The Does LogisticsMatter? Podcast is all about trends and innovations in supply chain and logistics. This episode features Karin Hoogvliet, Client Executive at NYCE.LOGIC. In this episode, Karin and I talk about the latest retail supply chains and what they mean for warehousing operations.
Global Supply Chain Trends
Disruptions in the past years have put a strain on supply chains across the world. We have seen prolonged disruptions during the pandemic, with some supply chains coming to a complete stop. There were also shorter disruptions, like the blocking of the Suez Canal, which still had an impact that lasted way longer than the blockage of the canal itself. Geopolitical events are now also causing various supply chain issues across the globe. There are shortages in raw materials and parts, but also shortages in people and the price of energy is rising as well.
Retail Supply Chain Trends
The pandemic has significantly affected retail supply chains. E-Commerce volumes have increased rapidly in the past few years. Some organisations could shift resources, as they already had solid online channels available. Organisations with a strong offline focus had to go to new online models.
Replenishing stores is an entirely different ball game than fulfilling online orders. This rise in e-commerce volume also increased focus on on-time delivery, with much smaller and exact delivery windows. Another important result of increased e-commerce volumes, are increased return volumes. Companies need to make sure the returns process works seemless as well. Seemless for the customer, who expects a quick and easy way to return something and get a refund. Seemless for the retailer, who needs to be able to re-sell the returned item as soon as possible.
Flexible Warehouse Management System
Successful retailers use a flexible warehouse management system that can cope with changes in strategy and volumes. In this episode, Karin explains the key elements of the warehouse system of the future. If you want to learn more about current supply trends, their impact on retail and logistics operations, and the critical capabilities for a future-proof warehouse management system, please listen to the episode through one of the links below.
Please enjoy my conversation with Karin Hoogvliet.
This blog post is sponsored by NYCE.LOGIC.
Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
