Webinars

Recent disruptions to the supply chain have forced home furnishings retailers to change their inventory management processes. But what changes are likely to stick, and what lessons from the supply chain disruption can inform your decisions and inventory practices in the future?

Our webinar panel will show you some of the ways retailers manage their inventories and why those methods might be more effective than traditional processes. They also discuss what critical strategies retailers should use and provide insight into which tools and technologies will help you adapt and optimize your inventory management.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS WEBINAR

• Retailers learning from their website chat what the needs and demands of our customers have forced them to change their distribution model.
• The structure and organization of your warehouse are more important now than ever. Figure out your priorities and make sure it’s easy to navigate.
• Remove everything from your racks that is not furniture. Split racks and move out your overstock and slow sellers.
• Classify your inventory by group, collection, brand, etc., to allow you to search for a product easily. This will help you forecast and analyze product flow.
• Prioritize pieces by seniority (items sold together and for those customers waiting the longest).
• Implement a “first-in, first-out” system, so furniture sets stocked around the same time frame can fulfill a customer’s order. Items ordered at different times could have color variances that a customer would not be satisfied with.
• You need to know how much handling is involved for each piece of furniture to improve employee performance and efficiencies in the warehouse.
• Barcoding eliminates extra handling and helps monitor the flow of goods and inventory counts in real-time.
• Have a priority space in the warehouse for return orders.
• Excellerate the repair process of damaged items so you can move products you don’t want taking up space any longer than they have to.
• Look for trends in your data as to which products tend to have problems selling.
• Measure your KPIs to know how many items you can receive in a day to determine how many people you need.
• Utilizing experienced contractors as a labor pool in the warehouse eliminates the need to pay benefits.
• Rather than working in shifts, be flexible with the work hours and schedule or offer higher compensation to retain employees.

OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS

Andrés Capó – Distribution Center Director, El Dorado Furniture
Established in South Florida in 1967, El Dorado Furniture has grown to become the largest Hispanic-owned furniture retail enterprise in the United States. With services offered worldwide, the family-owned company is ranked among the top 50 furniture retailers in the country. There are currently 14 El Dorado Furniture showrooms and three outlet centers in Florida.

Bill Lindler, Jr. – President, United Steel Storage, Inc. (USSI)
Bill, Lindler Jr. is the President of United Steel Storage Inc, has an Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and has vast experience in complex systems, sustainability, and proven solutions. USSI can help you with identifying opportunities and improvements in your warehousing helping to reduce warehouse costs and increase operational efficiency.

Sandra Schein – Senior Product Specialist, STORIS
Sandra Schein is STORIS’ Sr. Product Specialist, leading product demonstration strategy for STORIS’ technology solutions. Sandra is passionate about inventory management and sharing how STORIS features can benefit the operations of home furnishings retailers.