It used to be that clothes shopping for me was an in-store experience, browsing the aisles and casually perusing around to find the perfect item. These days, life is filled with work, play dates, and kids sporting activities leaving little time for enjoyable store visits. Online shopping from my computer or my phone has become my go-to. Items can be shipped to the house or a local store for pick up and, if returns are needed, I can send them back in the mail or drop them off at the store. These touch points make it easy for me as a shopper, but make the multichannel supply chain of products, deliveries, and returns challenging for the retailer—especially when the touch points are both global and country specific. Consumers, like me, demand the same experience, whether shopping at a store or online, whether product is delivered to the store or home. Retailers and manufacturers are under increased pressure to support that level of consistency to avoid losing a consumer to another provider who can meet their needs. And, consider those demands as retail volumes continue to increase around the world, particularly in regions like China where more and more consumers living in Tier 3 and 4 cities are turning to the internet to make purchases. According to a recent analyst report, The Evolution of Supply Chains in a Direct-to-Consumer World, manufacturers and retailers are increasingly looking to global transportation management systems (TMS) to support a seamless multichannel experience. They are upgrading physical assets and IT assets, using more technology to provide comprehensive status information and better manage transportation and warehousing. Warehouse management system (WMS) and TMS technologies are essential to developing a cohesive approach capable of combining network design, inventory management, delivery priority, and lane choice in a dynamic way […]