Supply Chain Networking

It is only a matter of time before millennials begin to build social networking capabilities to support their product purchasing delivery demands.  The extended retail supply chain that includes especially the last mile delivery will feel the brunt of these capabilities built as a result of the millennial mashing together services and tools to meet their own demands.  Millennials will be the leaders in this drive to reshape the retail delivery supply chain to meet their changing demands and these changes will be focused in the area of collaboration and communication to rebuild a consumer supply chain network.  These changes will start on the fringe and in small volume while the millennials mash social and Internet services together to meet their demands and the second wave will wash over eht supply chain as other consumers adapt the new networking capabilities.

Millennials are masters at building collaborative networks and collaborative services to support needs and resolve challenges.  The supply chain consumer delivery is the next frontier in these efforts, millennials are marching through and addressing challenges utilizing the same methods that they used in reshaping the retail shopping and purchasing practices.  Millennials will not accept the status quo in the purchase delivery capabilities just as they did not accept the limitations in retail shopping and purchasing.  The millennials will build out their practices and build their own services through imaginatively building supply chain network capabilities through collaboration and networking.  They will enhance these capabilities through through social networks, wireless technology and mobile apps using the same strategy as was used in shopping and purchasing changes.

Just as the retailers and especially the large legacy retailers struggled to limit the changes, the consumer delivery supply chain will also struggle to limit the changes.  Just as in changing the shopping and purchasing practices they will change the delivery through collaboration and mobile technology to meet their demands.  The greatest area of improvement will be found in coordinating the delivery and this is where the social networking and mobile apps will play the greatest role.  Collaboration within the social network will provide opportunities for consumers to reshape the carrier delivery coordination to meet their changing needs first and foremost.  It is hard to predict how the market will be changed by millennial activities, it is easy to say though that carriers must increase their flexibility in both delivery practices and also communication and collaboration with consumers.

And now for the audience participation portion of the show…

ECommerce will have wide ranging impacts on both the retail and manufacturing sectors.  How can you focus these abilities to improve the consumer's experience?  Improving the consumer’s experience will require a re-evaluation of the sales channels, the manufacturing channels and practices and the supply chain channels and practices from the raw materials to the consumers’ homes.  In order to ensure and maintain success in this new reality you must harness the tools and capabilities in many new areas.  How can you support these continuously changing requirements?