Barcelona, July 28, 2020.- Author: Jeff Ashcroft Delivering transformational Digital Commerce integration solutions for Brands, Retailers & Supply Chain leaders that make Distributed Logistics.
Jeff Ashcroft: How will retailers manage in stores without boundaries inhabited 24/7/365 by almost 8 Billion shoppers armed with mobile computing and payment devices?
Not easily, and certainly this new reality is as terrifying as it is awe inspiring to those with true merchant blood coursing through their veins.
Welcome to the world of Matrix Commerce aka Matrix Retail where retailers will have to monitor, manage, optimize and move more information and products faster than ever before.
The question is how will they be able do this quickly, accurately and effectively given the growing scale and complexity of evolving digital retail business?
When it comes to managing the reams of associated information and making the multitudes of rapid decisions needed to manage Matrix Commerce, new technology will be required to keep up. The human managers and masters of these retail supply chains, stores and online spaces will likely need to augment their capabilities through the use of cognitive technologies.
When it comes to products, many years and billions of barcodes have been printed to try and keep track of retail store inventories. And frankly other than improving checkout accuracy and speed this now somewhat antiquated technology still relies on people to maintain inventory accuracy at stores which just doesn’t work.
And even where the rare store can make it work, this method is not fast enough to keep up with the instantaneous requirement to power omni-channel retail.
The time for people to try and keep track of products in stores has passed, it’s over and never really worked, it’s now time for the products to keep track of themselves.
All products now need smart labels and smart tags to keep track of them at the item, pack, case and pallet level from manufacturing through distribution, to stores and then the ultimate delivery to, and returns by consumers. I would use the term RFID to describe these tags, but for some reason for several years RFID has been treated as the bastard child of the retail business, but hopefully not for much longer.
The tide is starting to shift towards the use of smart labels and smart tags as this example from lululemon‘s results quoted from RFID Journal demonstrates.
Global athletic apparel company lululemon reports that it has boosted its in-store revenue by deploying a radio frequency identification system at all of its stores to track its products’ movements as they arrive at stores, are placed on display on the sales floor and are sold. The system has increased the company’s inventory accuracy to 98 percent, says Jonathan Aitken, lululemon’s RFID program director, which is one reason that the company’s revenue is up, since its stores know what goods are available in the back room to be restocked on the sales floor and purchased. The company’s ability to access RFID-based inventory data and choose to sell goods online or in store accounted for 8 percent of e-commerce revenue for the quarter, said Stuart Haselden, lululemon’s CFO, during the firm’s third-quarter investor call in December 2015
Not only can this technology be utilized for inventory control and tracking purposes, it also can enhance the sales process and sharing of product information in store to assist in purchasing decisions.
This Store of the Future video from Electric Runway features a pop up store put together by withme, featuring brands TOMS shoes and Raven & Lily apparel. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/api/edit/embed?
Online and bricks & mortar retailers who continue to operate in status quo mode will not be able to keep up with the customer experience demands of the mobile connected consumer.
The world of retail is now omni-channel and shoppers live in a fast moving connected world where Endless Store shopping environments will be the norm.
Products will soon utilize smart labels and tags to keep track of themselves, communicating with both systems and consumers to manifest the emerging future of retail as an omni-channel internet of things.
Analysis owned by Jeff Ashcroft Delivering transformational Digital Commerce integration solutions for Brands, Retailers & Supply Chain leaders that make Distributed Logistics. Posted in Linkedin
- Jeff Ashcroft:”it’s now time for the products to keep track of themselves”
Barcelona, July 28, 2020.- Author: Jeff Ashcroft Delivering transformational Digital Commerce integration solutions for Brands, Retailers & Supply Chain leaders that make Distributed Logistics. Jeff Ashcroft: How will retailers manage in stores without boundaries …Continue reading Jeff Ashcroft:”it’s now time for the products to keep track of themselves”
- EU invests over €2 billion in 140 key transport projects to jump-start the economy
Barcelona, July 16, 2020.- The EU is supporting the economic recovery in all Member States by injecting almost €2.2 billion into 140 key transport projects. These projects will help build missing transport links across …Continue reading EU invests over €2 billion in 140 key transport projects to jump-start the economy
- UN recognises eTIR as key to combat COVID-19 impacts
Barcelona, July 7, 2020.- Six UN agencies have issued a joint statement calling on governments to provide smooth transit and transport for landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), highlighting eTIR as one of the key solutions to support …Continue reading UN recognises eTIR as key to combat COVID-19 impacts
- Notes to innovate a proactive strategy in the warehouse
Barcelona, June 25, 2020.- Supply chains are adapting to the Post Covid era19. To an unprecedented situation in which for 3 months the supply and demand of the world market has been paralyzed. Now …Continue reading Notes to innovate a proactive strategy in the warehouse
- Do you already think about automating processes in your company?
