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Annyeonghaseyo Vendorville! ✌️💗

Summer’s in full swing, but what's on our minds? BTS, of course.

Not the K-pop boy band that defined our summer playlists before their mandatory enlistment in the South Korean Army. We’re talking about back-to-school season. 🎒

In a few weeks, retailers will unleash store-wide promotions in anticipation of the roughly 50 million public school students who will be searching for Bluey backpacks and school lunch items.

While BTS pricing and assortment may already be submitted, final grades aren’t in. Suppliers during this busy season may score lower in on-shelf availability, OTIF scores, and customer reviews.

Don’t sweat it, Vendorville. We’re passing you our study guide on how to be an A+ supplier during back-to-school season.

Back To School Success 📚

In-Store Availability and Replenishment Strategy

What’s the easiest way to fail a class? Don’t show up. 🫥

The same goes for your inventory. It’s important in a high-volume season to monitor inventory at an item level. Here are a couple of ways to track your inventory levels:

On-Shelf Availability (OSA) - The number of units available on-shelf for a particular stock-keeping unit.
Out of Stocks (OOS) - When a SKU has no units available on-shelf or online and thus cannot be purchased by a shopper.
Phantom Inventory - When the retailer’s information system shows a certain number of units available for purchase, but in reality, no or fewer units actually exist.
Potential causes are replenishment errors, shrinkage, Improper handling of merchandise (like damages), and incorrect recording of sales (like scanning errors).

Extra Credit 🤓

Marketing, Displays, and Omnichannel

Source: Back-to-School 2021: A Look Inside Stores on Tax-Free Weekend

The school buses are back! BTS is iconic for inventive displays, however, parents and students aren’t solely shopping in person. 🚌

Online product content, rich media, and reviews are the first impressions that can build trust and lead to a purchase—or lead to distrust and the shopper looking elsewhere. If you have a lackluster product page, here are a couple of tips from a SupplierWiki webinar with 1WorldSync.

Product Image Quality Matters. Consider how your consumers want to view your product. If executed poorly, fuzzy or incorrect images can deter shoppers from clicking “Buy” by 56%.
Revisit Your Item Catalog. Most major retailers have internal features that can automate the development of a better catalog. Check your scorecards and suggestions in Item Management at Walmart before BTS kicks off.

Extra Credit 🤓

Staying Paid In Full

Occasions like BTS are opportunities for increased sales–and revenue loss.

Deductions and compliance can make a dent in your profits if left unchecked. If you’ve been rocking with us, you understand that helping suppliers get paid and get better is our thing. 💅

No matter if you are selling at Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc., here are the table stakes for making sure star suppliers (like you) aren’t losing money on any invoice from BTS season and beyond.

Look into your current problem areas ASAP. Seasonality shopping in retail will only exacerbate any problem areas in your supply chain. Here’s some examples of how to address shortages, allowance issues, and OTIF.

Get your documentation organized. The easiest way to resolve the dispute is to have proof documentation on hand and accessible. Ensure your teams have a system for storing BOLs, PODs, and ASNs up to three years back.

Extra Credit 🤓

We’ll play you out to Pomp and Circumstance (the history surprised us). Here’s to all the A+ suppliers acing this back-to-school season. 🎓

Other Retailer News 📰

Walmart targets Gen Z with apparel brand relaunch

"The overhaul of its “No Boundaries” private label is the retailer’s latest attempt to gain traction in fashion, this time with casual style and low prices."

'We're in a new era' of supply chain disruption, HSBC analyst says

"After a series of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, and now a historic year in which more than 60 countries are holding elections, supply chain managers face a growing number of challenges."

Rick’s Tips 💘

In a historic and somewhat controversial decision, Rick once received an honorary Doctor of Education degree in Supplier Studies from Harvard. Rick's acceptance speech was brief but profound, covering light and dark duality and the importance of automating mundane tasks.

"If you’re new to the supplier world, did you know about SupplierWiki’s free courses? It’s a series of articles, videos, and quizzes designed to help cover the jargon and need-to-knows of the supply chain industry."

Let’s Circle Back 🌀

K-pop might not be your jam, but you can’t deny that the movement has shaken the music industry. 🎼

Vendorville—The SupplierWiki team is sending you off with a new bop, Sales and Struggles.

With a little help from AI, here’s a song to put on repeat while prepping for back to school.

Until next time!

❤️ Sincerely, Your Friends in Vendorville

SupplierWiki

Making BTS Smooth Like Butter 🧈