A Revisited Retail Supply Chain Management (SCM) Practices: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

This paper aims at providing a comprehensive review of Retail Supply Chain Management practices. Retailing is the last step of a supply chain. As retailers maintain regular contact with the customers, they have become an important part of supply chain and it has forced the retailers to develop their own supply chain. The retail supply chain is somewhat different in a sense that retailers deal with variety of products. They procure goods from many suppliers then store them in their warehouses or distribution centers, ship to the outlets and finally consumers buy the products from these stores. Consequently retailers are increasing their focus on their supply chain as a strategic factor. This focus has primarily emphasized cost reduction and risk minimization for business growth and better customer satisfaction. Proactive retailers are trying to manage their supply chain in a responsible way by adjusting business policies based on changing customer preferences. For satisfying today’s more demanding customers, retailers are adopting all modern technologies related to strategy development, collaboration, operational innovation and efficiency that are necessary for the retailers to manage their supply chain properly.