What Does Walmart Wish Suppliers Knew?

Carol Spieckerman weighed in on the disconnect between suppliers and retailers on Retail Wire and the article was also picked up by Forbes. What do Walmart and other major retailers wish suppliers knew?

Carol's thoughts...

The gap between suppliers and retailers is turning into a gulf as retailers evolve into multi-media, technology-driven platforms; something I am taking on in the Retail Reinvention supplier boot camps I'm launching next week.  

Many traditional suppliers are still stuck in the merchant-centric past and aren't taking full advantage of the beyond-the-shelf reach that retailers now offer. Retailers tell me that they are quite frustrated by this, but it boils down to developing multi-touch-point, multi-stakeholder strategies vs. obsessing on short-term shelf placement (reps selling stuff to buyers).

There are also many new "suppliers" joining the retail scene, including technology start-ups, solution providers, service companies, and even attached industries (energy, finance, etc.). Training and positioning plans must take this into consideration. The retail ecosystem is exploding and we're at a turning point where the new guys actually have an advantage. They aren't bogged down by the way things used to work or attempting to cut and paste onto old models.

Read the article and full discussion online at Retail Wire. 

Article by Rick Moss for Retail Wire, 08/14/13. 

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