Retail supply chains have to perform a difficult balancing act: they must be sturdy enough to provide predictable reliability to retailers and ultimately, the consumer, but still be varied and flexible enough to handle the unexpected, whether that involves rapid shifts in consumer tastes, tariff and trade challenges, expanding distribution networks and even changing weather patterns. Retailers also must coordinate their efforts with other parties within the ecosystem, including manufacturing, transportation and logistics companies.
This Retail TouchPoints how-to guide provides a deep dive into how retailers can deploy both established and emerging solutions to address these issues and ultimately shorten the supply chain, including:
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- Learning what technologies will drive future supply chains, including inventory positioning algorithms, IoT sensors and mobile device monitoring;
- Using predictive analytics solutions to align forecasting for retailers and manufacturers alike;
- Identifying holes in inventory visibility and accuracy;
- Overbudgeting to replace legacy platforms; and
- The importance of sharing documentation across the supply chain ecosystem.
