What really goes on behind the scenes to ensure you get the things you order on-line or in person? To find out more, I spoke with Wayne Snyder, Vice President of Retail Strategy for EMEA at Blue Yonder.

Wayne has worked in retail for more than 20 years and is a recognised expert in planning and supply chain operations.

Wayne argues that with recent advances in technology, we’ve opened a digital window to the consumer, allowing us to go online, and see real-time availability of products in stores.

Because we’re making any flaws in the supply chain very visible to the consumer, the need to solve issues becomes even more important, because as consumers we are fickle, and will go anywhere that can help us best.

Wayne makes a point that there is an even greater challenge for retailers to make sure the supply chain is not only delighting but exceeding the expectations of customers.

We covered many topics related to retail and the supply chain including:

• Covid's impact on the supply chain
• The 2021 Fuel Crisis
• The retail industry's impact from the pandemic
• Key lessons for retail from the pandemic
• Is there a need for open data in retail?
• Navigating retail data
• The role of regulation in the retail space
• Sharing data
• Intermediaries sharing high-level trends
• The change in consumer behaviour due to the pandemic
• Will consumers shop closer to where they live vs where they work?
• The move to online shopping as the default
• Why stores are still dominant
• Differentiating between store and online popularity
• What part does technology play in the supply chain?
• Why Excel shouldn't be running your supply chain
• The importance of IoT for the supply chain
• The Golden Quarter & Christmas in Retail
• The 2022 challenges for retailers?
• Building resilience into the supply chain
• The need for data literacy
• M&S example of digital enablement
• The use of real-time control towers in retail
• The move from when things happened to why things happened
• What's the future for supply chain technology
• The impact of Christmas on the supply chain
• Why the supply chain will be holistic, connected & real-time
• Opening the digital window to the consumer
• The need for the supply chain to exceed customer expectations
• US Retailer inventory accuracy example
• Exception based reporting focusing on what's important
• The role Blue Yonder plays to help with supply chain fluctuations
• The need for shorter technology deployment cycles
• Should consumers care about what goes on behind the scenes?
• 3 Actionable things to do today

More on Wayne
Wayne on Twitter
Wayne on LinkedIn
Blue Yonder Website

Books Wayne is reading
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