How the Current Crisis Will Change Retail Supply Chains Forever

SupplyChainBrain
21 Nov 202111:13

Summary

TLDR霍华德·梅特纳,卡尔·马克思顾问公司的董事总经理,讨论了零售供应链如何应对即将到来的假日高峰。他指出,尽管存在短缺,但大型零售商通过提前进口商品和投资自己的船只和进口设施,已经做好了更充分的准备。梅特纳建议零售商专注于他们能控制的事情,比如提高销售量和利润率,而不是担心他们无法控制的供应链问题。他预测,这个假期季节将会不同,但对于那些使用人工智能和预测技术来优化库存的零售商来说,将是一个成功的增长期。此外,梅特纳强调,零售商需要重新思考他们的供应链管理策略,以应对未来可能出现的类似挑战。

Takeaways

  • 📈 **零售供应链面临挑战**:当前零售供应链在应对假日高峰时将面临短缺问题,这是由于供应链问题已被广泛报道。
  • 🛍️ **零售商的应对策略**:零售商应专注于他们能控制的事项,比如库存管理和价格策略,而不是他们无法控制的供应链问题。
  • 🚢 **大型零售商的优势**:大型零售商由于拥有自己的运输工具和进口渠道,可能在供应链连续性方面表现更好。
  • 📦 **库存和销售策略**:零售商可能需要通过提前进货和调整价格来应对库存短缺,同时利用人工智能和预测技术来优化库存管理。
  • 🎉 **假日购物季的变化**:预计今年的假日购物季将有所不同,零售商和消费者都需要适应新的购物模式和可能的折扣变化。
  • 📱 **消费者行为的调整**:消费者可能需要调整他们的期望,比如对于快速配送服务的期待,因为物流公司已经无法保证特定时间的配送。
  • 🤖 **技术投资的重要性**:投资于技术和物流管理是零售商应对当前挑战和未来不确定性的关键。
  • 🌐 **供应链管理的重新思考**:零售商需要重新思考他们的供应链管理,可能包括国内采购的替代方案和更分散的采购来源。
  • ⏰ **快速适应的必要性**:零售商需要快速适应市场变化,就像疫情初期那样迅速转向线上销售和路边取货等新模式。
  • 💰 **资金和资本的重要性**:为了实现必要的改变,零售商可能需要更多的营运资本,这可能会对一些企业构成挑战。
  • 📈 **长期趋势的适应**:零售商需要适应长期趋势,包括更高的薪资水平和对在线购物及配送服务的不断增长的需求。

Q & A

  • 当前零售供应链面临节假日高峰的挑战是什么?

    -当前零售供应链面临的挑战包括产品短缺、库存耗尽、供应链中断以及消费者对可能的短缺产生的恐慌性购买行为。

  • 霍华德·梅特纳建议零售商如何准备应对节假日高峰?

    -霍华德·梅特纳建议零售商专注于他们能控制的事情,比如提前进货、调整价格策略、使用人工智能和预测技术来优化库存管理。

  • 为什么大型零售商在供应链连续性方面可能会做得更好?

    -大型零售商通常拥有更多的资源和投资,比如自己的船只和进口设施,这使得他们在供应链管理上更有优势。此外,他们更有可能及时支付供应商,从而获得优先供应。

  • 消费者在即将到来的假日购物季中可能需要调整哪些期望?

    -消费者可能需要调整对快速配送的期望,因为USPS、UPS和FedEx不再保证特定时间的配送,且美国邮政服务已经延长了配送时间。此外,可能不会有以往那么大的折扣。

  • 零售商如何鼓励消费者提前购物?

    -零售商通过提前发布购物信息、宣传假日季的提前开始以及强调供应链可能的中断,来鼓励消费者提前购物。

  • 霍华德·梅特纳认为当前的供应链挑战是否是一次性的?

    -他认为这不仅仅是一次性的挑战,零售商需要重新思考他们的供应链管理策略,以应对长期的挑战和变化。

  • 在供应链管理中,哪个职位变得日益重要?

    -首席物流官或供应链管理专家变得越来越重要,因为他们能够帮助零售商更好地管理供应链,克服物流挑战。

  • 为什么零售商可能需要重新考虑他们的采购策略?

    -由于海外采购的前置时间、成本和潜在的供应链中断,一些零售商可能会发现国内采购或使用替代采购策略在经济上更有意义。

  • 霍华德·梅特纳如何看待零售业的未来?

