Analyst Insight: The overall market for U.S. 3PL providers has surpassed $116bn after six consecutive years of expansion. The 3PL market has expanded in all but one of the last 10 years, with a recession-fueled decline in 2009 the only blemish. At the same time, global corporations are striving to consolidate the number of logistics providers they work with to obtain more services from fewer providers. - John Johnson, Senior Content Specialist, Gartner Supply Chain

Analyst Insight: Improving supply chain visibility has been a major emphasis for supply chain executives since at least 2010, when it became apparent that better visibility into the end-to-end supply chain can lay the foundation for business stakeholders to connect and collaborate within their value network. Rapidly improving technology, including RFID and sensor networks, has made it easier to track assets and products as they move through the entire supply chain. - John Johnson, Senior Content Specialist, Gartner Supply Chain

Analyst Insight: The retail apparel market continues to lead the charge when it comes to deploying innovative technologies like RFID that allow for much higher inventory accuracy levels and can pave the way for omnichannel retail strategies. Both Inditex and H&M have made strong commitments to RFID technology, following in the footsteps of Macy's, long considered the leader when it comes to RFID and apparel. According to industry estimates, nearly 4 billion apparel items were tagged with RFID in 2015. - John Johnson, Senior Content Specialist, Gartner Supply Chain

Analyst Insight: Inventory is the most visible dimension of supply chain performance. It is scrutinized on the balance sheet by the CFO and external analysts. However, inventory performance is more than a financial metric. Supply chain leaders who are charged to act as stewards for inventory performance must ensure sound planning and supply execution while collaborating to influence and align with demand and product managers. - Paul Lord, Research Director, Gartner Supply Chain