Organizational, operational and technology challenges are hampering retailers' omnichannel efforts; 40 percent of retailers report they are having difficulty integrating back-office technology across all of their channels.

Cyber-security breaches at major companies grab headlines as legislatures and regulators at the state, federal and international levels develop "rules of the road" for protecting information, especially consumers' personal data. Supply management professionals should be concerned that their systems and/or employees may be exposing their organizations to data breaches - opening the company to lawsuits, governmental enforcement actions and significant reputation damage.