The Evolving Retail Supply Chain

Retail supply chains are constantly evolving due to changes in technology and consumer expectations, as well as competitive pressure.
With regard to apparel retailers, for example, Amy Roach Partridge reports for Inbound Logistics: “Gone are the days of single-channel apparel retailing — and supply chains servicing that model. Today, apparel retailers must optimize their supply chains to deliver products from any point where consumers want to buy them. Brick-and-mortar stores exist as merely one channel in a rapidly expanding multi-channel world that has complicated the retail landscape. The typical channel lineup for apparel retailers can now include brick-and-mortar stores; outlet locations; E-commerce sites; social and mobile commerce; catalogs; and other seasonal or single-use channels such as pop-up stores and flash sales.” AND these observations apply to a wide range of retailers.
Click the image for Roach Partridge’s full report.

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 4: Store Location Planning, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Social Media and Retailing, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Looking Ahead: An E-Retail Infographic

Check out this infographic prepared by Baynote, a software firm, about the present and future of E-commerce.
Click the chart to access a larger version of the infographic.
Sources of data: eMarketer, Internet Retailer, and Forrester
Posted in Online Retailing, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Social Media and Retailing, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Google Shopping Disrupt Online Retailing?

Google is making some strategic changes that will probably upset a good many retailers — a lot.
Ariel Rothenstein reports for Multichannel Merchant that: “Google Product Search (formerly known as Froogle) recently received a new name, Google Shopping; a change that Google says will better connect merchants with the right customers, but it means merchants  will have to pay to be listed. Google Shopping will now be populated by Product Listing Ads (PLAs), which were  previously an ad type found exclusively in Google AdWords and displayed in  search engine results alongside organic listings and Google Product Search  results.”
Click the image for Rothenstein’s fully story.

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Social Media and Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments