SUPPLY CHAIN OVERVIEW FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The Holiday Season is peak season for many various industries, the retail and logistics industries in particular. December alone is one of the busiest months of the year, largely due to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Today, on Cyber Monday, shoppers are expected to spend more than ever; Adobe Insights predicts $6.6 billion. If you’re one of the million Americans who is planning on making an online purchase, there’s a chance you haven’t thought of what goes on once you click the “Purchase” button. So to help, here’s our Supply Chain 101:

1. Online Order

You spend time looking online and then place an online order.

2. Warehousing

The item you purchased is either already at a warehouse awaiting shipment or it’s moved to a warehouse. If the latter, it’s taken from its original location and placed on a plane, train or truck and moved to a warehouse. Your package is handled, shelved and sorted onto a warehouse shelf, where it waits until it’s picked up for transport.

3. Packaging & Transportation

After being sorted, etc. your package is placed onto a truck and taken out for delivery. According to CNBC, this holiday season, UPS expects to make about 750 million deliveries. The U.S. Postal Service is predicting it will deliver about 850 million packages, while FedEx expects as many as 400 million packages before the New Year.

4. Home Delivery

Your package finally arrives at your door.

Keep in mind; this is a very broad overview of the supply chain process. The next time you click “Purchase” and order online think about this process and the many other steps that go into supply chain management and ensuring you get your package before the holidays are celebrated.

All the Best,

Jeff Beckham