Most distributors, retailers, consumer good companies, and online pure players have made significant investments in building omnichannel capabilities in recent years.
For all players, omnichannel requires a dramatic and fundamental shift in mentality from cost-centric, largely hidden from view supply chains to front-and-center, customer-centric operations.
The article presents a new way of thinking about the operational implications of omnichannel distribution and two steps distributors should take to survive and win in the new world:
- Use agile approaches to IT and business – focus on long-term consumer trends and continuously adapt to an evolving target
- Four things you need to do – these areas will help drive customer-centric operations: dynamic network design and order fulfillment, last mile and delivery, integration with vendors, systems and technology innovation
For the UK edition of this report, see Limber Up - The Agility Imperative in an Online World
