Keeping the customer in mind as you optimize your E-commerce storefront. Image source Electronic business-to-consumer (B2C) shopping, or E-commerce as it is commonly known, is an idea that predates the internet as we know it. Forty years ago, Mrs. Jane Snowball became the first online B2C customer when she placed an order from her local […]
LIFO vs FIFO: Which is Better?
Weighing the pros and cons of these established inventory rotation methods. Image source As restaurants and retail stores grapple with expiration dates, spoilage, and spiraling costs, systems designed to consume the oldest items first, or first-in, first-out (FIFO), are a foregone conclusion. But in the world of inventory management, there is another less intuitive option, […]
How Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Can Survive in a Digital World
Building on what customers value while spreading some digital magic. Image source With over $5 trillion in E-commerce sales completed each year, online shopping is with us for the long haul. Many retail spaces now stand empty in major cities around the world as leading companies continue to close stores. Some might say the end […]
Are Inventory Management and Warehouse Management the Same?
Reviewing the important differences between these related concepts. Image source The term “warehouse” was first coined in Great Britain almost 700 years ago, but the concept of using large industrial buildings to store and organize goods originated at least 3,000 years earlier with the ancient grain silos of Egypt. In recent decades, computer technology and […]
The Impact of Mass-Personalization on CRM
How customer relationship management and mass-personalization go hand in hand. Image source In pre-industrial times, marketing and manufacturing processes were always personalized. A face-to-face conversation between a craftsman and their patron would lead to a custom-built product days later. In the early 1900s, mass production, as personified by the US auto industry, was accompanied by […]
The Evolution of Point of Sale (POS) Technology
The past, present, and future of point of sale hold unexpected possibilities. Image source Retail point of sale (POS) is not a new concept. The mechanical cash registers of the 1800s were considered the first true point of sale devices, with materials, payments, and records exchanged simultaneously at the checkout stand. The POS lineage can […]