• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Watch: How Can Retailers Survive the Pandemic?
VIDEO

Watch: How Can Retailers Survive the Pandemic?

May 28, 2020
Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Joel Rampoldt, managing director of retail practice at AlixPartners, lays out the basics of a survival strategy that retailers can follow, both now and after the pandemic has subsided.

Considering the challenges that it’s facing today, the retail industry has done an “amazing job” of coping with the coronavirus crisis up to this point, says Rampoldt. In particular, “the grocery industry is keeping American supplied with food.”

Grocery retailers will continue to struggle as they adjust to new patterns of demand and consumer behavior. For most people, eating out in restaurants “is not going to be an option any time soon.” That means elevated volumes of product moving through supply chains to stores. The state of affairs poses a particular challenge for fresh and perishable products, “a pinch point for retailers.”

On the positive side, sales are strong, as consumers flock to stores to obtain critical supplies. Many are also discovering the advantages and convenience of e-commerce shopping. Home delivery with “click-and-collect” options are making online transactions increasingly attractive.

The increase in deliveries, however, threatens the profitability of an industry that has long functioned with tight margins. Retailers are saddled with tasks that customers used to do themselves, and the result is higher fulfillment costs, order misfills and increased shrinkage.

With less slack in the system that ever before, grocers are having to become more efficient in their options. Annual inventory turns for the industry have increased from around 12 to 18, and with less safety stock in the system, an mistake anywhere along the supply chain can bring operations to a standstill.

Even after the pandemic is over, retailers will need to scale up their e-commerce operations. But they won’t necessarily have to built out that capacity themselves, says Rampoldt. Even some of the biggest players will seek logistics partners, or at the very least adopt a hybrid approach to fulfilling online orders.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Coronavirus SC Security & Risk Mgmt Retail
KEYWORDS Coronavirus Retail SC Security & Risk Mgmt
  • Related Articles

    Watch: How Will Automotive Companies Survive the Pandemic?

    Watch: How Will Big Retailers Correct Their Supply Chains After the Pandemic?

    How Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Can Survive in the Age of Amazon

  • Related Events

    Post-Pandemic Impacts on Food & Beverage Businesses and How to Ensure Resiliency

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Crafting a New Transportation Bill: The Battle Begins

More from this author

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: Vaccine Pact Aims to Protect U.S.-Canada Truck Drivers; J&J Restarts EU Shipments

    Coronavirus
  • Ocado

    Kroger Is Amassing a Robot Army to Battle Amazon, Walmart

    Logistics
  • Gig Worker

    The Gig Economy Is Booming, Despite Debates Over Workers’ Rights

    Logistics
  • Mathematics

    Solving Supply-Chain Disruption Comes Down to Mathematics

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • Supply-Chain Issues

    Fed Sees Supply-Chain Issues Growing Despite Better U.S. Outlook

    Coronavirus

Digital Edition

Scb feb 2021 lg

2021 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • Remote Implementation: A Dose of the Right Medicine for B2B Pharmacy

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

Visit Our Sponsors

Yang Ming 6 River Systems ArcBest
Armada aThingz BluJay
Burris Logistics DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association)
DHL Resilience360 Flash Global Genpact
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Honeywell Corporate Honeywell Intelligrated Infor
Inmar Kibo Commerce Kinaxis
Logility Magnitude Software MPO
Old Dominion Oliver Wight OpenSky
Paccurate Ports America Purolator
QAD Precision Red Classic Riskmethods
S&H Systems Snapfulfil TGW Systems
Tradepoint Atlantic Transportation Insights Watson Land Company
Westfalia Technologies Workjam
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2021 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing