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A Leading Apparel Manufacturing organization wanted to expand its operational capacity to tap into foreign markets. However, with outdated legacy infrastructure the client was grappling with challenges such as staffing difficulties and dealing with data in silos. HauteLogic was able to seamlessly integrate their EDI network and remodeled all its B2B, B2C and provided end-to-end supply chain visibility.
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Download the case study to learn more.   

A sports footwear and apparel manufacturer seamlessly optimized its supply chain operations with Hautelogic's EDI capabilities. Download the case study.

A Sports Manufacturer Remodels its Supply Chain — Hautelogic

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An international retailer achieved rapid eCommerce and supply chain transformation by leveraging HauteLogic’s Connected Commerce and supply chain transformation capabilities. The retailer wanted to expand and scale its school uniform division globally and required a solution that can offer supply chain resilience as well as provide great user experience.
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Download our case study to learn more.

Download our case study to discover how an international retailer achieved rapid eCommerce and supply chain transformation with HauteLogic

International Retailer achieves eCommerce transformation

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With the demand for sustainable **fashion supply chains**, transparency & visibility across the whole supply chain has become incredibly valuable. Everyone, from vendors, factories, to auditors, and end consumers, is beginning to look beyond the outfits on a mannequin. The focus on transparency is becoming the cornerstone of the real commitment towards strategic collaborations. Although establishing visibility across the supply chain in the fashion industry will not be without difficulty, it has become essential to form strategic partnerships with the vendors already investing in digitized solutions.




### What prompts the Fashion Industry’s shifting dynamics?

Given the post-pandemic disruptions, retail, apparel, and fashion businesses faced many operational challenges and a significant shift in consumer demands. 
According to a study, “The State of Fashion”, conducted by the [Business of Fashion (BoF) and McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion) in December 2021, supply chain, inventory management, and logistics were the most pressing challenges, as stated by **30%** of the participants, with **14%** mentioning sustainability and **10%** referring to COVID-19 recovery as their major concern. 
This analysis of the industry’s vulnerabilities and **fashion supply chains** clears the notion that digitization is the key to business success.




### Digitization: Smartening up the Fashion Supply Chain

**Sustainable fashion supply chains** are a source of concern for businesses and consumers. Many fashion companies are revamping their supply chain management, making difficult ROI decisions, and experimenting with omnichannel offerings. This is where digital technology comes into play.

Not only is digitization becoming an important component of distribution channels, but it also has the potential to help firms adapt cost structures while making the **fashion industry's value chains** more transparent, speedier, and traceable.  

**By 2025, 68% of respondents plan to grow their suppliers using digitized solutions.**

Source: [McKinsey Apparel CPO Survey 2021 ](https://mck.co/3B1JDMp) 




### The digital bridge to transparency: Empowering the entire clothing industry value chain

At a time when customers' interest in transparency (from production to retail floor) is at an all-time high, digital solutions help boost process transparency at every step of the
**fast-fashion supply chain**. Designers leverage the advanced AI /ML technologies to remotely strategize and share ideas, making cooperation easier and more efficient. 

Suppliers and manufacturers benefit from real-time data integration to make flexible and intelligent inventory decisions. It helps them decrease bottlenecks, minimize waste, and free up time for other critical sourcing tasks. Furthermore, retailers can utilize the latest data and experience fewer returns, which in turn helps them provide customers with faster and more precise delivery.  

**By 2025, 55% of respondents will invest in supply chain transparency and traceability solutions as key investment areas for digitizing their sourcing process and order management.**


By identifying process inefficiencies, fashion companies can proactively improve supply chain processes and boost productivity. Transparency in fashion supply chain management also helps businesses win the trust of the customers who are keen to know how their clothes are being made and if sustainable measures are taken while making them. Joseph Phi, Group Chief Executive of Li & Fung, in a report by BoF and McKinsey, adds more to this, stating, 

**“It’s going to be game-changing because inventory [waste] is the biggest cost to the brand owners and retailers as well as [one of the] biggest negative impacts on the environment.”**




