Retailers Are Running Lean This Holiday - Here's How to Not Run Out

In this episode of the Omni Talk Expert Series, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by Brandon Pierre, VP of Customer Success, and Tony DiPaolo, VP Head of Retail, Sales and Customer Success at SPS Commerce, for an urgent conversation about surviving… and thriving… during the 2024 holiday season.

With order counts steady but PO values down 25%, retailers are fundamentally changing their approach to holiday inventory. Brandon and Tony share exclusive data from SPS Commerce’s retail network showing that total order counts are up 15% between January and August, but retailers are intentionally keeping inventory lean and betting on in-season execution rather than building safety stock.

Key Moments:

[1:01] – Current state of holiday retail: Order counts steady, but PO values are leaner
[4:15] – What SPS Commerce does and how they track 500 million annual order flows
[5:53] – Brandon’s 10 years of holiday data insights at SPS Commerce
[7:00] – Why retailers are frontloading inventory but keeping dollar spend down 25%
[8:36] – The hidden costs of in-season reaction and supplier strain
[9:02] – Why one in five orders now has some sort of change or discrepancy
[10:30] – What happens if demand spikes vs. if demand stays soft
[13:00] – The biggest execution risks this holiday season
[15:50] – How niche suppliers and viral TikTok products complicate the picture
[18:03] – Five tactics to deploy before Black Friday to save sales
[19:31] – Supplier scorecarding: Your radar for demand spikes
[20:48] – Why automation of exception handling is critical this season
[23:33] – Understanding OTIF (On-Time-In-Full) and why it matters more than ever
[25:09] – How to connect with Brandon and Tony for personalized insights

This conversation is essential listening for retail leaders, merchandising teams, supply chain professionals, and suppliers looking to navigate one of the most execution-dependent holiday seasons in recent memory.

Be careful out there,

– Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team

P.S. To see our full lineup of past Ask An Expert conversations, head here.

#retailtech #ecommerce #AI #composablecommerce

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