Wholesale inventories dropped 0.1% in April, revised downward from the 0.2% initially reported, according to the Commerce Department. Sales increased 0.2% in April while inventory-to-sales ratio decreased slightly to 1.4 months, from 1.41 months in March, still well above the 1.27 months recorded a year ago.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Global Supply Chain Pressure Index dropped to -1.71 in May from -1.35 in April, a record low since 1997 that points to an easing of the pressures contributing to inflation. "There were significant downward contributions from Great Britain backlogs and Taiwan delivery times. Euro Area delivery times and backlogs exhibited the largest sources of upward pressure in May," according to the New York Fed.

More than 7 in 10 supply chain professionals are experiencing challenges that they primarily attribute to rising fuel costs, followed by delays they're unable to control, driver shortages and business loss due to the economy, according to research conducted by DispatchTrack. However, 61% remain optimistic, and most plan to boost technology adoption, hire more drivers and expand delivery capacity.

Sound data management strategies start with framing a problem and deciding what information to study -- or possibly ignore, writes Kevin O'Marah, who once worked for Amazon. "It is a paradox, but maybe also an unlock, that in this time of exploding data, perhaps less is more," O'Marah notes.

Businesses are increasingly concerned about a recession but they're not laying off workers at an accelerated pace, according to a pair of surveys from The Conference Board and Business Roundtable. Hiring has slowed, but companies are "hoarding employees" and looking past headcount reductions while cutting costs as they seek to retain the skilled labor that was so difficult to find in recent years.

Identifying and acquiring new customers and incorporating artificial intelligence into marketing are the two top challenges for business-to-business marketers, according to LinkedIn's inaugural B2B Marketing Benchmark Report. Other insights include an increased B2B budgets, where spending will be focus on lead generation and building brand awareness.

Salespeople can build trust with buyers by developing --capability, dependability, integrity and intimacy, and Rain Group President Mike Schultz explains how. Once you have that trust, Schultz writes, you'll have direct and indirect access to power, your advice will be valued and difficult conversations are more likely to yield success.

A recently released Biden Administration scorecard highlights the reduction in port bottlenecks, shipping costs and half-empty store shelves as key indicators that supply chains are improving. The report partially attributes success to recommendations from its 2021 supply chain report that have been implemented, such as speeding up computer chip manufacturing, and notes an ongoing easing of supply chain pressures may be helpful in cooling inflation.

Employee-recognition programs, which can help retain workers, can take many different approaches from a day off to a cash bonus, writes Murali Nethi, founder and CEO of SnapBlooms, a flower-delivery service. A reward program should be tied to stated objectives, promote the company's mission, ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate and provide choices for workers on how they wish to be recognized or rewarded, Nethi writes.