### Fashion Revolution: What Needs to be Done?

Businesses must search for solutions that employ intelligent EDI processing and revolutionary field-mapping technology to solve the rising difficulties, enabling smooth communication across all key channels. This will necessitate a comprehensive overhaul of their technological and operational infrastructure and exploring a vertical solution, meticulously designed for fashion supply chain management. To meet all these disruptive sourcing requirements, HauteLogic developed an end-to-end cloud solution that will help fashion companies reconstruct the new paradigm of fashion supply chains by leveraging the following four essential dimensions:




### Connected Commerce for Integrated Communication:

HauteLogic empowers your fashion brand with complete transparency over your supply chain through: 

- Digital selling integration for DTC and B2B — using Dynamic Commerce or third-party solutions.
- API support for online commerce channels — including Shopify, UPS, Amazon, Magento Jet, DHL, BigCommerce, etc. 
- AS2 solution — to facilitate speedier, efficient, and secure commerce communication.
- Integrated workflows across all corporate communication channels. 




### Resilient Supply Chain for Intelligent Inventory Management:

Our resilient digital sourcing solution acts as a fundamental enabler of transparency, control, and integrity across your **fashion supply chain** by leveraging the following features:

- Robust business rule manager — for smooth partner onboarding process.
- User-friendly and compatible with a number of standards — such as EDI, XML, API
- Withstands extreme seasonable spikes via scalable and server-class architecture — on the Azure platform
- Prompt notifications in crucial cases for a quick solution without requiring hardcoding
- Small package shipping and tracking assistance
- Deliver beyond contemporary point-to-point EDI communications with process-centric configurations.




### Finance and Operations Optimization for Process and Quality integration:

We enable seamless digital growth for fashion companies and allow them to unify operations, channels, customers, and partner ecosystems by leveraging the following features:

- Built-in Dynamic 365 and D365 F60 integration
- EDI-ready Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Pre-engineered EDI transactions and partner mapping allow faster onboarding 
- Interactive vendor management
- Rule-based order assignment and categorization
- Inventory visibility across all channels




### Operations Analytics and Customer Insights for Fashion Supply Chain Optimization and Consumer Engagement:

Our omnichannel solution optimizes your **fashion supply chain management** with real-time data analytics via the following capabilities:

- AI-enabled integration for in-depth consumer insights and customer engagement
- Azure’s serverless extensible event processing engine provides sophisticated analytics reporting functionalities.
- Native reporting capabilities allow browser-based access 




### Strengthen your Fashion Supply Chain with HauteLogic:

Investment in resilient supply chain solutions, consumer insights, and a sustainable environment is incomplete without investments in strategic cross-tier relationships. HauteLogic understands this challenging notion. With our end-to-end cloud and ML technology, we commit to ensuring greater transparency throughout the **supply chain management clothing industry** and help build trust across all channels. **Get in touch** with one of our experts to learn how to achieve digitization and transparency across your supply chain.



With the demand for sustainable fashion supply chains, transparency & visibility across the whole supply chain has become incredibly valuable. 

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The Changing Face of Fashion Supply Chain Management

HauteLogic enables digital transformation for leading fashion brands

Get Started with HauteLogic

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 Transparency and Traceability: 

 The Changing Face of Fashion Supply Chain Management

Embrace the digital bridge to transparency. Read the blog to explore how Hautelogic's 4 dimensions of innovation can help your fashion business to scale. 

Supply chains over the past few years have changed tremendously. From complications such as demand volatility to the ripple effects of global bottlenecks, there’s an urgent need to optimize supply chain networks.  

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Consider supply chain network optimization as a thorough evaluation of the technology, application, and other resources you utilize daily to execute all operations involved in running your fashion business. Experts in supply chain management and logistics both highly advocate leveraging newer technologies that can streamline your processes in an efficient manner. 

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After all, your supply chain is a constantly expanding mechanism that is driven by a variety of factors. Furthermore, your business's supply chain doesn't consist of unitary processes, rather supply chain network optimization must cover all facets of your business that concern the supply chain. According to research, the global apparel industry was worth $1.5 trillion in 2020, however, the number is expected to grow by 50% mounting towards a total of $2.25 trillion by 2025. Consumer demands are exceedingly tilting towards fashion and apparel items as the surge of globalization continues.  

