Victims of late Xmas package deliveries, try shopping in store

 This short article about the failure of UPS to deliver last minute Christmas online purchases on time raises an interesting point. Perhaps it is not realistic to count on last minute online purchases for Christmas to arrive on time. This is a great opportunity for brick and mortar retailers to drive more traffic to stores a few day before December 25. I expect that next year we will see commercials with this theme on TV before Xmas. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the pre-xmas strain on the delivery services and result in a merrier holiday for all.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131228172641-205524815-ups-is-no-santa?goback=.nmp_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1&trk=NUS_UNIU_PEOPLE_FOLLOW-megaphone-fllw

WalMart plays a catch up game with Amazon

Neil Ashe, a CEO of global e-commerce of the biggest retailer in the world, is tasked with a challenging mission to create a defensive line against the world's biggest online retailer, Amazon, by making e-commerce central to the company and "lead Wal-Mart into a more digital future".

WM has many cards up its sleeves.

The biggest one is its sheer size that ability to generate revenue. The company reported $446b of top line performance in 2013. It has deep pockets and is capable to finance pretty much any kind of strategic initiative.

For many years the company has been at the forefront of supply chain management/logistics innovations and a leader in retail technologies. It currently has 11,000 stores worldwide.

However, being nimble enough to weave together physical and digital retailing - the quality that consumers now have come to expect from the retailers - is a major challenge for the behemoth.

WalMart's Black Friday one-hour guarantee is an example of how the company "takes the assets we have and make them contemporary" in attempt to respond to "shoppers' shifting expectations".

The company bought several start-ups that developed expertise in social gifting, subscription boxes and other online retailing trends.

In 2014 WalMart expects to reach $13b in sales from Walmart.com - mere 3% of overall sale in 2012.

WalMart has long way to go...will it succeed?

- "At Wal-Mart, moving the needle on e-commerce", Fortune Tech: Technology blog

AMAZON gets physical

Amazon appears to be venturing even further into the world of physical retail. The online giant is experimenting with standalone automated Kindle Kiosk vending machines at airports and shopping centres.

Costco co-founder to receive top retail award by NRF

Costco Wholesale co-founder Jim Sinegal will receive NRF's Gold Medal Award at a ceremony during Retail's BIG Show in New York City next week. Sinegal, who stepped down as CEO in 2012 but remains on the board, earned the honor because of his "committment to the industry and Costco, and dedication into creating such a well-respected culture throughout the organization he helped build," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. The Seattle Times (1/7)

China may surpass US as the world's largest trader

China has held the title of the largest exporter and second-largest importer globally since 2009, but it is expected that 2013 numbers will show the country now has the world's largest trade value. China's trade in 2013 is expected to have reached $4.14 trillion, while the US, which saw $3.26 trillion in trade from January to October, is not expected to have hit the more than $880 billion necessary in November and December to exceed China's numbers. China's year-end trade data is expected within the coming days; US numbers are expected next month

http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2014-01/04/content_17215274.htm

Loblaw’s Galen G. Weston named CP’s Business Newsmaker of the year

Thanks to the biggest takeover in Canadian history valued at more than $12b as well as his stance on ethical sourcing labor issues in developing countries, Galen Weston received a title of CP Business Newsmaker of the Year. 

Galen took over the reigns of Loblaw in 2006 from his father. Since then he successfully spearheaded the transformation of Loblaw Ltd. to improve its competitive position agains domestic and international rivals. 

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/loblaws-galen-g-weston-named-cps-business-newsmaker-of-the-year/article16124912/?service=mobile

Innovation that can transform supply chain management forever!

Visual Identification Technology (VIT).

What is it?

The basic idea is this: "cameras and supporting software can be used to identify products in the same way a bar code or RFID tag might be used today. VIT systems identify products based on their image characteristic, and/or potentially specific markings."

Application?

1. Manage "planogram compliance" in retail stores. The camera-equipment robot can move around retail shelves and capture what the correct planogram looks like, and then at whatever frequency the merchant wants the robot re-travels the aisles looking for variances from that plan that are then communicated to store managers or others for correction.

2. Improve speed and accuracy of conveyer systems in supply chain using "Imager" scanners. In high speed, in-line applications such as a conveyor system, proponents of imaging technology say read rates can be much higher than traditional laser scanners, reducing problems from no reads.

3. Alert store personnel about stock-outs on shelves in stores. Regular cameras already installed in stores can be connected to the software that allows for constant monitoring of inventory levels.

4. Track the level of effectiveness of customer service provided by employees. "There are already systems that can tell if a specific individual, for example, interacted with a store associate and then whether that same person went through a POS lane for a purchase."

http://www.scdigest.com/ontarget/13-04-09-2.php?cid=6918