Supply chain management: retail - Articles - Page 44

When Will Same-Day Delivery Take Off?

March 28, 2014

Same-day service: It's the ultimate goal of e-commerce retailers - and the ultimate desire of consumers. But is it really feasible?

Forty Percent of Retailers Can't Tie Back-Office Technology Into Their Different Channels, Survey Finds

March 26, 2014

FierceRetailIT

Organizational, operational and technology challenges are hampering retailers' omnichannel efforts; 40 percent of retailers report they are having difficulty integrating back-office technology across all of their channels.

Retail Not Using Big Data to Its Fullest Potential, Study Finds

March 21, 2014

1010data Inc.

While retailers are facing challenges in delivering the reporting functionality that business users need to enable data-driven decision-making, they are optimistic about Big Data's ability to provide breakthroughs in analysis capabilities across a number of retail processes, says a study by 1010data Inc. In fact, almost all surveyed executives (96 percent) agreed that Big Data initiatives are important in helping retailers stay competitive. They said Big Data insights are most beneficial for merchandising (53 percent) and marketing (48 percent), followed by store operations (42 percent), e-commerce (42 percent), supply chain (27 percent), finance (23 percent), and loss prevention (21 percent).

Rwanda Tops African Retail Development Index for Market Opportunity

March 19, 2014

A.T. Kearney

Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania and Gabon occupied the top five places of the inaugural A.T. Kearney African Retail Development Index (ARDI), a new study designed to help large, organized retailers determine where and how to best enter Sub-Saharan Africa’s rapidly growing retail market.

Facing the Titans: Build Your Offense to Compete with Amazon and Walmart

March 13, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: The titans of business, Amazon and Walmart, are doing an awesome job of growing their companies and transforming the way the marketplace functions. They're innovating supply chain operations and how they are responding to the needs of the customer. They're creating tremendous disruptions that are forcing everyone to play catch up. Lastly, they are on the offensive. They are creating benefits for their customers at such a rate that all other companies are playing at a disadvantage. - Jim Tompkins, CEO, Tompkins International

The Supply Chain Side of Foreign Retailers Operating in India

March 13, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: The issue of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian retail has been in the headline news over the past few years. However, little media attention has been paid to the supply chain aspects of foreign retailers setting up shop in the country. The entrance of new foreign retailers into India will have a positive impact on domestic retail supply chains, bringing in global best practices, technological know-how and strengthening the position of local small suppliers. - Viktoria Sadlovska, Managing Director, Prameya Research, & Lead Author of the Pragmatic Value Chains Blog

Retail Imports Expected to Rise in March as Retailers Begin Stocking Up for Spring and Summer

March 13, 2014

NRF

Import volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to increase 12.4 percent in March as retailers begin to stock up for the spring and the summer season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The Retail Vertical Comes in Several Flavors

March 12, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: For retail, what's on the supply chain horizon isn't one-dimensional, purely best practice, absolutely the optimum, but rather a continuum of distinct models working within several different environments. From a supply chain vantage point, the best retailers are those who orchestrate supplier resources with their own, resulting in agility and responsiveness to changing situations and differing customer needs. - Robert Sabath, Principal Essentialist SCM, Trissential

Same-Day Fulfillment: The Value of Speed to Retail

March 12, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Next-day delivery is the new normal. And fulfillment windows are compressing even further as companies like Amazon continue to raise customer expectations. But companies wrestle with what level of service makes sense, and how to justify investments. It's not about making every process in the DC faster. It's a delicate balance of revenue gains and improved customer service against investment and operating costs. - Helgi Thor Leja, Industrial & Electrical Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.