    -他认为零售业的未来将由那些能够适应不断变化和持续中断的公司所主导,这些公司将采用新技术和策略来优化他们的运营。

  • 零售商如何利用人工智能和预测技术来提高销售?

    -零售商可以使用人工智能和预测技术来更好地预测消费者需求,优化库存水平,提高销售转化率,并在更高的利润率下实现销售。

  • 为什么说当前的供应链挑战可能会加速零售业的创新和变革?

    -由于当前的挑战迫使零售商快速适应和创新,比如通过实施新技术和改变采购策略,这些变革可能会比预期的五到十年更快地实现。

Outlines

00:00

📈 零售供应链如何应对节日高峰

霍华德·梅特纳,卡尔·马克思顾问公司的董事总经理,讨论了零售供应链在当前情况下如何应对即将到来的节日高峰。他指出,尽管存在短缺,但零售商应专注于他们能控制的事项,比如库存管理和价格策略。他提到,大型零售商通过提前进口货物和投资自己的船只来应对供应链问题,而小型和中型企业可能面临更多挑战。霍华德建议零售商利用人工智能和预测技术来提高销售量和利润率,同时吸收成本增长。他还提到,消费者可能需要调整对快速配送的期望,因为USPS、UPS和FedEx不再保证特定时间的配送。

05:02

🛍️ 消费者购物行为的变化与零售商的策略调整

霍华德·梅特纳继续讨论了消费者购物行为的变化,以及零售商如何通过提前发布购物信息和鼓励消费者提前购物来适应这些变化。他预测,购物季将变得更长,但不那么紧张,总体上将是成功的。霍华德还强调,当前的供应链挑战不是一个一次性事件,零售商需要重新思考他们的供应链管理策略,比如采用更多的国内采购和机器人技术。他认为,那些能够适应变化和持续中断的公司将是赢家。

10:02

🚀 亚马逊的应对策略与零售业的未来

霍华德·梅特纳赞扬了亚马逊在应对供应链问题上的积极态度,举例说明了亚马逊如何通过让第三方小型合作伙伴进行配送来解决短期问题,同时也考虑长期战略。他强调,零售业需要快速适应市场变化,投资于新技术,并寻找替代传统的人力资源配置方法。霍华德认为,尽管一些长期策略可能需要数年时间来实施,但鉴于当前的快速变化,公司需要加快步伐,以避免落后于市场。

Mindmap

Keywords

💡零售供应链

零售供应链指的是产品从生产到最终消费者手中的整个流程,包括生产、分销、运输等环节。在视频中,讨论了零售供应链如何应对节假日高峰期的需求,以及当前供应链面临的挑战,如库存短缺和物流延迟。

