Analyst Insight: The impact of the omnichannel revolution is being felt across every element of business today, including transportation and distribution, which can impact network planning. Customers today are more connected, more informed, and more demanding than ever before, and as a consequence, firms are forced to reevaluate their fulfillment strategies to meet ever-increasing demand for fast, accurate, and low-cost delivery of product to the customer. - John Santagate, Research Manager, IDC

Analyst Insight: Customers want orders faster and without additional shipping cost. And that's impacting how companies deploy inventory across their networks. In addition to defining the parts (SKU) mix and inventory levels needed to support service goals, you must consider how many distribution nodes you'll need and where to locate them. You must balance cost and service across several variables. And the decisions have ripple effects throughout your operations. - John Giangrande, Automotive Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.