Omni Channel Retail And The Supply Chain

Omni-Channel Retail and the Supply Chain The days of going to the local department store to buy a television, view the options available, and make a purchase now seem "quaint." The emergence of the internet, smartphones, social media, and other technologies has opened a world of new options for consumers (and businesses) to review, research, and buy online with an ever-increasing array of delivery options. The emergence of e-commerce has resulted in what is commonly known today as "omni-channel" marketing, in which customers engage with companies in a variety of ways, including in a physical store or online via websites and mobile apps. This process puts the supply chain "front and center," as consumers are increasingly demanding and browsing, buying, and returning goods through various channels, not just the traditional "brick and mortar" way. To accomplish this with high levels of service while remaining profitable requires real-time visibility of inventory across the supply chain and a single view of consumers as they continuously move from one channel to another. While this is a boon to consumers, it has made the already complex global supply chain even more challenging to manage. On top of that, the 2020 Covid19 pandemic has accelerated this omni-channel retail trend, as consumers need even more ways to order and additional options for last-mile delivery, such as curbside pickup. Covid19 has exposed a lack of flexibility and readiness, resulting in shortages of everything from toilet paper and meats to personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. It has been a real-life example of the "bullwhip effect," where variability at the consumer end of the supply chain results in increased variability as one goes upstream towards distributors, manufacturers, and suppliers. This results in shortages, misallocations, and increased costs. No longer can a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of consumer products just "fill the pipeline" and wait for orders to come in. Now, they must anticipate various purchases and delivery items, while at the same time minimizing costs. To do this is no easy task, requiring a Lean, agile, and responsive supply chain. Until now, there was no existing "playbook" for organizations to navigate their way through this new world. This book describes the impact of omni-channel marketing on the supply chain and logistics functions, and is intended to help management meet the needs of not only today’s ever-changing world but to anticipate what may be required in the future to achieve superior customer service, profitability, and a competitive advantage.

The world of retailing has changed dramatically in the past decade. Sales originating at online channels have been steadily increasing, and even for sales transacted at brick-and-mortar channels, a much larger fraction of sales is affected by online channels in different touch points during the customer journey. Shopper behavior and expectations have been evolving along with the growth of digital channels, challenging retailers to redesign their fulfillment and execution processes, to better serve their customers. This edited book examines the challenges and opportunities arising from the shift towards omni- channel retail. We examine these issues through the lenses of operations management, emphasizing the supply chain transformations associated with fulfilling an omni-channel demand. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, “Omni-channel business models”, we present four studies that explore how retailers are adjusting their fundamental business models to the new omni-channel landscape. The second part, “Data-driven decisions in an omni-channel world”, includes five chapters that study the evolving data opportunities enabled by omni-channel retail and present specific examples of data-driven analyses. Finally, in the third part, “Case studies in Omni-channel retailing”, we include four studies that provide a deep dive into how specific industries, companies and markets are navigating the omni-channel world. Ultimately, this book introduces the reader to the fundamentals of operations in an omni-channel context and highlights the different innovative research ideas on the topic using a variety of methodologies.

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject Business economics - Supply, Production, Logistics, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Fulda, language: English, abstract: The aim of this paper is to give an overview of challenges for logistics and supply chain management which are linked to multichannel and omnichannel retailing. For this purpose, the characteristics and forms of multi- and omnichannel retailing are described and developments and their implications for retailers are pointed out. In combination with best practice approaches in SCM, recommendations for successful omnichannel supply chains, especially for order fulfillment and distribution logistics shall be outlined. Starting with the definitions of multi- and omnichannel retailing in the second chapter, the third chapter will focus on specific challenges and appropriate implications for retailers' supply chain management that are related to multi- and omnichannel distribution. The fourth chapter will finish with a conclusion and an outlook.

Omni-Channel Retail and the Supply Chain The days of going to the local department store to buy a television, view the options available, and make a purchase now seem "quaint." The emergence of the internet, smartphones, social media, and other technologies has opened a world of new options for consumers (and businesses) to review, research, and buy online with an ever-increasing array of delivery options. The emergence of e-commerce has resulted in what is commonly known today as "omni-channel" marketing, in which customers engage with companies in a variety of ways, including in a physical store or online via websites and mobile apps. This process puts the supply chain "front and center," as consumers are increasingly demanding and browsing, buying, and returning goods through various channels, not just the traditional "brick and mortar" way. To accomplish this with high levels of service while remaining profitable requires real-time visibility of inventory across the supply chain and a single view of consumers as they continuously move from one channel to another. While this is a boon to consumers, it has made the already complex global supply chain even more challenging to manage. On top of that, the 2020 Covid19 pandemic has accelerated this omni-channel retail trend, as consumers need even more ways to order and additional options for last-mile delivery, such as curbside pickup. Covid19 has exposed a lack of flexibility and readiness, resulting in shortages of everything from toilet paper and meats to personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. It has been a real-life example of the "bullwhip effect," where variability at the consumer end of the supply chain results in increased variability as one goes upstream towards distributors, manufacturers, and suppliers. This results in shortages, misallocations, and increased costs. No longer can a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of consumer products just "fill the pipeline" and wait for orders to come in. Now, they must anticipate various purchases and delivery items, while at the same time minimizing costs. To do this is no easy task, requiring a Lean, agile, and responsive supply chain. Until now, there was no existing "playbook" for organizations to navigate their way through this new world. This book describes the impact of omni-channel marketing on the supply chain and logistics functions, and is intended to help management meet the needs of not only today’s ever-changing world but to anticipate what may be required in the future to achieve superior customer service, profitability, and a competitive advantage.