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### **Fashion Sourcing – The Duo of Speed and Agility**

According to [Mckinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/revamping-fashion-sourcing-speed-and-flexibility-to-the-fore), for the first time in the last decade the costs associated with fashion sourcing have been the highest and there are no signs of a reduction in these costs. For sourcing professionals, this is a cause of worry especially because of the fact that fashion supply chains are getting complicated by the day. Consumer behavior along with strenuous time cycles is making it harder to sustain let alone increase productivity. Raw material pricing is touching sky-high and there’s no other way around it. Apparel companies have now been forced to undertake a newer and innovative approach that relies on enhanced agility and pivots towards demand-driven supply chains. 
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### **The Challenge of Disruptive Fashion Supply Chains:**

Before we can get into how we can optimize our supply chains, it is essential we understand the current challenges the fashion supply chains face. Fashion and apparel businesses that don’t prioritize efficient supply chain processes and broader value chains often leave themselves susceptible to high risks. One of the biggest challenges the industry faces is demand and production volatility. Soaring political instability as well as the impact of the pandemic has left us with supply chains that are fragile and there’s an urgent need to be prepared to counter volatility. Here are five steps that can help you to better optimize your supply chain network: 
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### **The Five Stages of Supply Chain Network Optimization:**

Supply chain professionals are facing dire consequences and are eager to avoid mishaps by optimizing their operational infrastructure by leveraging enhanced supply chain networks. Changing consumer trends lead to demand volatility and to counter this, a business must adapt a model where the emphasis is towards leveraging an end-to-end supply chain visibility solution. For a product to deliver enhanced visibility, it is essential that transparency, from manufacturing to end-consumer, must be maintained through a digital supply chain. 
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As businesses race towards adopting digital transformation initiatives, their ultimate goal should be to navigate the following 5 stages to optimize their supply chain network: 
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#### **Stage 1: Sustained end-to-end connectivity**

Establishing end-to-end connectivity must be a priority for apparel and fashion businesses as the digital supply chain interweaves multiple partners and consists of vast information. An end-to-end supply chain visibility solution ensures that your fashion supply chain is able to facilitate collaboration with multiple channel partners and ensures that you’re able to forge stronger relationships. A seamlessly connected supply chain ensures that activity is increased exponentially which ultimately leads towards concentration of information. 
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While fashion outlets or retailers are very much relevant, fashion companies are now required to connect across manifold channels that include e-marketplaces and even their own eCommerce space.  
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#### **Stage 2: Forecast with precision**

In the past, supply chain models have always relied on historical data. However, with changing times there’s a dire need to accurately predict demand volatility. Forecasting accurately is essential for businesses as it allows them to negate disruptions and plan according to demand forecasts. Thanks to heaps of data out there, integration with big data system enables you to see the bigger picture. Fashion and apparel manufacturers urgently need to utilize solutions that leverage advanced AI/ML techniques that can enable them to accurately predict the future. 
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#### **Stage 3: Implement a planned execution strategy**

Leveraging demand forecasting, fashion and apparel businesses must respond aptly to the story the data tells. Demand forecasting will allow us to look deep into the horizon and enable us to address challenges including production and inventory capacity throughout the digital supply chain. All partner networks that include factories, logistics, and warehouses must be coordinated in accordance with the current needs. Strategizing hence is essential, and once the execution occurs it’s time to seize control.  
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#### **Stage 4: Managing demand:**

Supply chains are continuously in motion; hence it is essential that a fashion and apparel supplier must aptly manage facets including demand, production and optimize the inventory accordingly. This allows the fashion supplier to remain in control and manage costs, product placement and pricing. This practice will also allow you to keep tabs on creating healthy margins in the future.  
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#### **Stage 5: Creating an Ecosystem:**

