This gives you insight into your e-chain

Within the e-chain, the biggest challenge for organizations is to make the right decision based on the correct and, above all, timely information. How do you use data analysis to improve your performance?

E-chain and big data is now seen as an important tool to remain competitive. The big problem for many organizations is to analyze the information and convert it into a competitive advantage or reduce costs. Because the changes in the market are accelerating, historical data analysis is now obsolete. Organizations need better forecasting and scenario techniques to optimize, for example, warehousing, transport, but also choices about the product portfolio.

Need for integration

Omni-channel developments require greater integration across the chain to deliver optimal fulfillment across each channel. Interaction between the channels, cross-channel, is unavoidable. Supply chain towers are indispensable in this. Towers ensure integration of processes and technology with the aim of a streamlined flow from Purchase to customer regardless of the complexity, size or global span of the supply chain. Controlling this therefore has an impact on all players in the chain.

• E-chain and multichannel or cross-channel demand concerns 87 percent of companies
• 65 percent bypasses their own DC and ships directly to the store via third parties (suppliers, suppliers, 3PLs, breakbulk)
• 61 percent have models for direct-to-home delivery (30 percent less than 2 years ago)
• Inbound-to-outbound segmentation and cost-to-serve (CTS) require higher levels of big data, collaboration, and analytics than ever before. In fact, a more rigorous approach is needed to proactively implement inventory optimizations at the item level, which only 23 percent of underperforming countries can do.
• Management of costs and rates per channel, mode, customer and product for proper omni-channel fulfillment is limited. Fragmented collaboration and data sharing limit transparency in developments and rates. Linking these components from inbound to outbound is even severely limited in companies that want to deliver top performance; only about 35% of the top performers can segment their logistics / transportation rates and costs.

Research by Aberdeen shows what is necessary on the one hand and how much companies are struggling with the problem on the other, and clearly show a declining result due to a lack of transparency, cooperation and the correct information.

Type of Analyzes

The proper and timely analysis of data is therefore a precondition for meeting the above challenges. This not only concerns historical developments, but also trends and the development of forecasts and scenarios to provide insight into the consequences of decisions in the event of changes.

• Descriptive. What happened? Providing insight into and analyzing what has happened or is currently taking place. Mostly based on historical figures. Micro data is often aggregated to the macro level and processed in balanced score cards or similar reports.
  • Predictive. What could happen? Predictive analyzes predict future opportunities and trends and find connections in data that are not immediately clear with traditional or descriptive analyzes.
  • prescriptive analysis. What should be done? The use of data to prescribe the best course of action and to increase the chances of achieving the optimal result. This is a forward-looking, future state or alternative (time / cost) path analysis, which provides forward-looking insights about the company. So predicting what is likely to happen and why it is likely to happen. Prescriptive analyzes evaluate and determine a new way of working, determine business objectives and optimize and reduce bottlenecks, in order to ultimately achieve an optimal result in terms of costs and service.

Segment and optimize

There are a number of conditions that you must meet in order to optimally organize your future supply chain and from analysis to operational and financial results.

Determine your current status per business unit, product, channel and even processes. Determine the operational costs, volumes of product flows from supplier to customer here. Use a descriptive analysis approach to determine your current situation. Also describe the conditions for optimization in terms of service, costs,