Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Report lists three ways to get more value from your WMS

Know your supply chain complexity, name an in-house expert, and plan to integrate the WMS with other software, IDC says.

Retailers that are in the market to buy warehouse management system (WMS) software to help with their omnichannel fulfillment challenges need to look beyond the initial purchase to get the best return from the technology, a report released Tuesday says.

WMS vendors make an array of software products that can help retailers stay competitive in an omnichannel world by finding innovative ways to store and distribute goods and meet demanding consumer expectations, according to the report from the Framingham, Mass., analyst firm IDC Retail Insights. The report evaluated the capabilities of WMS products from nine providers:


  • HighJump Software Inc.
  • Infor
  • JDA Software Group Inc.
  • LogFire Inc.
  • Manhattan Associates Inc.
  • NCR Corp.
  • Netsuite Inc.
  • Oracle Corp.
  • SAP SE

Regardless which vendor they choose, users can take three steps to get the most out of the software and produce a quicker return on investment (ROI) from the purchase, according to study author Victoria Brown, senior research analyst for IDC Retail Insights. The key recommendations include:

  • Know your supply chain complexity before picking a WMS product. Some tools have best practices already included in the system. But if you're looking for additional consulting advice, know that certain vendors will work with you hand in hand to build in your own practices, while others will simply provide you with a tool to move your goods.
  • Identify internal experts on the system. Try to find someone who has past experience with that specific vendor or solution. This step can greatly reduce the cost of relying on vendor tech support.
  • Recognize the value in a portfolio beyond the WMS alone. While you may set out to buy "just" a WMS, any warehouse can get better efficiency and ROI from its application by matching it with complimentary software systems, such as labor management, slotting, allocation, dock-door management, and yard management.

Titled "IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Retail Warehouse Management Systems 2017 Vendor Assessment," the full report analyzes vendors' current strengths and skills, based on surveys and interviews with market leaders, participants, and end users.

The Latest

More Stories

photo of containers at port of montreal

Port of Montreal says activities are back to normal following 2024 strike

Container traffic is finally back to typical levels at the port of Montreal, two months after dockworkers returned to work following a strike, port officials said Thursday.

Canada’s federal government had mandated binding arbitration between workers and employers through the country’s Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in November, following labor strikes on both coasts that shut down major facilities like the ports of Vancouver and Montreal.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

autonomous tugger vehicle
Lift Trucks, Personnel & Burden Carriers

Cyngn delivers autonomous tuggers to wheel maker COATS

photo of a cargo ship cruising

Project44 tallies supply chain impacts of a turbulent 2024

Following a year in which global logistics networks were buffeted by labor strikes, natural disasters, regional political violence, and economic turbulence, the supply chain visibility provider Project44 has compiled the impact of each of those events in a new study.

The “2024 Year in Review” report lists the various transportation delays, freight volume restrictions, and infrastructure repair costs of a long string of events. Those disruptions include labor strikes at Canadian ports and postal sites, the U.S. East and Gulf coast port strike; hurricanes Helene, Francine, and Milton; the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor; the CrowdStrike cyber attack; and Red Sea missile attacks on passing cargo ships.

Keep ReadingShow less
diagram of transportation modes

Shippeo gains $30 million backing for its transportation visibility platform

The French transportation visibility provider Shippeo today said it has raised $30 million in financial backing, saying the money will support its accelerated expansion across North America and APAC, while driving enhancements to its “Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platform” product.

The funding round was led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, with participation from existing investors: Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good and Yamaha Motor Ventures. With this round, Shippeo’s total funding exceeds $140 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cover image for the white paper, "The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: expectations for 2025."

CSCMP releases new white paper looking at potential supply chain impact of incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.

With a new white paper—"The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: Expectations for 2025”—the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) seeks to provide some guidance on what companies can expect for the first year of the second Trump Administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
grocery supply chain workers

ReposiTrak and Upshop link platforms to enable food traceability

ReposiTrak, a global food traceability network operator, will partner with Upshop, a provider of store operations technology for food retailers, to create an end-to-end grocery traceability solution that reaches from the supply chain to the retail store, the firms said today.

The partnership creates a data connection between suppliers and the retail store. It works by integrating Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak’s network of thousands of suppliers and their traceability shipment data with Austin, Texas-based Upshop’s network of more than 450 retailers and their retail stores.

Keep ReadingShow less