The prestigious PWC Consultant has published a study on Process Automation in companies. Below, we have made a summary with the most practical conclusions for management software professionals, applied to transportation and logistics companies. - IRU: The future of distance learning in road transport
IRU is the world’s road transport organisation. We represent the entire industry – bus, coach, truck and taxi, and drive the sustainable mobility of people and goods across the planet. This organization has just published some interviews on online training in ground transportation. Recycling of supply chain professionals is vital in today’s economic uncertainty. For this reason, we publish this IRU report. - Galileo Green Lane- easing pressure at the EU´s internal borders
The European GNSS Agency (GSA) in collaboration with the European Commission has developed a mobile solution, the “Galileo Green Lane” APP, to facilitate the free movement of freight, reduce waiting times at EU borders, and prioritize essential goods during the current COVID-19 pandemic response. - Post Covid-19: Ways to improve supply chain efficiency
Barcelona, April 22, 2020.- Today we are all managers of uncertainties. Some experts even point out that the Crisis Manuals must be thrown in the trash, because we will be in crisis every day. …Continue reading Post Covid-19: Ways to improve supply chain efficiency
- Global pandemic Covid-19: How to minimize the logistical impact on the supply chain
“In the face of a major global crisis such as the spread of coronavirus, now is the time to step forward and be proactive in protecting supply chains as much as possible from the impact,” CIPS said. - Recommendations for adapting your supply chain in a paralyzed world economy
The world economy is slowing down due to measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. This situation forces each company to respond with a reengineering of its processes and an adaptation of its supply chain. Harvard Business Review has just published a guide of recommendations that we think can be useful for any company, in any circumstance. Reading the following recommendations is sure to help you make decisions. According to the Harvard Business Review analysis, the first variable to monitor is human capital. - AndSoft definition and positioning regarding measures and preparation concerning covid-19 (coronavirus)
AndSoft global announcement of actions and positioning in regards to taken measures, client relationship, suppliers and other active services. - Coronavirus: Does China, the world’s factory, paralyze the global supply chain?
Breaks of stock of certain merchandise are already being registered in some western countries. The vast majority of Chinese transport modes are closed, so there is damage to the global supply chain, due to the expansion of the Coronavirus, originating in China, considered the world’s factory. In fact, the OECD has forecast declines in GDP growth in several countries in the coming months, and the first losses are estimated at $ 200 billion. In this sense, we highlight an analysis of the Logistics Management magazine with a very early approach to the effect on the logistics sector - We need training and business volunteering for a new generation of professionals specialized in cyber security
Cyber security is another cornerstone for the good progress of information technologies in different supply chains. There is a shortage of training and professional offer in this area. The World Economic Forum ensures in the following analysis that business leaders have the resources and initiative necessary to reduce the cybersecurity skills gap. A planning that needs to know the following procedural phases - Main benefits for the new 5G mobile technology and the actual implementation deadlines
The New York Times has published a report on the current state of 5G mobile technology in the United States. Similar characteristics to what will happen in Europe, the Galileo satellite network (EU) ends. In any case, freight transport will be one of the main beneficiaries of geolocation, tracking, demand planning and routes. 5G is a technology that will be massively implemented in a few years yet. Before the telephone operators will offer us an improved 4G. Next, we summarize the report of the american newspaper. - It’s up to the TMS software to meet the requirements of the transport companies and not the other way roundConsultants may define processes and business rules that our platform can turn into code, which allows us to quickly and robustly deploy new functionalities to meet the industry challenges. On our part, we believe it’s up to the TMS software to meet the requirements of the transport companies and not the other way round.
