Inbound Inventory: A Key To Retail Success

May 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Jim Barnes, senior managing partner, enVista

Optimizing inbound inventory improves outbound flow and the consumer experience.

Today, retailers are challenged with managing and optimizing transportation, and, more importantly, where to start and how to improve the process. This complexity is due to the fact that for many years retailers have not had the means of managing inbound order flow or the data required to make good operational and optimization decisions. Consequently, it has been easier to have the suppliers manage inbound freight. The lines of responsibility within many retailers are often blurred, making it unclear as to who actually owns the relationship with the vendor. Is it the merchant, the buyer, or the logistics functional team? It is also important to understand the location of the supplier because managing inbound freight produced from a low-cost country has a different set of requirements and operational challenges versus managing inbound freight from a domestic vendor.