The changing pet product supply chain

The impact of new technologies

Everybody is aware that the face of pet retail is changing. New technologies are shaking up the industry and creating fresh opportunities to target consumers, personalise marketing events and integrate brick-and-mortar stores into the retail supply chain in a way that will accelerate business. These new technologies play a fundamental role in fulfilling consumer demand by ensuring product availability or enabling other options.

These developments make ‘The changing face of pet retail’ a perfect theme for the GlobalPETS Forum in January 2019. As one of the speakers at this forum, Deloitte will be talking about how the changes in retail are affecting the pet product supply chain.

Consumer expectations: they want it now

It is obvious that when a consumer orders something, they expect it to be available. In fact, this is the most basic notion at the heart of retail. But today’s consumers expect products to be available to them at any time and any location. And because leading retailers can deliver this seamless availability, anything less is a recipe for disappointment.

To have the right to play, consumer preferences need to be the centrepiece

(Source: Think Big, Start Small, Connect Now! Omnichannel Fulfilment in 2017)

If you are struggling to provide seamless services to your consumers, you are not alone. A significant number of retailers have not managed to master seamless fulfilment services just yet. And the results can be significant, leading to unavailable products, increased lead times and, eventually, reduced revenue and bottom-line performance.