💡假日高峰

假日高峰通常指的是节假日期间零售业的销售高峰期,如圣诞节。视频中提到,零售商需要准备应对这一时期的高需求,同时考虑到供应链的不确定性。

💡库存短缺

库存短缺是指零售商的库存不足以满足市场需求的情况。视频中提到,由于供应链问题,零售商可能会面临库存短缺,需要采取措施应对。

💡控制因素

控制因素指的是零售商能够直接影响或管理的业务方面。视频中建议零售商专注于他们能够控制的因素,如优化现有库存,而不是过分担心他们无法控制的供应链问题。

💡早期备货

早期备货是指零售商提前准备和运输假日季节所需的商品。视频中提到,一些零售商通过提前备货来应对供应链的不确定性。

💡大宗零售商

大宗零售商通常指的是大型的零售连锁店,如亚马逊。视频中提到,大宗零售商由于资源和规模的优势,可能在供应链管理上表现得更好。

💡消费者预期

消费者预期涉及消费者对于购物体验、产品可用性和配送时间的期望。视频中讨论了由于供应链问题,消费者可能需要调整他们对快速配送的预期。

💡供应链管理

供应链管理是指对供应链中的物流、信息流和资金流进行有效管理,以最大化效率和利润。视频中强调了供应链管理在当前环境下对零售商的重要性。

💡技术投资

技术投资指的是企业在技术方面的资金投入,以提高运营效率和竞争力。视频中提到,投资于技术和在线业务是应对供应链问题和市场变化的关键。

💡长期战略

长期战略是指企业为实现长期目标而制定的计划和行动。视频中讨论了零售商需要制定长期战略来应对不断变化的市场和供应链挑战。

💡灵活应变

灵活应变是指企业在面对市场和供应链变化时能够迅速调整策略和操作的能力。视频中强调,能够灵活应变的企业更有可能在当前挑战中取得成功。

Highlights

零售供应链在假期高峰期间将面临短缺问题,这已被广泛记录。

零售商需要专注于他们能控制的事情,而不是他们不能控制的。

零售商应该关注自己的库存,而不是市场上的库存短缺。

消费者因为供应链问题而开始恐慌性购买,这被称为“卫生纸综合症”。

大型零售商通过提前运输假日商品和投资自己的船只和进口业务,可能已经准备好了库存。

小型和中型企业在供应链中的位置较低,可能会面临更多挑战。

零售商有机会通过更高的销售量和利润率来吸收成本增加。

预计这个假期季节将不同寻常,但库存足以支持增长。

使用人工智能和预测技术可以帮助零售商更好地应对当前情况。

消费者可能需要调整他们对快速配送的期望,因为USPS、UPS和FedEx不再保证特定时间。

零售商鼓励消费者提前购物,以避免假期高峰期间的物流问题。

今年的供应链挑战可能是一个长期问题,需要零售商重新思考他们的供应链管理。

物流管理将成为零售业的关键角色,因为供应链的稳定性变得至关重要。

零售商可能需要考虑国内替代采购,以减少海外采购的潜在风险。

零售商需要适应更高的工资水平,并寻找减少过剩人员的新方法。

预计“大辞职”后,人们将重新回到劳动力市场,但他们可能不会回归旧的工作。

成功的零售商将是那些能够快速适应和调整,同时假设持续的干扰和变化的公司。

亚马逊通过其主动性,即使在面临自己的分销问题时,也在寻找克服短期问题的创新方法。

零售商需要快速适应,因为市场周期不再以三年为一个周期,而是更快。

公司需要投资于技术和供应链的创新,以应对快速变化的市场。

Transcripts

play00:00

[Music]