- Gartner: Top strategic technology trends for 2020 (and Part Two)
Read the first part of Gatner Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2020 Trend No. 6: The Empowered Edge Edge computing describes a computing topology in which information processing and content collection and delivery are …Continue reading Gartner: Top strategic technology trends for 2020 (and Part Two)
- Gartner: Top strategic technology trends for 2020 (1st part)
Barcelona, January 8, 2019.- Gartner Technology Consultant is a source of information, recommendations, trends and resources that should always be taken into account by an information technology professional. AndSoft traditionally uses Gartner to learn: “Top strategic technology trends for 2020”. This is a 52-page document that we have summarized in 8 pages for two articles. In any case, we provide the web link to be able to print the entire document. In this first part, Gartner tells us about: Hyperautomation, Multiexperience, Democratization, Human Augmentation, Transparency and Traceability. - Keys that could mark the juncture of the stores during 2020
Indigo Software has published its trends in warehouses during 2020. For example, investing in a WMS will be increasingly common, flexible selection methods for multiple order profiles, greater efficiency in the management of Returns, delivery time becomes a competitive differentiating variable. A few years ago the warehouse was observed as a cost center in the supply chain. Today it is a strategic center, especially for sectors such as electronic commerce. Will these be the key trends for stores in the next twelve months?: - Predictions of technological innovations that will mature and converge to support greater resilience of the supply chain
Barcelona, Dec 4, 2019.- Supply chains already look at the technological trends that will be imposed in 2020. Apart from the uncertainties, from Supply Chain Digital, they advance in which variables we have to … - The balance between technological innovation and transport safety
Mathias Maedge, IRU´S General Delegate to the EU, has published a reflection on innovation and safety, in the Intelligent Transport magazine. Technological progress involves collaboration, coordination with the institutions and that all transport companies can benefit. Below, we publish a summary of this analysis. - Is this true?: More than half of transportation and logistics professionals still use a pen and paper to manage their supply chain
In the era of the Blockchain, the safest Internet 3.0 ever created, we find logistic realities hard to believe. A study by Business Insider Intelligence magazine says: More than half of transportation and logistics professionals still use a pen and paper to manage their supply chain. Below we publish a summary of this research and each reader will know whether or not it happens in their logistics facilities. - Ten tips to choose the best Transport TMS for your carrier or logistics company
Your carrier or logistics company has decided to hire a TMS (Transportation Management System). Or else, already has a Transport TMS but needs to switch to one that adapts better to your company’s needs. AndSoft has drawn up ten tips to guide you through the selection process. - The supply chain software is changing for the integration of AI, IoT, Blockchain, ML, etc.
AndSoft selects the best experts and experts in Software applied to the Supply Chain. Specifically, to the TMS for transport and logistics. Today’s analysis confirms that the developers’ work in assuming new technologies, such as the Blockchain, for transport. We recommend a careful reading of the details in the market opinions. - Assimilate the SCM 4.0, before the new SCM 5.0 floods us
The debate on what will be the SCM 4.0 has been treated in the last three years with more studies, congresses, success stories, trends, etc. Surely each company has designed how to digitize its supply chain. For this reason, we highlight the reflections of a great expert and the possible SCM 4.0, seen by a great consultancy. Both materials are interesting to read and understand before we all start talking about SCM 5.0. - Venture Beat: “Engineers are the perfect tech CEOs”
Below we summarize an analysis of the Venture Beat publication about the role of CEO and developers, due to disruptive changes in technology. - Understanding and business decisions from the growing volume of data, key in the food industry
The food supply chain is one of the first to innovate tracking processes, from origin to destination. It is a very sensitive industry in the manufacture of products, packaging, transport and distribution. Any failure can become food poisoning with tragic endings. For this reason, we have read an expert in this food ind
