Managing Director at BCG. Reflections on Digital Supply Chains & Platforms
I recently had an opportunity to give a panel presentation at Innovation Endeavor's LINK Supply Chain Ecosystem Day. The panel focused on the future of the global supply chain during a time of continual disruption. There was a palpable sense of urgency in the room. After all, challenges facing the supply chain today only seem… Continue reading Supply Chain Automation in an Age of Disruption
Uber-like on-demand fulfillment platforms for supply chain and and logistics services are rapidly emerging. For companies feeling the pressure to meet rising customer expectations while keeping costs down, uberized supply chains could bring much-needed relief. Uberization, the business paradigm that disrupted the taxicab industry, is about to transform supply chains everywhere as companies increasingly rely… Continue reading Supercharging Supply Chains with Platforms
The rising requirements of urban Gen Z consumers will define where the future of retail is headed. When it comes to big-city shoppers, what really matters to winning the last mile in fast retail? We recently surveyed more than 4,000 consumers in the United States and big cities globally for the answer. The survey points… Continue reading Winning the Last Mile – What Consumers Want
Even today’s most sophisticated supply chains still try to predict what will happen, then optimize performance against plan. The problem is, the world is not predictable. It is filled with the unforeseen. To meet soaring customer demands in this erratic world, companies need to build a whole new kind of supply chain, fast. Supply chains are… Continue reading Why Future Supply Chains Must Sense and Pivot
I gave a panel presentation at the Bernstein "Motor of eCommerce" Conference last week in London. We discussed two trends that will significantly impact on the eCommerce supply chain dynamics in the near term horizon Direct-to-Consumer: Brands across many categories are accelerating their pace of selling directly to consumer (DTC). In the past several years, Brands… Continue reading Bernstein Motor of eCommerce Conference
In our recent article “US E-Commerce Trends and Impact of Logistics”, we assess the current state of the last mile fulfillment market and key supply side drivers of eCommerce. The US eCommerce industry is expected to post 12-14% growth in 2017, from $375B to $420B. At this rate, eCommerce is conservatively expected to account for 14-16%… Continue reading US eCommerce and Impact on Logistics
One question we often get from clients is “Will Amazon disrupt my sector next”? – be it in Fresh, CPG, Beauty, Apparel, or even Industrials. Amazon recently made several strategic moves, that taken in unison, strongly suggest that Fast Fashion is square and center in its disruption cross-hairs. Can Amazon be a Zara slayer? First… Continue reading Amazon the Zara Slayer
Consumers today are spoiled for choice. No matter where they live they have at their fingertips a vast assortment of products, a wide array of delivery options, and a never-ending parade of exclusive products and special offers. The consumer journey is becoming increasingly frictionless thanks to advances in technologies and disruptive innovations from the likes of… Continue reading Building an Omnichannel Supply Chain for Brands & CPG
I had a great experience co-presenting with Michael Kors, Google and Instacart on the topic of same day delivery at the 2016 GMA Supply Chain Conference last week. We discussed the underlying supply and demand side drivers of same day delivery and emerging models (see figure below). Here are a few key takeaways from the session: 1) Same Day… Continue reading Same Day Delivery at TPA/GMA 2016
Omnichannel retail sales have consistently doubled every 4-5 years since 2001 and is expected to become a $1.8 trillion dollar market by 2016 and hit $7 trillion by 2025. Part of the growth is driven by consumers taking their shopping online. However this is just one side of the equation. The other enabler is the… Continue reading 6 Trends Shaping Omnichannel Supply Chain
Getting fulfillment right is much more mission-critical in a digital enabled, omnichannel setting compared to a traditional brick and mortar retail. (see figure below). Fulfillment represents significantly higher costs in omnichannel—up to 15-20 per cent of online-order revenue in the US market. This is about five times the proportion compared to traditional B&M channels. Fulfillment… Continue reading Fulfillment: a Secret Weapon in Omnichannel
Last mile home delivery is a key driver shaping the growth of the US online sales. While efficient and innovative delivery models abound for parcel products, large format product categories such as white goods, furniture and large electronics remain stuck in an ineffective and inefficient supply chain model, preventing their full potential growth. Despite the need,… Continue reading The Future Model for Big Box Last Mile Delivery
What allows certain companies to deliver best-in-class distribution performance while others turn in only average performance or fail altogether? From our work in this area, we've observed that the leaders in distribution— those that deliver on a defined set of quality and service levels at the best possible cost—consistently think outside the box. Some of… Continue reading The 3 Dimensions of Distribution Excellence
Michael Hu | BCG 