The Does Logistics Matter? Podcast is all about trends and innovations in supply chain and logistics. This episode features Pieter van den Broecke, Managing Director Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany at Manhattan Associates. Regular listeners to the show will recognize Pieter from an earlier episode. Thank you, Pieter, for another informative and fun conversation.
Pieter and I spoke about how the global pandemic has changed consumer behaviour and what that means for supply chains.
Consumer Behaviour Has Changed
During the pandemic, retailers saw a huge shift in buying behaviour: from buying in-store to buying online. Largely driven by lockdowns and closed brick and mortar stores, a large number of consumers that had never ordered anything online discovered the ease of shopping online.
Convenience has become the term that is top of mind for consumers. It’s no longer only about availability, but more about the level of service. Consumers want to be able to choose between different delivery methods. Consumers also want more self-service in the whole buying process, whether it is delivery, or returning an item, or getting an earlier purchase serviced or repaired.
The Omnichannel Consumer
Pieter talks about the blurring of lines between online and offline, the shifting role of brick & mortar stores and the effects on retailer supply lines. We also spoke about technological innovations like RFID and how new technologies can enable retailers to keep delivering on their promises.
Consumers will become omnichannel consumers and retailers should have a single view of their customers, wherever he is and however he chooses to buy something. A single view is needed to fulfil the expectations of today’s customers and tomorrow’s. Retailers need to move at the speed of consumer expectations. Retailers need intelligent systems that can respond fast and are flexible enough to effectively manage the changing consumer expectations, whether that’s in the warehouse, in trucks, or during the final mile.
If you want to learn more about how changes in the customer journey impact the retailer’s supply chain and what retailers and logistics service providers can do to keep up with the ever-changing consumer expectations, listen to my conversation with Pieter via your favourite podcast platform.
This blog post is sponsored by Manhattan Associates
Header Image by Clemens van Lay on Unsplash
