We are certainly living through a difficult time, but whatever winds of change the current challenge brings, refocusing your strategy toward effectively managing your supply chain is a strength against any competitor, in any climate.

The courtship approach never goes out of style. With so many available options, e-commerce increasingly services a market of one, where building loyalty takes unique services and making customers feel special. As such, you can achieve the edge by understanding your audience and how to serve them better. The internet gets you halfway there through micro-targeting and messaging; step two is fulfilling on that promise.

In this new climate, successful supply chain management capitalizes on micro-targeting via micro supply chains. While the common approach is to lump consumers by convenient categories, businesses can differentiate themselves by taking a more personalized and dynamic approach. Generic rule-building has been common practice, but the long-game masters refuse to be common. Many have already realized the potential of configurable workflows. As long as you’re simultaneously optimizing your operations, you can control each individual shipment and delight each individual customer at no cost to you — or them.