Supply Chain

Rent the Runway Pauses Customer Acquisition Amid Operations Challenges
October 1, 2019 at 9:40 am

Clothing rental service Rent the Runway is temporarily halting accepting new customers or new orders while its tries to fix major operational problems that have caused it to delay or cancel orders, angering legions of its customers. Chief executive Jennifer Hyman told customers in an email on Friday that the delays, which started on Sept. 13, stem…

Take a Page From Amazon’s Shipping Playbook
September 5, 2019 at 3:05 pm

Every retailer and shipper is constantly trying to keep up with Amazon.com. Some are even chasing the ultimate accomplishment of surpassing the online retail giant. Similarly, even Amazon pushes itself to be the best, as it knows that with each conquered goal there's higher expectations from customers waiting for it. As retailers imagine Amazon flipping…

Why Should CEOs Embrace Supply Chain Ethics? Because Everybody Benefits
September 4, 2019 at 11:22 am

When it comes to the apparel industry, there's a “gap” in how much water is used in their manufacturing processes and how much water could be saved. According to an article in Bloomberg, Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck is pushing for his company to reduce water waste and look for ways to reduce water usage.…

Building a Smarter and Cleaner Future for Retail, Together
August 13, 2019 at 11:48 am

Hardly a day goes by without the issue of waste appearing in the media. Its impact on the environment is becoming increasingly visible, driving changes in consumer behavior and threatening companies’ license to operate. A Long-Term ‘Dual Challenge’ for Retailers Retailers have been pushing hard to take on big issues like wasted packaging, plastic, food…

D-to-C Success: Forget Your Product and Focus on Operations
July 29, 2019 at 12:06 pm

The race is on. In a bid to capture increased wallet spend, brands around the globe, over 57 percent of them in fact, are racing to launch direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) channels. This explosion marks a shift in the way products are sold, disrupting established industries and causing a fundamental change in brands’ relationships with consumers. But perhaps…

eBay Launching End-to-End Fulfillment Service for Sellers
July 26, 2019 at 12:35 pm

eBay is launching its first end-to-end fulfillment service for sellers next year, the company announced Wednesday. The fulfillment program, dubbed Managed Delivery, will "provide sellers the ability to store, pack and ship their products through expert logistics partners managed by eBay" in third-party warehouses across the country, according to a company press release. Millions of products from…

Could Blockchain Be the Key to Unleashing a New Era of Consumer Relevance at Scale?
July 24, 2019 at 9:14 am

Blockchain is a game changer for supply chain traceability. And that opens up a huge range of new possibilities for consumer goods brands to drive growth — delivering hyper-relevant customer experiences, engendering deeper customer relationships, and offering something that’s “just right” in the moment. Central to this is transparency. Today’s consumers are more concerned than…

Amazon Workers Plan Prime Day Strike at Minnesota Warehouse
July 9, 2019 at 9:50 am

Amazon.com warehouse workers in Minnesota plan to strike during the online retailer’s summer sales extravaganza, a sign that labor unrest persists even after the company committed to paying all employees at least $15 an hour last year. Workers at a Shakopee, Minnesota, fulfillment center plan a six-hour work stoppage on July 15, the first day…

Survey: Dropshipping Drives the Future of Omnichannel
July 3, 2019 at 9:41 am

As the competition between retail behemoths Amazon.com and Walmart heats up, other retailers are paying close attention to the factors driving demand for home delivery. At DiCentral, we have front-row seats to the evolving online retail landscape and recently partnered with the Center for Supply Chain Research at Lehigh University to investigate the motivations and expectations…