Welcome to the new and improved product

Summer’s unofficially over and we’ve made a few changes (all for the better) to The Stockout newsletter and podcast. We’re consolidating content previously under The Stockout (CPG) and Point of Sale (retail) while keeping The Stockout name. So, those subscribed to Point of Sale are now signed up for The Stockout. The content overlapped too much to do anything else, such as discussions of dynamics between retailers and their suppliers. In addition, Grace Sharkey has joined me on The Stockout...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/welcome-to-the-new-and-improved-product

How advanced weather tech is reshaping retail

The average consumer makes a shocking 35,000 decisions each day. 

Big or small, each of those is influenced by a number of factors, including the weather. What’s going on outside has a direct impact on consumer moods, needs and behaviors, making weather a key consideration for retailers.

Seasonal buying cycles, for example, are ingrained in almost every retail business’ preparations each year. Companies plan inventory accordingly for spikes in demand for commodities like snow blowers in the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-advanced-weather-tech-is-reshaping-retail

Consumer sentiment could be setting up retailers for gloomy holiday

Sales floor of a Neiman Marcus store

Global inflation may finally be taking its toll on consumers. 

A new survey of more than 8,000 consumers and 800 merchants in eight countries found that holiday shopping will be muted this year, with as much as $46 billion in total being cut from spending budgets.

The Holiday Shopping Trends Report: Winning Customers Despite Uncertainty, conducted by Auctane and Retail Economics for ShipStation (Auctane is the parent company of ShipStation), found a disconnect between shoppers and merchants.

Accord...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/consumer-sentiment-could-be-setting-up-retailers-for-gloomy-holiday

Viewpoint: A resilient supply chain requires a holistic approach to management

supply chain technology

This commentary was written by Ahmed Raza, vice president of PartnerLinQ. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Modern Shipper or its affiliates.

Speed and instant gratification have been the biggest catalysts for evolution in the retail industry. Customers want their goods now, and for the most part, various verticals have been able to pivot to meet these demands. Amazon, for example, introduced Prime two-day delivery in 2015 and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-a-resilient-supply-chain-requires-a-holistic-approach-to-management

E-commerce returns: Give the customers what they want

With 60% of consumers willing to break up with a brand over a bad customer experience, the ability of brands to manage the e-commerce customer’s journey has never been more important.

Shippo, an e-commerce technology company that brings together technology, fulfillment and carrier partners, surveyed 1,000 e-commerce customers to find out what is most important to them when it comes to returns. Retail returns from U.S. online sales jumped to 20.8% in 2021, according to data from the National...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/e-commerce-returns-give-the-customers-what-they-want

The supply chain bullwhip is doing the Fed’s job on inflation

Containers at the Port of Los Angeles. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The only thing surprising about the freight market slowdown is the speed at which it’s unfolding. The supply chain “bullwhip effect” is both predictable and expected. The surge of inventories and declining freight costs/capacity imbalances will be deflationary.

The bullwhip effect is something every supply chain 101 student learns about – the idea that upstream providers overproduce in reaction to a one-time demand shock.

What is the bullwhip effect? 

According to the Chartered Institute of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-supply-chain-bullwhip-is-doing-the-feds-job-on-inflation

Is supply chain deflation next?

Infinity Logistics aquires Glencore's metals warehousing business

The only thing surprising about the freight market slowdown is the speed at which it’s unfolding. The supply chain “bullwhip effect” is both predictable and expected. The surge of inventories and declining freight costs/capacity imbalances will be deflationary.

The trucking market has slowed. Demand for trucks usually surges during the Spring, but this year, demand for truckload freight has broken out of this typical seasonal pattern.

Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) is an index which...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-supply-chain-deflation-next

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