Technology and best practices give you an unobstructed view. Image source Visibility has always been one of the primary objectives of inventory management. Before computers and barcode scanners arrived on the scene half a century ago, locating items in the warehouse or pulling work orders often involved tedious searches that were frustrating for retailers and […]
Omni-Channel Commerce and Multi-Channel Commerce: What’s the Difference?
Breaking down the differences between these valuable practices ©Tzido via Canva.com Omni-channel commerce and multi-channel commerce are more than just industry buzzwords. With multi signifying “many” and omni translating to “all,” both concepts are systems designed to reach customers in a variety of ways. In the past, this might have meant a combination of brick-and-mortar […]
5 Keys to Successful B2B E-commerce
Taking online business-to-business sales to the next level Image source The term E-commerce usually brings to mind familiar business to consumer (B2C) websites that have revolutionized the way we shop over the past 20 years. Business to business (B2B) E-commerce arrived on the scene decades earlier, with pioneering companies utilizing pre-internet technologies like Electronic Data […]
6 Keys to Achieving Sustainable Inventory Management
Why the greenest practices are also the most profitable. Image source Almost 80 years ago, the concept of sustainability was described as a harmonious combination of environmental and social factors in the decisions and activities of a business. Sustainability goals in industries like forestry, transportation, and agriculture are often tied directly to their carbon footprint, […]
5 Benefits of Demand Forecasting for E-commerce Retailers
Reviewing the benefits and pitfalls of advanced forecasting methods ©Africa images via Canva.com Crystal balls and tarot cards may not have been part of the original demand forecasting toolkit, but it wasn’t long ago that intuition and personal experience were the pillars of forecasting for both production and procurement. As statistical methods and software tools […]
Digital Twins: The Next Big Thing in Inventory Management
Taking real-time inventory management to the next plateau. ©Milkos via Canva.com The concept of virtual replicas mirroring every characteristic and reaction of real-world objects might sound like science fiction, but digital twins have already been with us for decades. During the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, NASA engineers used simulators on the ground to replicate […]