Randy McClary, lead solutions architect with grocery supercenter chain Meijer, shares tips on how marketers of supply chain services can successfully convey their message to buyers.

“We all want to be engaged,” McClary says. “Part of that is understanding what the problems a company like mine faces.” Marketers need to become intimately aware of which “pathways” are working for the targeted customer, and which aren’t.

McClary uses the term “supply chain colorblindness” to describe the failure of some marketers to understand the industry’s complexities. The disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the temporary unavailability of essential consumer products, led some to adopt a “monochromatic” view of supply chains, he says. But a full understanding of their scope and scale, and the problems that stand in the way of success, can help add “color” to one’s perception.

In the transportation and logistics sector, marketers need to know “where people are in their journey.” Are they dealing with inbound, outbound, intermodal, last mile? Are they buffered against the impact of rising fuel prices, or susceptible to them? What are their challenges in acquiring raw materials, minimizing overstock, and addressing downstream customer issues?

When it comes to manufacturing, businesses are thinking in terms of “horizon buckets” — the exercise of breaking down the stages of production to address specific problems and concerns along the way. Marketers must learn those as well.

They must also be aware of the seasonal nature of many supply chains, as companies struggle to adjust to the peaks and valleys of demand, McClary says. 

To help buyers navigate the way forward, marketers must first ask about “the what, the how, and the why” of the buyer’s journey, he says.

McClary will be a participant on the Executive Panel at the Global Supply Chain Marketing Summit on Amelia Island, Florida, June 5-7, 2024.