Warehouse management trends to look forward to this year include higher adoption of AI and machine learning solutions and warehouse management systems that can increase productivity, standardize workflows and integrate with automation, writes Jerry Beaston, senior product manager for Infor. Companies are also expected to build more warehouses in strategic locations to meet ecommerce demand and invest more in immersive technologies and cloud computing, Beaston writes.

Beacon Roofing Supply said it is halfway to its goal of generating 50% of all its sales from roofing ecommerce, with third-quarter residential digital sales comprising about 22% of sales as overall sales increased approximately 7% from a year earlier. "By expanding and promoting our digital solutions, we intend to meet our customers' changing needs and improve our returns through ecommerce," the company said.

Infrastructure supplies distributor Core & Main is acquiring Virginia-based Eastern Supply, a distributor of storm drainage products, custom fabrication, steel, corrugated metal and plastic and concrete pipe. Headquartered in Winchester, Va., Eastern Supply includes a second location in Greencastle, Pa. "The extensive product knowledge and fabrication capabilities in water, wastewater and stormwater management that the Eastern Supply team brings to Core & Main will be a great contribution to our national waterworks expertise," said Core & Main CEO Steve LeClair.

Continued consolidation of customers into larger accounts of unusual size requires more services and favorable terms, and can eat into distributors' operating profits, writes Scott Benfield, a consultant to distributors and manufacturers. Distributors must adapt by developing private label brands, leveraging vendor support, optimizing transaction profitability and introducing fee-based services while demonstrating and delivering value to sustain profitable relationships.

Houthi militants in Yemen struck a US vessel and have threatened to expand attacks in the Red Sea as shipping disruptions continue to impact companies and raise war risk insurance premiums. Disruptions to shipping in the Red Sea have added as many as 10 days to voyages, and the continued attacks are expected to increase the prices of consumer goods, according to Yuvraj Narayan, CFO of global logistics firm DP World.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are regaining some of the trade they lost to the East Coast and Gulf Coast ports when supply chains were upended by the pandemic and other factors. Containerized imports grew between 17% and 31% at the Southern California ports on a year-over-year basis in September, October and November. Meanwhile, imports declined at East Coast ports.

AI is delivering significant or moderate savings for 72% of marketers polled by MessageGears and Ascend2 and 61% say the technology will be an extremely or very crucial part of future strategies. Slightly more than half (53%) of respondents say AI is most helpful in determining which customers are most apt to make a purchase, the channel most likely to convert (50%) and prospects' likelihood to engage with the brand (47%).

Microsoft's Retail Media Creative Studio uses generative artificial intelligence to produce banner ads from text inputs and product URLS, test them to collect performance data and optimize them in real time. NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show will feature a demonstration, and marketers should be able to try out the tool early this year.

Even though many AI tools being built now might not have a long shelf life, that's OK because "critical processes" are being developed, says Vladimir Lukic of Boston Consulting Group. Lukic's opinion and six others were gathered for this article about the effects AI might have in the coming year.

Control and make the meetings you call more effective by making them shorter and more engaging and setting clear expectations for the meeting's agenda to increase effectiveness, writes organizational psychologist and author Steven Rogelberg. "You can be the example that you hope others will follow in promoting meeting effectiveness," Rogelberg notes.

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