Blue Ridge Examines Challenges Facing the Wholesale Distribution Industry in 2020 Research Report

--Results of industry study to be revealed on 2/5 in the 2020 State of Wholesale Distribution Supply Chain Webinar--

ATLANTA, GA- Jan. 28, 2020- For the third year in a row, Blue Ridge conducted a survey of National Association of Wholesalers and SmartBrief readers to better understand their supply chain plans for continued business expansion and digitization. The results revealed that these organizations are struggling with managing disruptions from economic trends, cost pressure, new competition, and not having the right systems and processes in place to manage uncertainty. The industry also struggles with pricing in an environment where costs are increasing, tariffs are unpredictable, and companies have scant ability to pass those increases on to end consumers.

This and other wholesale distribution insights will be part of a live webinar to be held on Feb. 5 at 2 PM ET. Register here. The webinar will reveal the results of the report and feature a discussion of the true state of supply chain planning and forecast management for wholesalers and distributors, led by Blue Ridge CEO Jim Byrnes and EVP, Product Strategy Cliff Isaacson.

All attendees will receive a complimentary hard copy of the 2020 State of Wholesale Distribution Supply Chain Report. To register for the webinar, click here.

“The wholesale supply chain industry continues to look for ways to solve challenges around predicting shifting consumer preferences, volatility with suppliers and long lead times, and
e-commerce growth that’s increasing price transparency,” said Byrnes. “Despite these obstacles, the industry collectively posted year-over-year sales growth of 8% in 2019, confirming that there is potential to achieve growth through better forecast management.”

Blue Ridge launched the wholesale survey in Feb. 2018, asking wholesalers and distributors about the key initiatives that have been put in place to support forecast management and supply chain planning operations.

About Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge Supply Chain Planning and Price Optimization solutions empower distributors and retailers to tap into undiscovered margin through enterprise-wide inventory intelligence, automation and synchronization. Blue Ridge uniquely combines demand forecasting with pricing analytics, so that businesses can proactively understand the unpredictable and allocate the right inventory – right-priced across the entire mix – to accelerate top- and bottom-line results. In a world where the only constant is change, Blue Ridge provides more certainty, more speed, and more assurance – so companies can see the why behind the buy and respond faster to the unexpected. That’s why major retailers and distributors rely on Blue Ridge for a more foreseeable future. For more information, go to www.blueridgeglobal.de.