Supply Chain

Toys"R"Us Vendors Cut Shipments on Bankruptcy Fear
September 15, 2017 at 10:36 am

Some suppliers to Toysโ€œRโ€Us have scaled back shipments to the retailer as it struggles to refinance debt and avoid a potential bankruptcy filing, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The vendors are balking as Toysโ€œRโ€Us continues talks with lenders over a new loan that would allow the retailer to stay open while it worksโ€ฆ

Retailers Brace for Hurricane Irma, Potential $1.45B Sales Lossย 
September 8, 2017 at 12:54 pm

Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm in the Atlantic Ocean on record โ€” which at the time of writing is forecast to be heading towards the coasts of Florida โ€” is expected to cause retailers serious grief. Business weather intelligence provider Planalytics assessed Irma's potential economic impact and reported that lost retail sales could total $1.45 billionโ€ฆ

Smartphone Cameras: Let Your โ€˜Digital Eyesโ€™ Capture Real-Time Data
August 18, 2017 at 8:40 am

Weโ€™re at the point where the majority of consumers have a smartphone with them at all times, meaning they also carry a camera wherever they go. Whenever something noteworthy happens in the world, there's almost always a picture or video available immediately. And with each year that passes, camera technology continues to improve while theโ€ฆ

From โ€˜Shark Tankโ€™ to Amazon, Spikeball's Inventory Management Strategy Shines
August 17, 2017 at 9:42 am

Appearing on the television show โ€œShark Tankโ€ can be a dream come true for many startups and SMBs โ€” that is if you have a strong inventory management strategy. With millions of viewers, brands featured on the show run the risk of selling too much product with too little inventory. When Spikeball, a manufacturer, distributorโ€ฆ

What Retailers Need to Know to Create a Consumer-Driven Supply Network
August 14, 2017 at 10:41 am

As we all know, retail and consumer goods companies are struggling to adapt to the growing market pressures coming from consumers and their competitors. In order to stay competitive with the explosion of omnichannel and the sheer muscle of powerhouses such as Amazon.com, companies will need to run their supply chains better, faster and cheaperโ€ฆ

Republicans Scrap Border Adjustment Tax Plan
July 28, 2017 at 9:28 am

Top Republicans driving the GOP tax reform effort have given up on border adjustment. The border adjustment proposal was a key revenue-raising plank of the plan House Republicans unveiled last year. It would have taxed imported products but let exports go untaxed. Retailers that get many of their products from overseas raised concerns about the proposal, sayingโ€ฆ

A Localized Approach to Back-to-School Planning
July 24, 2017 at 12:06 pm

Despite the fact that summer is not yet half way over, many retailers are already rolling out full-blown back-to-school floor sets. In a world where timing is everything, is it really necessary at this point? The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts that consumers will collectively spend $83.6 billion on back-to-school items this year, more thanโ€ฆ

How Retailers Can Pierce Amazonโ€™s Impenetrable Fortress
June 28, 2017 at 4:01 pm

Amazon Prime. Amazon Flex. Amazon Dash. Amazon Go. Whatโ€™s next? Everyone jokes that Amazon.com is taking over the world, but it seems as if it's truly dominating the U.S. retail market and beyond. From supply chain to customer loyalty to a culture of innovation, Amazon is attacking retail from all angles, and the industry needsโ€ฆ