Archive for October 2019
What Is the Best WMS in 2019?
As parents across the country geared up for their children’s return to school, retailers began the process of evaluating their plans for the upcoming peak season and fiscal year. Part of this process includes an assessment of the systems in use, including the warehouse management system (WMS). Even those supply chain leaders that implemented a…
Read MoreShould I Implement a New WMS Before Peak Season?
Implementing a new WMS can increase supply chain visibility and speed to market. The increasing demand for better, faster processing leads some leaders to assume implementation now, before the holiday season, will be beneficial. Rather than blindly starting the process, supply chain leaders need to know a few things before deciding whether to implement a…
Read MoreWin E-Commerce Peak Season With Warehouse Analytics
E-commerce peak season has become a six-month period that stretches from the onset of Chinese Golden Week through mid-spring. While peak season represents an expansive opportunity for retailers and supply chains of all sizes, the rise of Amazon, and its faster, free shipping policies made staying competitive almost impossible. As explained by Stevie Hay of…
Read MoreThe Nightmare Before Christmas E-Commerce Shipping
Planning for Christmas e-commerce shipping used to be an annual process. However, strong growth in e-commerce and the ongoing digital transformation of retail forces more retailers to rethink their strategies for peak season. As explained by Troy Graham of Total Retail, the relentless customer demand creates “micro-peaks” throughout the year. This pushes both business-to-business and…
Read MoreWMS Labor Cost Reductions: How to Reduce Costs Despite Peak Season
The peak shopping season represents the most significant opportunity for failure in managing labor. As shopping volume rises, current workers simply cannot keep up with demand. Meanwhile, the industry still suffers from a warehouse labor shortage. Due to the need to move warehouses further from urban areas, warehouse workers become even more scarce. As a…
Read MoreWhy Robust WMS Functions Maximize Parcel Fulfillment During Peak Season
Experts believe the 2019 peak shopping season will fall short of 2018. However, changing customer behaviors, including the increased demand for more e-commerce deliveries thanks to Amazon’s rollout of free, next-day shipping for Amazon Prime members, could push the industry further than the last year. Meanwhile, most e-commerce packages are sent via parcel, and a…
Read MoreTo Sign or Not to Sign Long-Term Supply Chain Peak Season Contracts
With supply chains ramping up for the 2019 holiday season, the issue of supply chain peak season contracts returns to the table. Contracts ensure enough capacity, workers, and products to meet demand during the busiest time of the year. Unfortunately, the best time to secure such agreements exists well outside the typical peak season period.…
Read More2019 Supply Chain Peak Season Outlook
With 2018 setting new records for the average peak season expansion, it comes as a surprise to supply chain leaders that the season may fall slightly short. As explained by Jeff Berman of Logistics Management, shippers were extremely optimistic for the 2019 supply chain peak season. Strong GDP growth, strong economic undertones, and a belief…
Read More[WHITE PAPER] The State of Supply Chain & Warehouse Management Analytics
Supply chain and warehouse management have evolved. To meet the ongoing demands of consumers, more companies have rethought their strategies and implemented omnichannel processes. Legacy platforms presented a problem; they were stretched to their limits. Supply chain leaders needed an option to squeeze more efficiency from operations and gain an end-to-end view of them. It…
Read MoreLessons Learned From 2018 Peak Warehousing Season
The 2018 peak warehousing season flourished on the optimism in the market. We saw significant gains for businesses, and customers reaped the rewards. Unfortunately, experts do not necessarily believe the 2019 peak season will see the same results. Cautious optimism remains, and with even more considerable uncertainty in the market for 2019, supply chain leaders…
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