UK retailers are supply chain digitisation laggards
86% of UK retailers haven’t completed the digitisation processes required to give them full control of their supply chain, according to research by Gravity Supply Chain Solutions.
Based on interviews with 500 retail executives in the UK and the US, this found cost to be the main obstacle for 52% of those who are yet to venture down this route. “With strong investment in front-end technologies designed to enhance the customer experience such as smart kiosks, and AR apps targeted ads, it begs the questions why retailers appear slow to digitise their supply chains.” says Graham Parker, CEO at Gravity Supply Chain Solutions
“If retailers can’t bring speed to market to meet growing consumer demand, this will disappoint customers, and potentially undermine investments made to improve customer experience at the front-end. Clearly, the supply chain is the final frontier of retail digitisation, and while retailers are anxious about the cost, not moving from manual spreadsheet-based supply chain management towards digitised processes that provide speed, efficiency and informed decision making, could cost them a whole lot more.”
For those who have fully digitised their supply chains, 57% say that order tracking across all touchpoints has improved the customer experience, while 61% cite greater possibilities when it comes to products and options.
