The State of the Retail Supply Chain

When we talk about supply chain management, we often intuitively take the perspective of the manufacturing industry. However, if the ultimate business objective of supply chain management is to satisfy the final consumer, it becomes clear that we should not forget about the special and major role the retail industry has in achieving this objective and, thus, consider their perspective. A new JDA-sponsored report, The State of the Retail Supply Chain (pdf), has been jointly developed by Auburn University and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). “The study reveals that retailers are investing in resources that will fuel revenue growth, support expansion of omni-channel fulfillment options, and harness big data for more accurate demand planning. The results also highlight the need for retailers to focus on supply chain talent management, network growth, and resource optimization.” These results mirror several of the results we have found in our report Trends and Strategies in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.