Preparing for the initial holiday season following the pandemic: Will retail industry cope?

In the approach to the busy holiday season, retailers are gearing up for increased demand, consumer expectations, and supply chain challenges. Orckestra, a leading provider of omnichannel solutions, offers a range of tools designed to help retailers navigate these complexities and stay competitive.

With consumers planning to spend more on holiday gifts this year compared to last, retailers are under pressure to provide flawless service. Consumers expect their products to be fulfilled how, when, and where they choose. To meet these demands, retailers require real-time visibility into their inventory. Orckestra's Omnichannel Order Management system provides this visibility, allowing retailers to manage their inventory across multiple channels seamlessly.

Retailers also need to diversify their supplier base to navigate supply chain uncertainty during the holiday season. Having several vetted backup suppliers ready to go can help retailers keep up with demand throughout the peak season and create a more competitive supplier landscape. Orckestra's distributed order management (DOM) systems enable teams to get inventory to market faster and with less risk.

The global pandemic has aggravated supply chain weaknesses, making customer experiences more important and the challenges retailers face during the holiday peak season more pronounced. Orckestra's solutions are designed to serve the complex needs of enterprise-level retailers and global brands as they unify omnichannel operations and shopping experiences online and in-store.

The right omnichannel commerce platform enables personalization by centralizing all customer data in a single view that crosses all channels. Retailers need to balance various fulfillment scenarios such as pickup in-store, curbside pickup, store transfers, home delivery, and the return of in-person shopping. Orckestra's solutions can expand the role physical stores play by optimizing in-store inventory usage and unifying inventory at a global level.

Economic conditions such as gas and mortgage prices and inflation will also be factors for most shoppers this holiday season. Consumers are expected to shop strategically, making it important for retailers to be ready. Orckestra's cloud service offering allows retailers to scale their systems cost-efficiently when traffic exceeds their worst-case scenarios.

As the holiday season is a significant opportunity for retailers to improve their bottom line but also a high-stress period for systems and staff, it's crucial for retailers to be prepared for unexpected elements. Retailers should not just repeat the same strategies that worked during the pandemic but adapt to the new circumstances.

For more information about Orckestra's solutions for the holiday season, visit https://www.orckestra.com/en. It's essential for retailers to take advantage of the tools available to them to ensure a successful holiday season.

Preparing for the initial holiday season following the pandemic: Will retail industry cope?