Supply Chain

Happy Peak Season: May Your SKUs Be On Target

Nov. 12, 2011

It happens every year the holidays have once again crept up on us and are now right around the corner. For a lot of companies, this means revving up their supply chains for peak season planning in distribution and fulfillment.

This year, retailers are preparing to make the best of the upcoming peak season regardless of the twin threats of economic instability and low consumer confidence.

Did you know that nearly 60% of companies began their inventory build for the 2011 holiday season prior to Labor Day? This is just one of the insights gleaned from the recent Peak Season Trends and Strategies Survey of Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium.

Nearly 80 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers/distributors participated.

The consortium asked about the top threats to business success this peak season, and no surprise, they were indentified as economic weakness and low consumer confidence. Although there are no clear forecasts for the season, companies are doing what they can to brace themselves, make a profit and ensure customer satisfaction.

While nearly two-thirds of respondents list the economy as the single biggest threat to seasonal profitability, there has also been much talk among supply chain professionals about holding fewer stock-keeping units (SKUs) this peak season as compared to the last.

How did your peak planning go and what challenges are you experiencing? Is your company holding fewer SKUs?

Jim
Tompkins Associates

About the Author

Jim Tompkins | CEO

Dr. James A. Tompkins is an international authority on leadership, logistics, material handling, outsourcing, and supply chain best practices. As the founder and CEO of Tompkins International, he provides leadership for Tompkins globally.

His 30-plus years as CEO of a consulting / integration firm and his focus on helping companies achieve profitable growth give him an insider’s view into what makes great companies even better. Listen to an interview of Jim Tompkins on the Business Leader Radio show.

As a high-level business advisor, his unique perspective prepares corporations and executives for the future.

To share his knowledge and provide up-to-date information on supply chain and business trends, he developed the GoGoGo! Blogand Global Supply Chain Podcast.

He has written or contributed to more than 30 books and eBooks, including Caught Between the Tiger and the Dragon, Bold Leadership, Logistics and Manufacturing Outsourcing, The Supply Chain Handbook, andNo Boundaries. Jim has been quoted in hundreds of business and industry magazines such as The Journal of Commerce, Supply & Demand Chain Executive, and FORTUNE, and he has spoken at more than 4,000 international engagements.

Jim has served as President of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, the Materials Management Society, and the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education, and Purdue has named him a Distinguished Engineering Alum. He has also received more than 50 awards for his service to his profession.