Consumer Packaged Goods

'Calling Card' Web Sites That Aren't Enabled for E-commerce Can't Compete

January 26, 2016

E-tailing behemoths like Amazon Business are infringing on electrical distributors' turf. Large distributors continue to hone and refine their e-commerce offerings. And finally, mobile e-commerce (or, m-commerce) - driven by the consumer who has grown more comfortable making purchases on smartphones and other mobile devices - is on track to hit $700bn by 2017, according to research firm Digi-Capital.

Solar PV Sales Expected to Top $1Tr by 2024

January 26, 2016

Navigant Research

Global revenue from solar photovoltaic installations is expected to total more than $1.2tr from 2015 to 2024, according to a report from Navigant Research.

Checkpoint Systems Brings Retail Visibility App to the Cloud

January 25, 2016

Checkpoint Systems Inc.

Checkpoint Systems Inc., a vendor of merchandise-availability applications for the retail industry, has collaborated with Microsoft Corp. to bring its Checkpoint RFID software to the cloud, and enhance it with Microsoft analytical tools.

Management That Sets SMART Goals Acting Kinda Stupid

January 25, 2016

Smartblogs

Worldwide, managers are setting SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely) goals, expecting these to make this "the year" to revitalize or transform their businesses. Instead, most of these professionals should retire SMART, or at least rescind its status of standard operating procedure.

Kroger's Weekly Circular Goes Digital

January 22, 2016

Fierce Retail

Digital disruption is affecting retailers of all stripes, but the grocery sector has been slow to adopt new technological tools. But that doesn't mean the nation's largest grocery chain isn't innovating around the digital path to purchase.

As Innovation Unfolds in Electronics World, Supply Chain Runs to Keep Up

January 21, 2016

EBN

Innovation doesn't sleep. Product lifecycles aren't what they used to be. Competition is fiercer - and comes from more unexpected sources - than ever.

Spotlight Placed on How RFID Technology Benefits Retail Industry

January 21, 2016

The Washington Post

Next time you're at the mall, take a closer look at the paper price tag dangling from the clothes you take into the dressing room. If you hold the tag up to a light, you might see a dark, salt-grain-sized speck in it. Or, if you run your thumb over the tag, you might feel an almost imperceptible bump.

Most Shoppers Put a Premium on In-Store Mobile Technology, Poll Finds

January 21, 2016

Fierce Retail

Sixty-six percent of shoppers are more likely to purchase at retailers that offer in-store mobile technology, an increase of 52 percent year over year, according to a SOTI poll of consumers. As many as 73 percent of respondents view the availability of in-store mobile technology as a signal of better customer service and loyalty, up 26 percent from the previous year.

Hermes Teams With DPD, GLS in New Joint Venture

January 19, 2016

Hermes

Hermes, operator of a business-to-consumer parcel shop network in Europe, has partnered with Dynamic Parcel Distribution (DPD) and General Logistics Systems (GLS) to form a new joint venture, ParcelLock GmbH.

How Does a U.S. Materials Manufacturer Compete? By Bringing the Pain

January 18, 2016

Robert J. Bowman, Managing Editor, SupplyChainBrain

It's tough for a U.S. materials manufacturer to keep pace with foreign competition - especially when it's burdened with "tools from the stone age."

Consumer Packaged Goods

The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the consumer packaged goods industry. Learn how consumer packaged goods companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.