As consumers gain power, not only do they start shopping in more complex ways, but they expect retailers to be able to fulfill their increasingly complex demands quickly – and without issue.

As a result, the next generation supply chain is truly “the next big thing ” for retail.

The problem is, as our latest and newly-released supply chain report discovers, retailers are just getting started on what may turn out to be the most challenging part of the conversion from a store-centric retail operation to a true omni-channel offering. Some highlights of the report include the following:

• As it relates to external Business Challenges, the consumer’s demand for an increasingly customized selection of products (delivered from far off points of manufacture) – delivered faster, and at lower costs than they already pay – is THE challenge of the new supply chain. Winners place a greater emphasis on an entire host of ways to fulfill customer orders.
• Retail Winners continually seek lower cost manufacturing across the globe. But they also want to shorten the order-to-delivery cycle by holding more work-in-process inventory as a hedge for unplanned demand. That relentless pursuit of operational excellence drives Winners forward across a spectrum of opportunities; find out what they are within the Opportunities section.
• All retailers face similar Organizational Inhibitors but Winners are much less likely to blame their existing store infrastructure for their woes. By segment, FMCG retailers are most concerned about consumer shipments speed, while Fashion retailers are most likely to blame their stores and Durable Goods retailers’ biggest concern is the unintended supply chain consequences that marketing promotions bring about.
• Retailers express a concern about too much inventory in stores and too many out-of-stocks, so it’s easy to see the impact lack of real-time accuracy (even if they can query store-level inventories from anywhere in the enterprise): retailers either maintain higher safety stock levels to avoid disappointing consumers, or they turn away business. Either way is too expensive, and as a result, it’s retailers’ biggest to-do. Find out which technologies hold the most value – and budget – to help them “get there ” in the Technology Enablers section of the full report.