Industry Focus: Technology—As 2021 draws to a close, what types of technology should apparel businesses consider investing in to successfully navigate 2022?
Summary
To support this optimism that has been cultivated through overcoming challenges and applying hard work, businesses will need to continue to invest in technologies that allow them to remain agile, ready to shift direction with solutions when an obstacle lands in their path. Whether solving issues within the supply chain, advancing retail strategy or approaching production from a different perspective, fashion businesses must invest in technologies to support their work when a problem strikes in order to avoid disastrous outcomes. Moving into 2022, we have all learned a lot from the past 21 months, and the most successful retailers have come out on top and will continue to thrive because they understand how important an innovative and comprehensive software solution is to manage both their bricks-and-mortar and online businesses. Starting with the more effective capture of consumer demand and sentiment, they can invest in highly automated workflow software that eliminates friction from point of sale to the production floor to shipping finished goods. Warehouses are being asked to balance the traditional function of pallets and cases moving from manufacturer to store but then also to layer on top of that all the wrinkles involved in fulfilling online orders, processing direct-to-consumer channels and managing distributed dispensing nodes.