This book compiles the current state of knowledge on omnichannel retailing, a new concept in which all sales and interaction channels are considered together, and which aims to deliver a seamless customer experience regardless of the channel. It highlights case studies and examples related to each of the many barriers to an omnichannel approach, demonstrating not just success stories, but also failures. While omnichannel has already been recognized as an emerging retail trend, the articles in this book fill an important gap in research on the topic. Providing readers with essential insights on the omnichannel strategy and its implementation, the book will also stimulate academic discussion on this emerging trend.

"The days of going to the local department store to buy a television, view the options available and make a purchase, now seem "quaint." The emergence of the internet, smart phones, social media and other technologies has opened a world of new options for consumers (and businesses) to review, research, and buy online with an ever-increasing array of delivery options. The emergence of e-commerce has resulted in what is commonly known today as "omni-channel" marketing, in which customers engage with companies in a variety of ways, including in a physical store, online via websites, and mobile apps. This process puts the supply chain "front and center" as consumers are increasingly demanding and browse, buy and return goods through various channels and not just the traditional "brick and mortar" way. To accomplish this with high levels of service while remaining profitable, requires real-time, visibility of inventory across the supply chain and a single view of the consumer as they continuously move from one channel to another. While this is a boon to consumers, it has made the already complex global supply chain even more challenging to manage. On top of that, the 2020 Covid19 Pandemic has accelerated this omni-channel retail trend as consumers need even more ways to order and additional options for last mile delivery such as curbside pickup. Covid19 has exposed the lack of flexibility and readiness resulting in shortages of everything from toilet paper and meats to "PPE" (personal protective equipment) and ventilators due to a variety of capacity and inventory allocation issues. It has been a real-life example of the "bullwhip effect" in action where variability at the consumer end of the supply chain results in increased variability as you go upstream towards distributors, manufacturers and suppliers creating shortages, mis-allocation and increase costs. No longer can a manufacturer, distributor or retailer of consumer products just "fill the pipeline" and wait for orders to come in. Now they must anticipate the various purchase and delivery items, while at the same time minimize costs. To do this is no easy task, requiring a Lean, agile and responsive supply chain. Until now, there was no existing "playbook" for organizations to navigate their way through this new world. This book describes the impact of omni-channel marketing on the supply chain and logistics functions and is intended to help management meet the needs of not only today's ever changing world but to anticipate what may be required in the future to achieve superior customer service, profitability, and a competitive advantage"--

The proper understanding and managing of project risks and uncertainties is crucial to any organization. It is paramount that all phases of project development and execution are monitored to avoid poor project results from meager economics, overspending, and reputation. Supply Chain Management Strategies and Risk Assessment in Retail Environments is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly material on effectively managing risk factors and implementing the latest supply management strategies in retail environments. Featuring coverage on relevant topics such as omni-channel retail, green supply chain, and customer loyalty, this book is geared toward academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on the challenges and opportunities available in the realm of retail and the flow of materials, information, and finances between companies and consumers.

This book provides a rare historical analysis on the development and importance of marketing channels to Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Northern America. In particular, the book looks at the period 1850 to the present, to understand the evolution, the trends and the current status. It aims to bring back this forgotten area of research, to the mainstream marketing thought process. A general overview of developments in marketing channels will help the reader understand what changes occurred and how some of these changes impacted marketing education and practice. First, the book provides an overview of the historical background of how manufacturing and distribution evolved in the 19th century. Next, the marketing channels and supply chain networks are defined. Then the three time periods within 1850- present are covered. The book explains how supply chain has become prominent in organizations, the movement to non-store retailing and the omnichannel is discussed to focus on recent developments in distribution. Finally, developments that relate to the academic discipline and implications for the future are examined. The book concludes by describing the relationship between marketing channels and supply chain today, based on historical analysis.