SUPPLY CHAIN
With omnichannel , brands are largely helpless . They lack a way to receive orders from whichever channels and locations orders are placed and then proactively identify the best inventory across the network to satisfy that demand ,
As the pandemic grew , many businesses were left with excess pockets of inventory originally intended to serve now-closed retail operations , as well as customer orders left unsatisfied in channels where no inventory was available .
How do you make an omnichannel supply chain work well ? For an omnichannel supply network to operate effectively , it needs to fulfil three key requirements .
First , it must be sufficiently flexible to evolve as new channels open and sources dry up . Plus , new selling platforms – marketplaces and ecommerce frontends , for example – need to be integrated and served .
Second , it has to be connected in realtime to all viable sources of inventory – something that can only be achieved with the help of web-based IT services .
Finally , the company ’ s supply network must have deep knowledge of both the product and the sources of supply , so that the most suitable option is offered to customers based on location , timing , and local legislative requirements .
How can businesses best meet these challenges ? Primarily , organisations need to break away from the constraints of traditional retailserving supply chains to accommodate supply networks . They can do so through dynamic , customer-focused , demandsatisfaction solutions ; these need to
“ ORGANISATIONS NEED TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE CONSTRAINTS OF TRADITIONAL RETAIL-SERVING SUPPLY CHAINS , TO ACCOMMODATE SUPPLY NETWORKS ”
WILL LOVATT VP & GENERAL MANAGER , DEPOSCO EUROPE
deliver a real-time interface that embraces every commerce touchpoint while also considering all inventory sources .
Is legacy software in omnichannel fulfilment a problem ? Yes , it ’ s a major issue . Batch updates and overnight refreshes between domains may have been adequate for a supply chain where customer interaction was limited to retail locations only . But the dynamic world of omnichannel fulfilment has to execute in sub-seconds across all customer-serving locations . Mismatches can lead either to heavy overstocking or the risk of double selling .
What role do strategies such as dark warehouses , micro-fulfilment and in-store inventory warehousing have to play ?
Our solutions were born on the web and are architected to work in mixed omnichannel IT environments to serve our rapidly growing ecommerce direct-to-consumer customers . We offer visibility across the inventory landscape , including traditional warehousing , retail stores , and various forms of fulfilment centres . Our customers also have the realtime ability to match source with demand .
It ’ s all about working at scale and complexity but delivering simplicity and rapid time-to-value . supplychaindigital . com 43