How to build a customer-centric supply chain in an ever-changing world
Did you know local sourcing can shorten your supply chain? Find out how else you can build a resilient, agile and flexible supply chain.
In an unstable world, customers are looking for stability in their access to your startup, and small and medium business services. Here’s how having a customer-centric supply chain can help give them what they need most.
Role of the supply chain: from barrier to enabler
64% of retailers were challenged to adapt their supply chain for e-commerce1. This is a testament to the large shifts we’ve seen over the last two years with the ways businesses like yours operate and meet customer demands.
You’ve had to:
- rethink how to segment your products (essential vs nonessential) around customer demands
- form ad-hoc partnerships to distribute your goods
- arrange for contactless deliveries
- develop new technology capabilities to protect both consumers and employees
Among all these changes, the role of the supply chain has risen to become a fundamental enabler in how your business responds to consumers.
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The new business goal: building a customer-centric supply chain
With this new shift in role, your business has to ensure its supply chain is resilient, agile and flexible enough to help you run an efficient business and manage market shifts in supply and demand.
Why? These are now your key factors to success - building your customers’ trust and influencing their buying behavior. Here are two ways you start building a customer-centric supply chain:
1
Shorten your supply chain with local sourcing
Customers want faster deliveries and your supply chain needs to have in-built agility to meet this need. Consider shortening it by sourcing some or all of your products locally or nearby locations. A shorter and local supply chain increases transparency throughout the buying process and makes data sharing with your customers so much easier.
2
Work with logistic providers who have large aviation infrastructures and understand the local market
Since the supply chain is now a primary provider of consumer confidence and satisfaction, working with logistical providers that has a huge airline fleet, and local expertise can support you in navigating through your market local needs easily.
On top of that, if they offer a network that delivers domestic solutions or across the globe drop-off, that’s a double win. As different customers have different preferences (e.g. next-delivery, standard delivery or time-specific delivery), your customer-centric supply chain must include those demands in mind and be ready to accommodate quickly and flexibly.
This way, your business offers delivery windows early in the day for critical time sensitive shipments, for example by 10:30 am or noon to select destinations* worldwide via FedEx International Priority® Express.
Stable supply chains? It’s possible. Be the stability your customers need in an ever-changing world and use it to your competitive advantage.
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