The U.S. e-commerce market has nearly doubled in size since 2011, and is forecast to grow to $737B by 2022. Managing stock for a variety of commerce channels is becoming more complex, costly, and risky. As recent losses by H&M and other major brands illustrate, poor inventory management can be a major cause of financial distress. It’s clear that in the changing market landscape, where customers expect immediate and accurate fulfillment of purchases, companies need to look at their inventory management strategies with a fresh eye.

Product counterfeiting and piracy are pervasive across almost all countries and industries. In total, this black market is expected to represent $991 billion of the global economy by 2022.

Hurricane Michael is approaching Florida via the Gulf Coast, threatening to rise from its current Category 1 status before making landfall on Wednesday. Just like with last month's Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, Michael is going to bring storm surge, heavy rains, and severe winds throughout the state. A state of emergency has already been declared in 26 counties, and residents and businesses in the storm's path are on high alert. We wanted to remind you of some operational best practices to keep in mind while preparing your supply chain for the worst. 

Transportation is one of the world's largest industries and deeply influences how efficiently global supply chains are able to run. According to Plunkett Research, transportation revenues in 2017 reached over $1 billion in the U.S. alone. Globally, they stood at $4.8 trillion. Today, trucking, shipping, air shipping, and other logistics services are all experiencing disruption: As consumer expectations evolve, businesses are constantly pressured to deliver high-quality goods in the shortest amount of time. But issues surrounding labor and rising fuel prices pose real threats to the freight industry.

In Industry 4.0, companies are converging information technology and operational technology, to create supply chains that have a pulse on customer wants and can deliver on demand. This need to streamline has given rise to “smart factories” — factories that synthesize new technologies to boost efficiency and precision, and respond fast to design iterations so companies can produce more of what customers actually want. Sixty-seven percent of industrial manufacturers say they have ongoing smart factory initiatives, and this number is only going to grow.

In Industry 4.0, companies are converging information technology and operational technology, to create supply chains that have a pulse on customer wants and can deliver on demand. The industry-wide push to streamline supply chains has given rise to “smart factories” — factories that synthesize new technologies to boost speed and precision, and respond fast to design iterations so companies can produce more of what customers actually want. Sixty-seven percent of industrial manufacturers say they have ongoing smart factory initiatives. 

After making landfall last week, Hurricane Florence is crawling northeast along the U.S.'s east coast. Despite weakening from a Category 4 storm to a Category 1, the storm is disrupting everyday life and wreaking havoc on infrastructure. Last week we published this breakdown of what to expect from Florence, as well as a list of best practices to help businesses defend their operations from the elements. Here are the latest updates. 

Hurricane Florence is predicted to be one of the strongest storms on the Eastern seaboard in decades. It will deliver tropical-storm-level winds by noon Thursday to North Carolina's coast, and hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surges by late Thursday or early Friday. Many sources are warning that Florence will be the most intense storm to strike the region in at least 25 years, since Hurricane Hugo, which was a Category 4 and sustained winds of 140 mph.

Xiaomi Is (Still) The Tech Startup to Watch

On April 6, 2015, the Guinness World Record for the most smartphones sold in 24 hours was broken. Setting the record at 2.1 million units was Xiaomi—the world’s third highest valued startup (following Uber and Didi Chuxiang, Uber’s Chinese equivalent).

With $1 trillion in revenue in 2017 alone, China’s ecommerce market is now the largest in the world, propelling Asia-Pacific’s ascent as a digital powerhouse. Meanwhile, India has the fastest-growing internet consumer base, expanding at an average of 40 million users each year. With millions of potential consumers and limited access to brick-and-mortar stores in many regions, developing economies are fertile ground for the next ecommerce boom.