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Articles by Jake Heldenberg
2026: Thoughts on What Lies Ahead
With another holiday shopping season behind us, the retail community has a brief moment to pause and reflect on what lies ahead. In this spirit, now is the time for predictions. Granted, no one has a crystal ball and geopolitical events can upend even the steadiest of markets, however, there is value in taking stock of the trends and developments that promise to shape the coming year.
Reflections on 2025 and Thoughts on the Year to Come
With the passing of one year and the start of another, now is the perfect time to reflect on the issues that shaped materials handling operations in 2025 and assess what may lie ahead. Read also: Where Supply Chain Leaders are turning Volatility into Opportunity For supply chain leaders, including those in the general merchandise, apparel and food and grocery sectors, 2025 was a year marked by contradictions.
The Quest for Robotics That Does it All
Warehousing Robotics What the increasing ability of robots to do more variable tasks in warehouses will look like in the future, at least in the near future, is less dependent on pure innovation than on other parameters. Here's why.
Warehouse Automation: Reflections on the Past Year and Predictions for the Year Ahead
Supply chain leaders at U.S. retail and e-commerce companies operating globally are adept at transformative change. Many navigated the pandemic’s disruptions and adapted to the demands of today’s true omnichannel consumer. They also witnessed a dramatic acceleration in innovation, alongside the rapid adoption of automation and robotics solutions that seemed unimaginable just a few years ago.
Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands
Just 29% of supply chain organizations have the competitive characteristics they’ll need for future readiness, according to a Gartner survey released Tuesday. The survey focused on how organizations are preparing for future challenges and to keep their supply chains competitive.
Optoro: 69% of shoppers admit to “wardrobing” fraud
With returns now a routine part of the shopping journey, technology provider Optoro says a recent survey has identified four trends influencing shopper preferences and retailer priorities. First, 54% of retailers are looking for ways to increase their financial recovery from returns. That’s because the cost to return a purchase averages 27% of the purchase price, which erases as much as 50% of the sales margin.
Strategic planning and smart investments: Unlocking the potential of automation
We are in the golden age of warehouse automation. Supply chain leaders today have a dizzying array of new automated solutions to choose from. These include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), automated case-handling mobile robots, robotic pickers, and advanced software.
Sweating Your Assets in the Quest for Global Success
Many U.S.-based retail and e-commerce brands are questioning whether now is the time to modernize their fulfillment operations with new greenfield facilities, or if it makes more sense to enhance existing warehouses with new technology. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Read also: Ecommerce Logistics: Challenges and Solutions for 2024 For U.S. retailers and e-commerce companies operating globally, efficient warehouse and distribution centers are critical.
2024: A Forecast for the Year to Come
For many materials handling operations 2023 was a year of reflection; 2024 will be a year of action. By Jake Heldenberg, head of solution design, warehousing North America For most warehouses and distribution centers, 2023 marked a return to a “new normal” – normal in the sense that consumers returned to the brick-and-mortar stores post-pandemic while continuing to shop online, and the scarcity and supply chains issues faced in 2022 began to moderate in many markets.
4 Things to Know About Supply Chains In 2024
In 2023, many warehouses built on the hard lessons they learned and in general were more effective not only at embracing new disciplines like predictive maintenance, but also at working smarter. For example, we saw organizations making sure they have necessary components in stock while also trying to lessen the demands placed on their facilities.
Agility, Disruption and Change in Today’s Fulfillment Operations
One of the many concerns on the minds of retailers and e-commerce businesses is how they must stay in front of constantly changing consumer expectations and also what those expectations are. Consumer behavior is increasingly shaping every facet of successful retailers’ supply and demand chains, so it has become clear that fulfillment operations face a brave new world that requires a much more strategic and intense focus on consumer expectations.
5 Significant Trends Shaping Supply Chain Operations in 2022 and Beyond
Even before the emergence of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the supply chain was rapidly changing, shaped in part by the growth of e-commerce. With the pandemic, several important trends emerged that greatly impacted supply chains and the warehouses that play a crucial role within them. What makes these trends particularly notable is that they will continue to impact organizations across industries for the foreseeable future. E-commerce adoption accelerated dramatically.
The Grocery E-Commerce Surge Is Here to Stay
Online shoppers spent a record $204.5 billion this holiday season — an 8.6% increase from 2020, according to Adobe Analytics. Although growth slowed from prior years amid supply chain snarls and the emergence of the COVID-19 omicron variant, overall e-commerce sales continue to experience strong growth. Online penetration remains about 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels. The past two years have been particularly transformative for the grocery industry.
The New Era of Same-Day Delivery - Are You Ready?
The pandemic accelerated the adoption of e-commerce. Faced with the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), consumers embraced online shopping and its flexibility, even during the historic transition to remote working and learning for millions of families. The impact on materials handling in the retail industry and the larger supply chain was swift and unprecedented, with data from the logistics industry in particular revealing the dramatic growth of e-commerce.
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