By Brian Greene, Partner Columbus Consulting
Unlocking Retail Operational Efficiency Across the Full End-to-End Supply Chain
Traditional approaches to selecting retail software solutions tend to focus on the specific needs of individual functional areas. For example, many retailers prioritize selecting a store replenishment system tailored to the objectives of their inventory management teams, often overlooking the broader needs of upstream or downstream functional partners.
While many companies describe themselves as collaborative, the reality is that information-sharing between functional areas often resembles a “throwing the ball over the wall” approach. Little attention is given to the value of the information being passed along, nor is it viewed as an opportunity to enhance decision-making. This narrow focus can limit not only the effectiveness of individual functional areas but also the overall performance of the organization.
The emergence of advanced AI and machine learning (ML) solutions, alongside the increasing availability of rich data, presents a significant untapped opportunity for retailers. By sharing data more effectively between functions, organizations can enable greater precision and extend visibility across operations.
Connecting detailed information between departments can also:
- Lead to substantial reductions in operating costs by improving productivity
- Enhance responsiveness
- Enable faster reactions to emerging trends across the entire end-to-end supply chain
Even if your organization does not currently have the latest AI/ML technology in place, there are actionable steps you can take to prepare for future advancements while still achieving value from existing technologies.
Success lies in:
- Identifying the right levers to pull and understanding the level of effort required. This proactive approach will not only help you achieve your expected outcomes but will also ensure that your processes can be continuously refined and adjusted as needed to optimize your end-to-end operations.
- Focusing on improving data quality and governance. Ensuring that data formats and metrics are standardized across departments will make it easier to share information and integrate systems.
- Creating a culture of collaboration by breaking down organizational silos.
- Committing to change management efforts.
Once this approach becomes a core part of your company’s culture, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying the benefits of information sharing across functional areas to ultimately unlock unrealized operational efficiencies along the supply chain and within your retail organization.
ABOUT BRIAN GREENE
Brian Greene is a Partner with Columbus Consulting. He has held executive-level roles throughout his 25+ year career in retail and e-commerce, specializing in Merchandising and Planning, Allocation, and Assortment Planning. Brian has experience with multiple retailers in leading and advising on the system design and implementation, end-to-end process optimization, and organization design. He has depth of knowledge of the department and specialty store segments, private and national brand business models, and apparel and home product categories.
ABOUT COLUMBUS CONSULTING
Columbus Consulting delivers solutions that drive true value and have been transforming the retail, grocery and CPG industries for over two decades. We are a retail consulting company of industry experts. Our approach is simple, if you do it, we do it. We are more than consultants; we are experienced practitioners who actually sat in our clients’ seats. We understand the challenges, know what questions to ask and deliver the right solutions. Columbus offers a unique, consumer-centric approach with an end-to-end perspective that bridges functional & organization silos from strategy to execution. Our specialties include: unified commerce, merchandising & category management, planning & inventory management, sourcing & supply chain, data & analytics, accounting, finance & operations, people & organization and information technology. Let us know how we can help you. To learn more, visit COLUMBUSCONSULTING.COM.
