering a second holiday season where the pandemic will dictate the terms,” Patrick Brown, vice president of growth marketing and insights at Adobe, said in…
Every holiday season is a championship race for e-commerce retailers. As the Covid-19 Delta variant continues to spread, this year's race becomes even more fierce due to the challenges with logistics and the booming of online shopping. While customers are striking another item on their shopping list before the "Sale" countdown ends, merchants are having…
Retail sales increased in September as worries about the COVID-19 delta variant pushed consumer spending toward merchandise rather than services like dining, entertainment or travel — despite supply chain disruptions and inflation, the National Retail Federation (NRF)said last week. NRF’s calculation of retail sales — which is based on U.S. Census Bureau monthly retail data but excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants…
Citing supply chain disruptions, the White House on Wednesday said major retailers like Walmart, Target and The Home Depot will expand working hours to move more cargo off docks. Walmart announced it would commit to extending nighttime hours by as much as 50 percent. The goal, according to a White House press release, is for ships to…
The Home Depot on Wednesday became the first retailer to announce it was using Walmart's new delivery business, GoLocal, and would engage Walmart's drivers to deliver home improvement products purchased online to customers' doors in the coming weeks. In a press release Wednesday, Stephanie Smith, senior vice president of supply chain for The Home Depot,…