Earlier this year we decided to revamp our company blog. We’ve been working hard to deliver fresh content and fresh perspectives every week. You may have also seen our new Slide Share presentations on lead time and seasonality and our new whiteboard animation on Lead Time Forecasting. (If you haven’t seen them, click the links […]
I grew up writing letters to Santa at Christmas time, asking for all a child’s heart desires. Bicycles, ponies, footballs, puppies, and more. I know a lot of you did the same. But do you ever take the time to write out your wish list for your business? If you were to sit down and […]
Collaborating with vendors is something every retailer does every day.You set up promotional plans, create POP materials, make co-op marketing agreements, devise better training programs and a thousand other things that set both vendor and retailer up for success. Cultivating relationships are key to making things go more smoothly. But most retailers have difficulty supplying […]
Snakes! Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones uttered this famous line in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark released in 1981. The scene begs the question does ‘Indy’ think alligators would be better than snakes or maybe lions? Indy is asking the wrong question at the wrong time. […]
December is a time when many retailers are trying to manage orders to meet end of year inventory goals. How do you decide which items to buy and which items to cut? If you are trying to maintain the same instock level on every item, you are going to end up buying too much of […]
In our last newsletter, we talked about the differences between Demand Forecasting and Sales Forecasting. As a follow-on, this letter highlights several of our posts that reveal how Demand Forecasting can increase overall forecast accuracy (how’s 98% sound?) and how Sales Forecasting is not the way to go for replenishment. The first : “Does 98% […]
A few quick money saving Lead Time ideas. Are you ready to find the profits buried in your lead times?
We all know snow shovels aren’t going to sell in the summer and beach towels will flop in December. Most of us can identify general seasonality and spot a really bad seasonal index by applying simple common sense. But do you frontload your key seasons or reduce orders because your Replenishment System doesn’t quite get […]
Thanksgiving should be a holiday for all of us to take a much needed breather and spend some quality time with our friends and family. But if you work in retail, what should be a holiday usually turns into early mornings, late nights, or no vacation at all. In order for customers to shop on […]
Chinese New Year: Its Coming, Is Your Supply Chain Ready? Chinese New Year starts on February 8, 2016. Most retailers are familiar with Chinese New Year because every year their Chinese suppliers and factories shut down for a few weeks. Chinese New Year is a huge celebration for China and many surrounding countries. Workers head […]