Supply Chain
June 29, 2021 at 4:10 pm
Online retailers are facing a major crisis. Since COVID-19 hit, reduced headcount and social distancing practices within the walls of warehouses and distribution centers mean retail businesses are struggling to manage the stresses and strains of increased e-commerce demand, which is forecast to continue to soar. Grow Carefully While any increase in sales is good…
June 23, 2021 at 5:42 pm
Amazon.com's encroachment into grocery has been rapidly increasing in recent months and presents another array of challenges to traditional grocers that have fought to survive in last year’s digital world. At the end of April, Amazon announced the expansion of its in-garage grocery delivery service to all markets where it currently offers grocery delivery. This…
June 22, 2021 at 5:13 pm
Earlier this year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) released its 2021 retail sales forecast. NRF expects retail sales to rise between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent over 2020, which equates to a $4.33 trillion uptick. This prediction hinges on the success of COVID-19 vaccinations and the re-opening of the economy, but should it play out,…
June 17, 2021 at 12:08 pm
Each year the retail industry rapidly grows, with recent statistics forecasting that global retail sales will hit $26.69 trillion by 2022. And the U.S. has been revealed as the world's top-spending nation, housing 69 percent of online shoppers. However, with the growing demand for efficiency, speed and personalization, retailers are struggling. That’s where technological tools…
June 17, 2021 at 11:30 am
To address the challenge of balancing inventory and gaining visibility into it, requirements for effective and efficient buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup programs, retailers are increasingly turning to automated technology solutions. They’re automating order and delivery flows with their product suppliers through the use of EDI (i.e., the electronic interchange of business…
June 16, 2021 at 5:06 pm
The Home Depot made the decision to contract its own container ship, CNBC reported. The home improvement retailer made this decision amid global shipping issues, such as congested ports, container shortages and slowed shipments as a result of COVID-19 outbreaks. Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation,…
June 10, 2021 at 6:57 pm
As more luxury brands sell direct to consumers online, they're constantly seeking ways to differentiate the experience and protect their most valuable asset: their brand. While a luxury brand may intuitively seem valuable, companies have long known there's real, measurable value in that brand. In fact, in the increasingly “digital first” world of commerce, the…
June 10, 2021 at 5:06 pm
The use of automation technology to facilitate the seamless flow of information between product suppliers and retailers is critical to meeting consumers’ omnichannel fulfillment demands. Automation is necessary for retailers to not only satisfy their customers’ lofty expectations for buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup, but also to keep pace with their…
June 8, 2021 at 1:07 pm
If any theme or keyword could be applied to our post-2000s world, it would be transformation. Since the early 2000s, the rapid emergence and evolution of new and existing technologies have completely disrupted and transformed our world. Cellphones are now supercomputers compared to the bricks of the 80s and 90s, ridesharing apps have transformed the…
June 3, 2021 at 7:26 pm
The growth of omnichannel fulfillment programs such as buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup of online orders has been trending for several years now. That trend reached a tipping point in the last 12-plus months, as the COVID-19 pandemic led consumers to seek out safer, contactless shopping experiences. Equally embraced by consumers…
