In recent years, disruptions like COVID-19, geopolitical conflict, and natural disasters have challenged organizations to improve their supply chain resilience.
Retail executives have long understood the critical role that supply chain management plays in their organization’s ability to meet customer demand. Yet, as central as the supply chain is to success in most companies, customers rarely consider it when placing an order.
With more and more customers looking to digital channels for product information, feedback, and insights, the role of the store is changing from a place that simply houses and transacts products to another integral step in building and differentiating customer experience.
Omnichannel has been around for more than a decade now, so it might be surprising to realize that there are still gaps in a strategy that has become table stakes for most retailers.
As the retail industry rebounds from the unparalleled disruptions to store operations over the last year, the store’s role in merchant strategy is evolving and being reimagined. For retailers to thrive in ever more competitive marketplaces, they must embrace technology solutions that enable a modern and intelligent store.
Consumers and businesses are increasingly turning to digital platforms for relevant product and service information, making it critical for companies to effectively meet and exceed customer expectations through digital services and technology. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is helping organizations meet this challenge by connecting and unifying commerce and marketing activities.
Today’s consumers want the flexibility to buy and fulfill where, when, and how they choose. As retailers have expanded on purchasing options for customers—like buy online pick up in-store—they have quickly gone from value adds or differentiators, to baseline customer expectations.
The last few decades have seen monumental change in the retail industry. Specifically, technology has untethered the shopper from the store and allowed retail to take place anywhere, at any time.
Many of the forces driving rapid change in B2C commerce are now propelling transformation in the B2B space. Buyers of all types demand an easy, convenient online shopping experience, a requirement that has been accelerated by the pandemic and as Millennials take the decision-making reins.
Retail used to look different. It was local; it was a relationship. But new technology brought change. Trains opened the door for the Sears catalog, offering a wide array of products to distant customers. Henry Ford’s automobile led to suburbanization, malls, and department stores, changing the face of retail.
With NRF Chapter 1 starting this week, many retailers are looking to 2021 with one prominent thought: what’s next? Microsoft Dynamics 365 will again play a prominent role in Retail’s Big Show with new announcements and showcasing customer agility and innovation amidst a very disrupted market.
From supply chain capacity constraints to distribution channel disruptions, consumer goods organizations have had to innovate to overcome obstacles and find new ways to meet customer demands. Changes in motion Even before the pandemic struck, significant changes were underway, reshaping retail and the consumer goods industry.