Supply Chain

As COVID-19 rapidly spread across the globe, consumers flocked to online retailers. Many of these homebound shoppers purchased everyday items online for the first time. In fact, data shows that more than a third of shoppers made their first online grocery purchase this past March. Although some retailers were ready for the influx of online…

The back-to-school shopping season certainly looked dim this year, with many students not returning to the classroom. As we now look toward the holiday season, we can expect a change in holiday shopping habits, too. However, unlike back-to-school shopping, which essentially relies on being able to physically go back to school, holiday shopping will occur…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-century event that will likely change shopping patterns in ways we couldn’t have predicted even as recently as 2019. However, the virus is just the latest disruptive force in an already risky global retail environment. While we know that the crisis will ultimately end and that the business of commerce…

Beginning in late July, a number of major retailers announced they will be closing stores on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in years. Walmart kicked it all off, stating it will be closing its stores on the U.S. holiday for the first time in 30 years, with many other retailers, including Target, quick to…

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies should be eager to reclaim the customer relationship from retailers and innovate through strategies such as direct-to-consumer e-commerce, especially given heightened urgency resulting from COVID-19. Strategically collecting and understanding customer data creates value for all parties through direct feedback on consumer behavior. Consumers are better understood and served, while CPG…

Long before algorithms, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and even computers, retailers have depended upon demand planning principles to stay in business. Demand planning is the foundation for resetting retail. Fortunately, retailers can now use demand planning powered by AI and ML. It can help retail chains maximize profit even in times of external…

It’s a question worth discussing as the unprecedented pandemic continues to strain the retail industry. Take, for example, TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, which reported first quarter net losses exceeding $887 million after closing all of its stores and distribution centers over a two-month span in compliance with statewide lockdowns.…

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the United States, setting back store reopening plans, small to midsized retailers must grapple with the realization that new consumer behaviors and protocols sprung from this health crisis will be here for much longer than initially anticipated. Fortunately, there are technologies and integrations available that are able to…

Amazon.com is opening a new Whole Foods store in Brooklyn, but it won’t be open to the public. In a first for the company, the Whole Foods store will be permanently online only, tasked with fulfilling online grocery orders for customers in the Brooklyn area, Amazon announced. The store, which opened on Tuesday, is located in Brooklyn’s…

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 hit the apparel industry especially hard. An industry where purchase decisions are heavily influenced by the try-before-you-buy trend, apparel retailers were unable to welcome customers to their stores and into their fitting rooms for nearly three months. However, with stores beginning to reopen in many regions, apparel and department stores are seeing…