Lead times are an inevitable part of any supply chain, so they often go unchallenged and remain unoptimized, despite having a huge impact on profitability. Some companies, however, are now challenging these assumed rules and reaping the rewards of shorter lead times that more accurately meet demand. Lead times exist because whenever a brand places an
Big-brand retailers of fashion and sportswear have invested heavily in digital technology. These have led to revolutionary changes to their business models. Many of these investments focus on adopting and leveraging digital technology to maximise profits and optimise operations. The most significant advantages have come from the automation of manual decision-making tasks. These handle complex
As data-driven decisions become the norm across all industries we can expect more online and multi-channel retailers to increase the use of EDI platforms. Today, a data-driven enterprise has the best chance to succeed, especially in a challenging market. Considering this, retailers need to consider using their existing EDI infrastructure to redeploy their own data
As data-driven decisions become the norm across all industries we can expect more retailers to increase the use of EDI platforms. Today, a data-driven enterprise has the best chance to succeed, especially in a challenging market. Considering this, retailers need to consider using their existing EDI infrastructure to redeploy their own data via smart software
Content The traditional merchandising approach has always relied on a combination of experience, skill, and guesswork. Although this has been the ‘least bad’ option available, it has always had less than perfect results.In today’s current environment, and with the advances in technology, it is now possible to make better merchandising decisions (which are backed up
Content Inventory is the largest single ongoing capital investment for most retailers. Therefore, it is vital to mimise the risk from inventory excess, while ensuring sufficient supply for items that sell well. This is no easy task. It requires an active process that regularly reviews stock velocity and dynamically adjusts budgets to ensure spending occurs
Content Merchandisers form a vital link between the supply chain and the consumer, with Marketing and Sales activities helping to make that final connection to the merchandise itself. However, merchandisers find themselves in an endless cycle of merchandise planning, year after year. Without much control over the broader supply process, their role has become more
Content As consumer sentiment (and buying behaviour) now shifts more quickly than ever before, it has become practically impossible for fashion retailers to produce a meaningful demand forecast. Collections are still typically produced many months in advance, meaning the potential margin of forecast error widens over time with increasing uncertainty about real demand. It can
Content Big data makes some big promises, yet many retailers are still failing to see the potential rewards of digitalization. Despite collecting vast amounts of valuable data, many organisations fail to convert their data into business intelligence, especially in retail. Instead, data is either allowed to simply accumulate in departmental silos, or it’s used to
Content What is visual merchandising? Fashion retailers have relied on visual merchandising to display their products and entice shoppers since ‘shopping’ was invented. The practice of visual merchandising aims to show potential buyers specific qualities of a product, or to show it in a certain context to encourage a sale. Window displays are one of