Retailers Take A New Approach To Addressing Out-of-Stocks

By Farrokh Abadi, President and Chief Operating Officer, Shrink Management and Merchandise Visibility Solutions, Checkpoint Systems

Part 1 in a three-part series discussing how retailers are finding innovative, new ways to reduce out-of-stocks and improve merchandise availability.

Retailing has always been a tough business, marked by demanding consumers, tight profit margins and intense competition. Retailers – even the most successful ones – also have had to confront and overcome various operational challenges such as managing inventories, controlling shrink, representing their brands in an innovative and attractive manner and maximizing every square foot of selling space, while improving shoppers’ experience.

Today, however, the stakes have been raised to even greater levels for retailers in every geography, vertical market and store format. The global economic downturn of 2008-2009, followed by its slow and unsteady recovery, has pinched shoppers’ wallets and put even greater pressure on retailers. Even as weak players fall out of the market, new competitors enter just as quickly, often from unexpected sources. Competition for a share of the shopper’s wallet has never been greater.

Download this white paper below to read more.