To compete in today’s retail and consumer goods industries, supply chain leaders need respond to consumer demand volatility, to adapt, and make decisions faster.
We all want to be more sustainable in our day-to-day lives, as consumers and businesses. In fact, I typically consider a new brand or product specifically because of its sustainability practices. And I know I’m not alone. Many of my friends and colleagues share that they like to learn about a brand’s sustainability practices before
While all of us experienced incredible disruption in the past year, retailers and brands emerged as one of the frontline heroes that kept us fed and alive. From farm to fork, from source to store—goods and products still had to flow. Meanwhile, the expectations increased, and many of these products were now expected to arrive
With shoppers returning to the stores, retail investments are flowing to omnichannel priorities to digitize stores, support frontline workforce across all channels, connect inventories across platforms, and accelerate fulfillment. Recent research conducted by The Economist shows that retailer respondents saw the pace of, and investment in, digital transformation accelerate during the pandemic.1 Improving the customer
Over the past year, the pandemic fundamentally changed several industries and impacted the means of consumption and distribution for goods and services globally. With the introduction of social distancing, the decline of indoor interactions and transactions, and unparalleled strain on hospital capacity and care teams, both retailers and health providers had to transform traditional business
Every single day for me is a partner day. While most Microsoft employees wake up eager to serve our customers, myself and Microsoft partner managers aim to drive success with partners that lead to their growth and of course, our customers’ growth. An amazing partner story will be headlined inside of Shelley Bransten’s Big Ideas
It is hard to believe summer is already here and I’m preparing for my BIG Ideas session at the upcoming virtual NRF Retail Converge event. Honestly, I can’t wait to talk more about ‘retail’s new clock speed’ and how we’re helping retailers unlock a new wave of cloud innovation. Although retail leaders continue to refine
The past year has brought dramatic change to almost every facet of our lives. We have seen the same disruption play out across every industry, from retail to healthcare to financial services. Customer expectations are fundamentally altered, and it’s hard to imagine things going back to the way they once were. As organizations work to
Micro-fulfilment centers (MFCs), are small, tech-enabled warehouse facilities built near consumers—sometimes even within stores. They allow retailers to analyze inventory trends and quickly pivot to meet the market’s changing demands.
The return on investment (ROI) story behind internet of things (IoT) tracking in retail supply chains is compelling—especially for shipments with a high inventory value, cold chains, or when on-time delivery is critical. With specialized IoT sensors, retailers can keep tabs on location and other valuable information like temperature, humidity, and vibration. This real-time insight
Retailers looking to increase customer satisfaction while decreasing costs are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to transform operations. Retailers use AI in the cloud to process large volumes of data to deliver online product recommendations or to optimize demand forecasting. With the advent of AI-optimized hardware and container-packaged analytics applications, retailers are now applying AI at
2020 was the year in which we experienced disruptive change at a pace and a scale that we could never have imagined. Yet it was also the year in which many retailers embraced digital like never before. Take REI for example, which launched a new virtual outfitting service to help customers assemble bikes, find the
This year’s National Retail Federation BIG show was something different—entirely virtual. But it came off quite smoothly, demonstrating how powerful digital transformation can be. It even had some advantages over an in-person event. I was able to see more sessions for one. And without aching feet. Still, even with the more accessible digital format, not
