Inventories have ballooned nearly three-fold over the last two decades as localization has been embraced to protect market share and profitability. Yet, localization just might hasten the death of certain banners unless steps are taken to control the...
Consumers have made it clear that they are looking for more local and specialty products in their supermarkets. This is the most recent – and perhaps most pronounced – phase in the evolution of consumer tastes and preferences. It is a trend that star...
Properly integrated, the right warehouse and inventory management systems can help drive down out-of-stocks. The average supermarket has tens of thousands of SKUs. But shoppers are most likely to remember the ones that aren’t there. Out-of-stoc...
At the turn of the millennium, the retail industry was aglow with technological and operational possibilities.
The internet was seen as a platform for both selling things and making merchandising and fulfillment processes more efficient. Data processing power and storage capacity was growing dramatically, an improvement that cut analysis time from weeks down to hours. Additionally, data communication speeds were accelerating so quickly that frontline associates now had access to nearly realtime insights.
PROBLEM In-store deli sales were trending down 14%. Better performing items had 5% – 32% out-of-stocks. Limited presentation of too many items and the hot sellers were gone before end of day. SOLUTION Fresh Market Manage...
