It won’t be out for a couple of weeks, but as we dig into the data for what will become our newest benchmark report, The Next Generation Supply Chain, we’re instantly reminded of how rapidly the retail world is being turned on its ear.

For example, when we looked at external supply chain execution challenges back in December, retailers told us that consumers’ expectations for a seamless cross-channel experience were their number one concern: so much so that a whopping 73% cited it as their number one challenge.

It should come as little surprise, then, that when we recently asked retailers about the strategy side of their supply chains, 40% say how they fulfill has changed due to cross-channel shopping, and another 38% cite that consumer demand has grown more unpredictable (Figure 1). What is quite interesting, however, is that both of these options are trumped by growth concerns (49%).

Figure 1: Growth Outweighs All

Source: RSR Research, The Next Generation Supply Chain, Not Yet Published

How is it, then, that retailers are most concerned about their supply chain’s ability to scale with growth – both domestically and internationally – at a time when their stores and channels are under siege from not only customers who shop in drastically new ways, but from online behemoths and new digitally-enabled competitors? Particularly considering that many of these new competitors have not had to adapt existing legacy systems, having the advantage of being born in the digital age?

You’ll simply have to read the full report to find out. We’ll be sure to send a reminder as soon as it’s available.