Retail logistics trends: E-commerce, omni-channel strategies continue to challenge

Several key factors are impacting retail logistics this year, according to a recent SupplyChainBrain blog, which singles out declining store sales and the growing need to integrate online sales as the major logistics pain points for retailers operating in the current business environment.

According to Andrew Breckenridge, executive vice president of supply chain consultancy Fortna, key logistics trends that all retailers should be paying attention to include:

• Figuring out what e-commerce means to their businesses
• The integration of e-commerce fulfillment operations with other distribution channels
• Creating seamless customer experiences across myriad channels (and make money in the process)
• Adopting technologies that support multi-channel fulfillment and that drive higher throughput levels
• Managing the pushback of some functions from retail stores to distribution centers in order to reduce costs for the former

Microsoft Dynamics customers are already well positioned to manage most of these challenges. As Brian Lynch, vice president of enterprise market development at nChannel, pointed out in his recent MSDW article Multi-channel management: The new age of commerce, Microsoft Dynamics users can tap into various e-commerce options designed to give companies the flexibility to manage their web sales channel with a similar finesse as they do their store or other sales operations. Meanwhile, he points out, e-commerce systems are so affordable that small companies are able to compete against larger retailers with a similar level of comprehensive features. 

When addressing the multi-channel and e-commerce trends currently taking place in the retail industry, Microsoft Dynamics customers can't forget ...