One might think that supply chain issues have been addressed or at least resolved enough to get goods where they need to go as we enter the third year of the pandemic. Unfortunately for all of us, the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on supply chains as countries such as China implement new lockdowns that affect factory production of cars, car parts and other items. And this is on top of the ongoing chip shortage that started in 2020 and continues to plague us. All these supply chain issues have occurred in the midst of the biggest shift to online shopping where e-commerce sales increased 50% since 2019. Some of the fastest growing categories include furniture, building materials and electronics, food and beverage and sporting goods. And if there is one thing we know for sure, companies selling and even renting hardline goods are looking for supply chain technology solutions that not only help them deliver customer-centric experiences but also help them streamline operations to improve the bottom line.

With bottlenecks at ports and delays across transportation networks, uneven inventory due to factory shutdowns, labor shortages and high customer expectations, how are hardline retailers supposed to thrive? Many top retailers have turned to Blue Yonder to help them weather the continuing pandemic storm. Petco came to us at the beginning of the pandemic to help them serve customers both in-store and online. With the help of Blue Yonder, they were able to implement buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS) across all their locations in a matter of months. By leveraging Blue Yonder’s e-commerce capabilities, Petco was able to successfully expose store inventory online, provide accurate commitments to customers and use ship from store capabilities to meet the needs of customers.

Another organization leveraging Blue Yonder is an equipment rental company that offers construction equipment, industrial tools and much more across 900+ stores in 47 states. They wanted to deliver an omni-channel experience to customers. Using Blue Yonder’s e-commerce microservices, they have a single source of truth for their rental fleet inventory across their network of branch locations and can provide customers with accurate pick-up and delivery options. They can optimize order fulfillment from the right location taking into account equipment availability. And lastly, they can automate the entire order process to streamline the process of renting and delivering equipment where it needs to go.

A third retailer sells products to farmers, pet owners, and landowners across 2000 stores and 49 states. They came to Blue Yonder to improve the customer experience by providing real-time and accurate inventory information to consumers from the beginning of the buying process. With accurate inventory, they have been able to enhance their BOPIS, ship from store, and same day delivery offerings. Our microservices also help them show order by/get by dates and increase conversation rates by showing urgency messaging on product detail pages (PDP).

Given the rise in e-commerce, today’s retailers and brands need to meet consumers where they are. This means providing engaging customer experiences online and in the store. Retailers such as the ones described above rely on Blue Yonder’s order management microservices to offer the best omni-channel experiences to consumers. It starts with having real-time inventory visibility across the enterprise in order to show shoppers what items are available and where.

Similarly, today’s shoppers demand flexible, transparent fulfillment options at the time of purchase. Blue Yonder’s Commits microservice provides consumers with complete transparency into their fulfillment options, including order-by/get-by timelines. Access to definitive fulfillment information translates to increased shopper confidence and loyalty, lower rates of cart abandonment and increased conversion rates.

Lastly, all of this requires a single source of truth for all orders regardless of where they come from and how they are fulfilled. In a world where consumers blur the lines between online and in-store shopping, retailers need a robust order management solution to drive the business forward. To learn more about Blue Yonder’s microservices, click here.