Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

How is omnichannel retailing impacting supply chain operations?

Illustration with four interlocking circles that show icons for a mobile phone, a truck, a store, and a credit card swiper.

New survey from MIT looks to uncover how e-commerce is reshaping supply chains, challenges faced, and the technology being used to support omnichannel strategies.

Supply Chain Xchange Staff
By Supply Chain Xchange StaffOct 25, 2024
Supply Chain Xchange Staff
See Full Bio

Do you have five minutes to help shape the future of retail by sharing your insights and experience? The MIT Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab has officially opened its 2024 Omnichannel Survey, and researchers want to hear from you.

This year’s survey is investigating the impact of e-commerce on the different tiers of the supply chains, the most common challenges faced when defining and implementing an omnichannel strategy, and the role of artificial intelligence and tech-related innovations supporting it.

What did we learn in 2023?

Last year’s survey unveiled some game-changing trends in omnichannel retailing, particularly around the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Here are some highlights:

  • AI is taking over: 70% of retailers are now leveraging AI in their operations, with a 90% adopting it within just the last three years. It’s clear: AI is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.
  • Where's AI making waves? Retailers are using AI for everything from demand forecasting (65% adoption) to pricing optimization (48%) and inventory management (43%). These tools are revolutionizing how businesses operate.
  • Investing in the future: Looking ahead, 83% of retailers plan to ramp up their AI investments. This commitment signals a new era for retail, driven by technology and innovation.

Be part of the change

As the 2024 survey kicks off, your voice matters more than ever. By participating, you’ll contribute to vital research that will help define the future of omnichannel retailing and technology integration. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make your mark. Click here to take the survey.

TechnologyTech & Infrastructure
artificial intelligenceaie-commercemit omnichannel supply chain labmiteva ponceomnichannel retailing
TechnologyTech & Infrastructure
artificial intelligenceaie-commercemit omnichannel supply chain labmiteva ponceomnichannel retailing

Recent

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands
Featured

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

screen shot of returns apps on different devices
Technology

Optoro: 69% of shoppers admit to “wardrobing” fraud

robots carry goods through a warehouse
Store

Fortna: rethink your distribution strategy for 2025

shopper uses smartphone in retail store
Plan

EY lists five ways to fortify omnichannel retail

More Stories

A generative AI image of a future warehouse with two figures looking at digital overlays of traditional warehousing racks. An autonomous mobile robot is nearby.

Strategic planning and smart investments: Unlocking the potential of automation

We are in the golden age of warehouse automation. Supply chain leaders today have a dizzying array of new automated solutions to choose from. These include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), automated case-handling mobile robots, robotic pickers, and advanced software. While predominantly manual facilities remain, advancements in automation are improving existing facilities and use cases demonstrate in very real ways how robotics will forever alter supply chains.

But while the potential gains from automation can be significant, it’s also important to realize that no two organizations’ needs are the same. There is no cookie cutter approach to warehouse automation and robotics. A successful implementation requires not only strategic planning and investment but also a full understanding of the organization’s own unique needs. Before it installs any automation, a company must have a clear picture of its specific processes and requirements and ensure solutions are tailored to its operations. This involves identifying the needs of the specific sector or market segment that the company is trying to serve, what its growth potential is, and where it currently is in its automation journey.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo collage of warehouse tech

Supply chain pros are wary of inflation and labor woes

The top worries that supply chain leaders hope to address with new innovations this year include inflationary concerns (68%) and labor shortages (50%), according to a survey on innovation from the third-party logistics provider (3PL) Kenco.

And many of them will have a budget to do it, since 51% of supply chain professionals with existing innovation budgets saw an increase earmarked for 2025, suggesting an even greater emphasis on investing in new technologies to meet rising demand, Kenco said in its “2025 Supply Chain Innovation” survey.

Keep ReadingShow less

Warp Announces Preparation for U.S. Government Partnership to Enhance Service and Efficiency

Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warp, a tech-powered network of cross-docks and carriers offering various vehicle sizes, announced that 2025 it will extend its solutions and services to the U.S. government. Warp aims to modernize government freight logistics with machine-learning-driven planning, optimized network strategies, and flexible solutions to create efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable supply chain transportation.

Focused on optimizing every load, every time, Warp employs machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and groundbreaking consolidation techniques to blur the traditional lines of freight shipping by combining the best elements of LTL, FTL, and parcel delivery. Using its homogenous fleet including cargo vans, sedans, box trucks, and 53-foot trailers, Warp facilitates carrier injections, inbound vendor consolidation, pool point distribution, zone-skipping, store replenishment, and national retail distribution for some of the world’s largest shippers.

Keep ReadingShow less
An image of a highway cutting through a lush green forest. A truck and two cars are traveling on the highway. Overlaid over the image are icons for such things as charts, a computer, a location stamp, and a globe among others.
Artinun

Three ways to elevate your empty miles strategy

Reducing empty miles—or the distance traveled with no load or cargo—can have multiple benefits, including increased cost savings and streamlined operations. But at its core, it’s about making smarter, more sustainable choices while transporting goods. Here are three components to craft and execute a successful empty miles program, keeping collaboration in mind at each stop along the way.

Keep ReadingShow less
Report: Supply chain leaders say technology is key to business growth as global trade complexities rise

Report: Supply chain leaders say technology is key to business growth as global trade complexities rise

Nearly three-quarters of supply chain executives view technology as fundamental to their company’s growth strategy, according to a study by logistics technology vendor Descartes Systems Group, released this week. The study of nearly 1,000 supply chain and logistics leaders from across Europe, North and South America, and Asia-Pacific identified the increasingly complex global trade environment as a major challenge that technology tools can help tame.

“For companies in diverse industries, global trade has become much more complex, with many new challenges to traditional business operations,” Jackson Wood, director, industry strategy at Descartes, said in a statement announcing the findings. “As businesses contend with tariffs and trade barriers, geopolitical instability, supply chain disruptions and compliance requirements, technology tools can help them build greater agility and resilience into their supply chains to compete more effectively.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2025.