It’s an omni-channel world out there. Mobile and e-commerce customers expect to receive the same experience and service regardless of where or how they shop. Of course, customers do differ from store to store, and online desktop shoppers can be different from mobile app shoppers. Many customers regularly cross channels between in-store, online and catalogues. Omni-channel retailers must be able to leverage their inventory and supply chain visibility more intelligently, or risk being swamped by these “new world orders.” (see Retail TouchPoints white paper: Develop an Omni-Channel Competitive Advantage)

Given that many existing planning systems were developed and installed in the 1990s, optimizing planning decisions means evolving your people, processes and technology toward a new level of cooperation and flexibility. It’s time to overhaul your planning, allocation and replenishment activities. Time to balance product and store plans. Run “what-if” scenarios. Create demand-driven assortments. Use virtual warehousing to maximize stock availability. Invest in merchandise to cost-effectively serve all channels.

In the podcast, Retail Planning in an Omni-Channel World, we discuss in-depth each of the following “to dos” of omni-channel-driven changes that need to happen: