Carter's storefront feature

Carter’s Plans 1,000 New Stores as Online is Challenged

| Mike O'Brien

Children’s apparel retailer Carter’s plans to open 50 new stores this year, and at least 1,000 by 2027, seeing an opportunity as its SKU rationalization, price realization between selling periods and inventory management have improved the unit economics for retail, while the online-store mix shifts a bit toward brick and mortar. Executives said consumer confidence is down but not as bad as in 2022.

inventory management

Less Overstock Boosts Ecommerce Fulfillment Space and the Bottom Line

| Brian Barry

Inventory management is a strategic ecommerce issue that affects profitability and customer service. Additionally, many fulfillment centers have overstock inventory tying up valuable space. Here is a primer on liquidation strategies and ways to reduce overstock levels, freeing up valuable space and flowing dollars to the bottom line.

7 Pitfalls to Avoid in Subscription Box Fulfillment

| Nicole Lee

Order fulfillment is one of the biggest challenges for subscription box companies. Peak order processing, unpredictable growth patterns, slim profit margins and high shipping costs are just a few of the most common pain points. Want to master subscription box fulfillment? Steer clear of these 7 common pitfalls.

Practical Machine Learning: How Data Can Optimize Inventory Forecasting

| Rod Daugherty

While the terms “machine learning” and “artificial intelligence” are often used interchangeably, the main takeaway is that these advanced technologies offer better ways to solve complex planning problems. More organizations are recognizing their benefits to improve inventory forecasting accuracy and optimize stock replenishment.

11 Ways Barcode Can Improve Your Ecommerce Fulfillment Operations

| Brian Barry

Shipping and manifesting systems have used barcodes for a long time, but not to their full potential. In recent years adoption is increasing as businesses find they can dramatically increase control of their fulfillment center operations. Here are 11 ways barcode can provide greater operational efficiency, cost savings and a good ROI.

To FBA or Not to FBA: 9 Tips to Help in the Decision Process

| Mike O'Brien

Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) remains very popular among Amazon sellers, with over 650,000 using it in the U.S., but it’s not the right solution for everyone. So how do you make that decision? Executives from Complemar, Motor City Distributing and Tech Armor discussed the pros and cons at this year’s Ecommerce Operations Summit.

20 Critical Implementation Tasks When Moving to a 3PL

| Brian Barry

Some ecommerce companies have gained tremendous benefits from third-party fulfillment partners. But once you contract with a 3PL you must develop a well thought out plan, coordinating with your departments and the partner as well as merchandise vendors, carriers and IT. Here are 20 critical tasks to ensure a smooth transition.

8 Benefits to Accurate SKU Dimensions, Weights in Your Warehouse

| Brian Barry

Without accurate SKU dimensions and weights for each item in their warehouse, companies struggle to provide basic data for slotting, better capacity planning and if necessary, full truckload or LTL planning, paying more than is necessary in freight costs. Here are 8 steps to better SKU dimensioning in your operations.

Nebraska Furniture Mart Enhances Supply Chain Visibility

| MCM staff

Nebraska Furniture Mart has improved supply chain visibility, forecast accuracy and customer service while optimizing the company’s freight operations and fostering increased collaboration with partners and vendors. See what other benefits the company realized from implementing an integrated supply chain solution.