Last month, top retailers gathered in sunny San Diego, CA to soak up the latest industry trends at the 2014 Retail Industry Leaders Association Supply Chain Conference. Amber Road set up shop in the bustling exhibit hall and attended some of the top retail presentations given all year.
Being next to the bar didn't hurt, either.
There’s no doubt the retail supply chain space is changing fast – the market is expanding globally and raising their expectations for shipping times and the omni-channel buying experience. We collected some of our key takeaways and hottest topics in the retail supply chain:
- Companies are looking to leverage the synergy of an integrated trade compliance and supply chain visibility solution – especially since that synergy can lower inventory, expedite freight charges and reduce the cost of import and export transaction processing.
- Top companies like Amscan are also using collaborative partner networks to ensure that merchandise, store equipment, and raw materials (in the case of private label manufacturing) can arrive at global locations in time for seasonal and cyclical promotions.
- China is becoming a bigger and bigger retail market, not just a manufacturing hub - but complex China compliance requirements for General and Processing Trade are holding some retailers back. Luckily, Amber Road now offers CTM software from our recent acquisition of EasyCargo.
- Even the most flexible supply chain is susceptible to natural disaster – the panel “Will Your Supply Chain Survive the Next Crisis?” with Home Depot, CVS, Nestle Waters and Hub Group delved into supply chain resiliency in a crisis.
Did you attend RILA 2014? What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the retail supply chain in 2014? Let us know in the comments section!