play00:06

how will retail supply chains weather

play00:08

the holiday peak

play00:10

my guest is howard meitner managing

play00:12

director with karl marx advisors hello

play00:15

howard

play00:16

hello

play00:17

good day thank you for being with me

play00:19

today so based on how you assess the way

play00:22

it looks now

play00:23

uh what is the current situation with

play00:25

regard to the ability of the retail

play00:27

supply chain do you think to meet the

play00:29

holiday peak which is just now beginning

play00:31

actually

play00:33

well there's no doubt there's going to

play00:34

be shortages and they've they've been

play00:36

very well documented by you and many

play00:39

others

play00:40

um

play00:41

so i think there are actions in place

play00:44

and i think the

play00:46

retailers need to think about what they

play00:48

can control

play00:50

rather than the things they can't

play00:51

control so

play00:53

to me

play00:54

i would

play00:56

encourage them to focus on what they own

play00:58

and not what they don't have

play01:00

um

play01:01

it will

play01:03

if they have depleted inventory why

play01:06

discount the price

play01:08

um they are going to see a longer season

play01:12

you know amazon and others are already

play01:14

reporting

play01:16

record sales

play01:17

at this time because i think consumers

play01:21

are becoming very aware

play01:23

because there's been a lot of supply

play01:25

chain

play01:26

um

play01:27

headlines

play01:29

and it's sort of created what i call the

play01:31

toilet roll syndrome

play01:33

if you tell everyone there's going to be

play01:34

a shortage of toilet rolls they all go

play01:36

out and buy them

play01:38

buying creates the need for panic buying

play01:40

so there's been this rhetoric creates a

play01:42

potential overreaction and i think we

play01:44

will see that

play01:46

and particularly in areas like toys and

play01:49

electronics where there's been

play01:52

a lot of headlines on those

play01:55

now you say what they own and my

play01:56

understanding is that a lot of retailers

play01:58

brought in product early anticipating

play02:00

this situation earlier in the year they

play02:03

started their holiday shipments a little

play02:05

bit early maybe got ahead of it maybe

play02:07

had gave them some kind of product to

play02:09

what extent is that stuff available now

play02:11

in their hands and ready to be put on

play02:13

the shelves if not already on the

play02:14

shelves

play02:15

well the larger companies

play02:17

you know it's been well documented have

play02:20

invested in their own uh ships and their

play02:24

own importation it's much more difficult

play02:27

for the smaller medium sized companies

play02:30

because you know they have um

play02:34

they are down the pecking order also

play02:36

companies that are paying on time

play02:39

are naturally going to get a priority

play02:41

where the vendors are concerned so what

play02:43

i think we're going to see is the big

play02:44

box retailers

play02:46

um are going to do better in terms of

play02:50

continuity of supply

play02:52

but remember you know everyone

play02:54

thinks about this as if it's a potential

play02:57

disaster the amount of unsold goods

play03:00

usually

play03:02

at the end of a season um are

play03:05

extraordinarily high so here is an

play03:07

opportunity for

play03:09

retailers to do higher sell-throughs at

play03:13

higher margins because they would be uh

play03:16

uh i'll advise to

play03:19

um absorb these cost increases that um

play03:22

are occurring with shipping and in some

play03:25

of the raw material costs

play03:28

so i think we're going to see a

play03:31

different christmas but everyone is

play03:33

thinking about 19

play03:36

as a growth and the inventory is there

play03:39

to do it not for every retailer but

play03:41

those that employ

play03:43

um artificial intelligence to

play03:46

help them with their predictive

play03:48

technologies

play03:49

etc as you say

play03:51

they were on this early

play03:54

no one expected the economy to recover

play03:57

as quickly as it did post covet

play04:00

so

play04:01

i think people need to avoid beating

play04:04

themselves up for what is an

play04:05

unprecedented situation

play04:08

and really as i say

play04:10

the advice i'm giving people focus on

play04:12

what you own focus on what you can

play04:14

control

play04:15

and don't have sleepless nights

play04:18

about things that you can't correct at

play04:20

this point yeah just to do do the best

play04:22

they can from the consumer standpoint

play04:24

however we've written so many stories in

play04:26

the last several years about how spoiled

play04:28

consumers have become about getting

play04:30

their orders so quickly within two days

play04:32

or one day or even a matter of hours

play04:34

will they have to temper their

play04:36

expectations this this holiday season or

play04:38

will they simply

play04:39

not expect to have to do that and then

play04:41

have that

play04:42

reverberate onto the image of the

play04:44

retailers who simply can't serve those

play04:46

needs

play04:47

well already usps ups and fedex are not

play04:51

guaranteeing

play04:52

any specific times

play04:55

so that's new i think um

play04:58

the uh u.s postal service has lengthened

play05:01

its um

play05:03

um

play05:04

um

play05:05

delivery times

play05:07

um so there is a lot of

play05:10

um

play05:11

information out there which i think will

play05:14

modify people's expectations and that's

play05:17

one of the reasons i think we're seeing

play05:18

people buy early yeah

play05:21

but they've got the message they aren't

play05:22

going to get this they aren't going to

play05:23

get the same discounts they've

play05:25

traditionally

play05:26

yeah well a lot of retailers are putting

play05:28

out that message quite early on to shop

play05:30

early and i'm assuming it sounds like

play05:31

consumers heard that message or they

play05:33

themselves read the same stories that

play05:35

the retailers read and said we'd better

play05:37

get our stuff soon so in a way

