Hey, Vendorville!

Communication — any supplier knows that's the foundation (and sometimes the biggest pain point) of working with a retailer. 🤕

Communicating with your merchant team is vital to your success with any retailer. Clear and timely communication fosters trust, prevents misunderstandings, and enables effective problem-solving, ultimately contributing to a successful and mutually beneficial partnership.

Let's Talk About It 🎙️

Just because communication is essential in this industry doesn't mean it will always be easy. There may be times when you're left confused, left on read, or even worse, completely ghosted.

To help minimize confusion and ensure your communications are effective, let’s take a look at some best practices:

🧑‍💼 Understand Your Merchant Team

Knowing who you're communicating with is crucial for effective communication. Take the time to understand the roles and responsibilities of key players on your retailer's merchant team. This knowledge will help you tailor your messages appropriately and build stronger relationships with your contacts.

Explore more: How To Communicate with Your Merchant Team

🤖 Get Comfortable with EDI

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the lifeblood of modern supply chain communication. Familiarize yourself with EDI processes and standards to streamline your interactions with retailers. Being proficient in EDI can help you avoid communication errors, reduce fines and deductions, and improve overall efficiency.

Explore more: What Is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?

🤝 Take Advantage of BuyerConnect

SupplierWiki offers BuyerConnect — a community-curated list of buyers. This resource lists the buyer’s name, title, department, email, and LinkedIn profile. BuyerConnect contains 350+ buyers, where you can filter by retailer and department or use the search function to quickly refine the results.

Other Retailer News 📰

Port of Baltimore preps new alternate channel for larger vessel traffic

“The limited access channel could help draw more commercial activity back to the port after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Walmart to Lay Off and Relocate Workers

“Retailer cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and asking some staff to move to corporate hubs”

Rob Walton ends long-standing tenure on Walmart board

“The eldest son of founder Sam Walton has been with the company since 1969 — even longer if you count his job at his father’s original five-and-dime.”

Walmart opens third high-tech consolidation center

“Walmart is expanding its high-tech consolidation center concept.”

Rick’s Tips 💘

One-Click Rick, SupplyPike's vigilant mascot, ensures our team stays on top of industry changes. He recently caught wind of concerns from Walmart suppliers about the future of Item360. Here's what he knows so far:

“Check out our recent update on where things stand with Item 360. Walmart implies that Item 360 functionality will stop for all suppliers outside of Canada. While this change may be stressful, rest assured that my team will keep you in the loop as more information becomes available!"

Let’s Circle Back 🌀

BuyerConnect is made possible by the SupplierWiki community! Want to make an addition to BuyerConnect or let us know about outdated information? Click the Edit Buyer button to submit a suggestion or change!

Your support ensures that BuyerConnect remains a dynamic and valuable resource for all members of the SupplierWiki community!

❤️ Sincerely, Your Friends in Vendorville

SupplierWiki

Don't get ghosted 👻— get connected with BuyerConnect!