The GEODIS guide to getting to 98% OTIF

Last week Walmart announced their new On Time In Full (OTIF) compliance guidelines for shippers. One significant change is the metric of 98% OTIF. This metric evaluates On-Time performance for prepaid shippers delivering to Walmart regional distribution centers. The compliance guideline for On-Time is arriving on the must arrive by date or one day prior. As a shipper, if you cannot meet these requirements, you will be fined 3% of your cost of goods.

Our retail consolidation service team at GEODIS has been focused on best practices to meet the new On-Time compliance standards. We wanted to share some of the critical components that have set our program above other consolidators.

Retail Consolidation Service Expertise

• GEODIS has a dedicated team of logistics experts who work effectively with shippers, carriers, and Walmart.

Core Carrier Program

• The core carrier program allows us to work with a specific number of truckload carriers who have experience in both the GEODIS retail consolidation service and Walmart expectations.
• Communication with carriers is essential to meet KPI's. Communication helps monitor performance and helps carriers stay up to date with how compliance is measured. We review the carrier’s weekly performance.
• We developed a routine around the weekly pickup and delivery schedules with core carriers.

Carrier Performance Management

• GEODIS retail consolidation service team executes pro-active tracking of carriers and works with Walmart if there is a needed adjustment to an appointment to meet the On-Time requirement.
• GEODIS is focusing on deliveries for the first day of the window. This allows options if a recovery is needed to deliver the next day

GEODIS Shipper of Choice for Carriers

• Carriers have room to pre-position trailers at the RCS, which facilitates pre-loading and provides the carrier with pickup time flexibility.
• Shipments are ready for pickup at the appointment time, and a quick loading process is available.
• GEODIS schedules a delivery appointment with Walmart; this saves carriers from making appointments in the Walmart system.

Partnered with our team’s proactive approach, these best practices have helped us and our customers adjust to the new 98% OTIF requirement. The GEODIS retail consolidation service has adapted to the latest compliance guidelines to help our customers meet their consumer's expectations.   Please visit our RCS landing page to learn more.

Walmart+ and increases in OTIF

Walmart recently announced Walmart+, a new subscription-based
program that offers unlimited free delivery. The program competes directly with Amazon Prime, giving members access to in-store prices and same-day delivery on more than 160,000 items. Review the infographic below and let us know if you'd like to continue the discussion!

By most counts there are hundreds of customs brokers in the US - but only one who was selected by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to test new messaging and that would be GEODIS. For several months now, the GEODIS Customs Brokerage Product team and Customs Brokerage Operations have been testing enhanced messaging and visibility to CPSC cargo actions. CPSC reached out to GEODIS and asked if we would work with them and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as they test enhanced messaging. We are excited to see the benefits this partnership could bring to the industry.

You’ve just launched a new product, you’re having your seasonal promotion, or for an unseen reason, you see an influx in demand. Whatever the reason, you need capacity - and you need it fast. 

In today’s world, consumers expect a wide variety of selection when they walk into a big-box retail store. They want to see their favorite brands and they expect them to be in stock any time they walk through the doors. As a result, brands have had to adapt their supply chains to meet these increasing demands. 

With e-commerce sales expected to top $4 trillion by 2021 brands and 3PLs (third-party logistics providers) have steep customer expectations to meet.

Retailers live in a world of high demands and customer expectations. In order for brands to stay relevant in the market place, they need to constantly evolve and adapt to the challenges they face. The e-commerce boom and rise of the “digital generation present its own set of unique challenges. Here are the top challenges retailers face.   

Running a business can feel like far more than a full-time job. Not only do you have to provide your customers with appealing and useful products, but you also must purchase, market, and deliver them, all while providing excellent customer service, performing daily operations, and working to grow your business.

The 2018 holiday season was one for the record books. According to Mastercard Spending Pulse, brick-and-mortar spending increased 5% over 2017 reaching $850 billion in sales. Online shopping grew 19.1 percent over 2017 with Adobe Analytics reporting that US shoppers spent a whopping $110.5 billion between November 1 and December 19.

The 2018 holiday ecommerce peak is expected to be a big one. Holiday ecommerce sales this year (in November and December) are expected to rise 14.8% over last year to reach $124.1 billion, according to a forecast from Adobe. Nearly one dollar of every six spent on retail purchases will take place online this year.