play05:40

and it's so much more profitable for the

play05:41

retailers you know when you try to cram

play05:44

everything into

play05:46

four weeks five weeks and you have this

play05:48

out of date thing called black friday

play05:52

which is no longer what it used to be

play05:54

people were shopping beforehand and

play05:56

promoting beforehand

play05:58

so i think um the season's going to be

play06:01

longer it's going to be less intense but

play06:05

overall

play06:06

very successful yeah to what extent is

play06:09

this an unprecedented and perhaps

play06:11

unrepeatable situation this year

play06:13

versus something that might ever be in

play06:16

evidence on a permanent basis

play06:18

longer peak holiday peak shopping

play06:21

seasons more diversified sourcing more

play06:24

congestion in the future just because of

play06:26

consumer demand do you think that this

play06:28

state of affairs will continue

play06:30

i think if anyone believes this is a

play06:33

one-off

play06:35

um you know they need to rethink their

play06:38

strategy

play06:39

in the same way that the disruption

play06:41

caused by covid and how that influenced

play06:45

uh people's investments in technology

play06:49

and online um

play06:51

this will have the same profound effect

play06:54

on people totally rethinking their

play06:56

supply chain management you know we

play06:59

always used to talk in retail didn't we

play07:01

about the chief operating officer or the

play07:03

head merchant

play07:05

the the key person now is going to be

play07:07

that chief logistics

play07:09

guru the person who can manage supply

play07:12

chain because

play07:14

it's become paramount for retailers to

play07:18

overcome that so

play07:20

robotics in um warehousing um more

play07:24

perhaps alternative domestic sourcing

play07:27

because when you add up the lead times

play07:30

and the costs and the potential

play07:32

disruption of overseas sourcing

play07:35

there may well be some algorithms and

play07:37

some profit models that would suggest to

play07:40

certain types of retailers that um a

play07:44

complete rethink of their sourcing uh

play07:46

makes more sense so

play07:48

if they don't rethink it they're in big

play07:50

trouble in the same way if people think

play07:53

that life will go back to pre-covert it

play07:55

won't

play07:57

a good example is look how it has

play07:59

changed

play08:01

the restaurant business in terms of the

play08:03

importance of delivery

play08:06

and if people think salaries are going

play08:08

to go back down think again so

play08:11

retailers restaurants everyone is going

play08:13

to have to live with a higher salaried

play08:16

individual and look to alternatives

play08:19

to having

play08:21

excess staffing

play08:24

as was the model before and everyone's

play08:26

talking about the great resignation

play08:29

i think they ought to start thinking

play08:30

about the great rehiring because these

play08:32

people are going to want to have jobs at

play08:35

some point they're going to come back

play08:36

into the workforce you believe they're

play08:37

not going to come back for the old jobs

play08:39

at the old page so again

play08:41

um i think bob what what we can expect

play08:44

is the the winners here will be those

play08:47

that take note

play08:49

pivot

play08:50

and adjust and assume

play08:53

uh ongoing disruption and change but

play08:55

many of the things that you're

play08:56

suggesting here are long-term plays i

play08:59

mean you don't change sourcing overnight

play09:01

you don't acquire and implement and and

play09:03

become accustomed to new technology

play09:04

overnight so that we're talking about uh

play09:07

something that could take several years

play09:08

to resolve are we not

play09:10

well we thought that didn't we when um

play09:14

all the stores and restaurants closed

play09:16

look how quickly look how quickly people

play09:19

pivoted in terms of

play09:22

curbside pickups online uh growth it was

play09:26

extraordinary so i think what we're

play09:29

going to do see is the same thing there

play09:31

were there were sleepers out there

play09:33

companies

play09:34

that thought it was just going to carry

play09:36

on the way it is i think we're going to

play09:38

see a lot of investment going in there i

play09:40

think companies are going to get in to

play09:43

trouble because they're going to need

play09:44

working capital to make these changes

play09:47

so

play09:48

um but uh they're going to have to work

play09:51

faster that life doesn't go in

play09:53

three-year cycles anymore

play09:55

yeah much much faster than that well

play09:58

yeah and a lot of the innovations that

play10:00

the companies thought they were going to

play10:02

take about five to ten years to

play10:03

implement suddenly got done in two so

play10:06

that's a very interesting perception

play10:08

that's something what amazon do i i'm a

play10:11

great admirer of amazon's

play10:13

um proactiveness

play10:16

so they're having problems

play10:18

with um some of their own distribution

play10:21

so now that with their third-party

play10:23

smaller

play10:24

um

play10:25

partners um they're letting them

play10:28

do the the delivery you know where

play10:30

customers instead of having it delivered

play10:32

by amazon can go in their partner stores

play10:35

so they're constantly thinking of

play10:38

ways of overcoming short term problems

play10:41

but also thinking about long-term

play10:43

strategy yeah

play10:45

many others

play10:46

well

play10:47

howard mightner of karl marx advisors

play10:50

thank you for your wisdom and letting us

play10:52

know that what we're experiencing now is

play10:53

something we're going to be with for a

play10:54

very long time i really appreciate your

play10:57

insights into the state of the

play10:59

holiday season and going forward in the

play11:01

retail world thank you very much for

play11:03

being with me really appreciate it my

play11:05

pleasure

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Related Tags
供应链假日高峰零售业库存管理消费者行为预测技术物流管理成本控制在线购物市场趋势
Do you need a summary in English?