How an Optimized Supply Chain Can Tame Costs and Maximize Revenue This Holiday Season 2023
Increasingly, the end-of-year holiday shopping season has become a double-edged financial sword for Q4 retail revenue performance. On one hand, early bird shoppers are getting a head start in Q3, fearful of inflation. The arrival of Amazon Prime Day has revived shoppers increasingly unmoved by…
Why Wholesale Distribution Should Be Driving Interoperability Across the Supply Chain
Agility, resilience, sustainability, and efficiency: these are the goals of the modern supply chain. But ever-increasing levels of complexity and ongoing supply chain instability make actualizing these ideals a significant challenge. Now more than ever, supply chain stakeholders need to work closely together to maximize…
How To Make Sure Your Retail Workforce Won’t Need a Holiday After Holiday Season 2023
First, it’s Amazon Prime Day on Oct. 10, then comes Black Friday on Nov. 24, closely followed by Cyber Monday on Nov. 27. With at least three major discount events, the 2023 holiday season will surely put store and warehouse teams to daily tests of…
Fulfill Your Workforce Potential
This blog was written by Dave Hamilton with contributions from Kim Hill, Bill Bozeman, Josh Buck, and Steve Kish Managing labor today is difficult. Companies are asked to balance the needs of customers, high operational costs, and diverse employee preferences in a labor market restrained…
Why Christmas Could Come Early in 2023 for Retailers With a Flexible Workforce Gameplan
Shifting and varied consumer preferences, collapsing brand loyalty, even freak weather: as shoppers limber up for the 2023 holiday season, retailers should expect the unexpected. With “unpredictability” now almost the only reliable constant, flexing the workforce in time to the changing holiday season music has…
Putting the “AI” in Availability: 5 Ways To Bridge the Supply-Demand Gap in Wholesale Distribution and Manufacturing
The wholesale distribution and manufacturing (WD&M) landscape is entering a new era. B2B customers increasingly expect a commerce-like experience. Self-service and flexible, omni-channel fulfillment are the new gold standards. Erosion of regional restrictions means whoever has the product on hand gets the deal, and e-commerce…
AI Blind Spots? Here’s What Retailers May Miss About Artificial Intelligence
When does confidence become overconfidence? That’s a question retailers should consider when they think about artificial intelligence (AI). A new survey by Blue Yonder found that almost all retail executives feel confident in their command of AI. Executives overwhelmingly say they know a lot about…
Insights From the Store Operations Council
If you are a retailer and have never attended a Cathy Hotka & Associates’ Store Operations Council meeting, you are missing out! Julie Hunt (VP of Sales) and I had the recent privilege of attending this year’s version in Washington, D.C., in October. This is…
Winning Together: Key Insights from the NACS Show
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show is the “can’t miss event of the year” in convenience; it continues to be a place for the industry to gather, learn, connect, and innovate. This year’s theme of “Winning Together” was on full display in Atlanta in…
All In on AI: Why 95% of Retailers Already Use This Game-Changing Technology
Retailers have gotten the message: Optimize or die. That’s a clear takeaway from a new national survey on artificial intelligence. The survey, conducted by Blue Yonder, found that the vast majority of retail executives: These results underscore a crucial point: Retailers that don’t embrace AI…