Sustained optimization of your supply chain network can only be accomplished if an ecosystem is created around it. For you to execute this, you must utilize a solution that focuses on partnering with a set of key suppliers to achieve flexibility and transparency. Creating a digital supply chain ecosystem will allow fashion and apparel suppliers to improve speed, flexibility and agility.  
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### **HauteLogic – A Visionet Solution**

HauteLogic is Visionet’s solution specially designed for the Fashion and Apparel Industry, envisions a holistic ecosystem that enables swift transformation of your digital supply chain. It leverages its four dimensions that include connected commerce, digital sourcing, resilient supply chain and planning. HauteLogic thrives on the implementation of these four dimensions and promises an experience that increases productivity and overall performance of your fashion business.  
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Get in touch with our experts to learn more: [Hautelogic - Contact](https://www.hautelogic.net/contact)

In the wake of disruptions, it is vital for fashion organizations to optimize their supply chain network. Learn the five steps on how you can optimize yours. 

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Five Steps for the Fashion Industry to Optimize its Supply Chain

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Five Steps for the Fashion Industry to Optimize its Supply Chain 

Increasing demand volatility requires agility. Here are 5 steps to how Hautelogic helps you achieve end-to-end supply chain optimization. Read the blog.

5 Steps to Optimize Your Fashion Supply Chain — Hautelogic

Fashion and apparel companies are adopting cutting-edge technologies to turn their supply chains from a purely operational hub towards nurturing innovation in response to growing globalization, greater product complexity and complicated customer demands. Innovation-driven businesses are gathering data at every step, from the flow of raw materials to tracing each step of the clothes manufacturing process that include sourcing of factories where materials are made into garments and the distribution network involved. 

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A large part of these global disruptions include shortage of both products and labor. Fashion and clothing manufacturers are struggling to meet growing customer demands which is resulting in product shortages. This ultimately drives up costs across the board and creates further supply chain blockages. Multiple supply chain challenges cause profit margins to remain under constant pressure as costs increase exponentially throughout supply chain networks. Primarily, these costs are a direct result of lack of visibility which in turn increase operational expenses. Continue reading on how HauteLogic leverages new and emerging technologies to modernize your supply chain processes.  

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### Leverage emerging technologies to enhance supply chain processes

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The only way to remain ahead of the constantly evolving disruptions and challenges is to digitally alter supply chain processes to enhance optimality. Business models from the past will not be viable anymore, as the consumer preferences are changing and globally disruptions are on the rise. The suitable route for fashion and apparel businesses is to achieve rapid digital transformation, digital-led growth by implementing new technology. Additionally, businesses can now have comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that fit seamlessly into their existing processes. 

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### Evolve your fashion and apparel supply chain with HauteLogic

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Continuously evolving supply chains are the way forward for enhancing the fashion and retail experience. To evolve effectively, automation, interconnectivity and visibility are necessary. By enhancing visibility and improving communication, business enterprises will be able to future-proof their supply chain by reducing disruptions. HauteLogic is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that reimagines the retail experience by monitoring customer demands and inventory management in real time. Building a resilient supply chain model that is able to adapt to global market conditions is not an easy task. Still, Visionet aims to provide seamless end-to-end integration solutions through HauteLogic.  

 
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### Simplify partner collaboration with HauteLogic

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One of the biggest challenges fashion and apparel businesses face is partner collaboration. The ongoing supply chain crises has made it harder to maintain communication which results in unexpected delays and lack of proper tracking. To build and maintain strong partner connections, businesses must be ready to make adjustments to communication processes. Companies working together can gain from knowing the partner's ultimate objective, identifying the partner's issues, and then suggesting innovative technological solutions that can address these challenging issues. 

 
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### Tap into higher visibility

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Effective management requires you to leverage real-time data for handling of products and materials at every point in the supply chain. Customers are better equipped to plan their purchases when they are more informed. By having access to this information, businesses can keep things under control, uphold regulations, and solve issues as they arise. [HauteLogic](ttps://www.hautelogic.net) offers advanced analytics to monitor and optimize the global supply chain by ensuring that your decisions are informed and produce optimal results while minimizing the impact of disruptions. Higher visibility ensures that all your workflows remain intact and productivity reaches an  

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### The future must be predicted

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One of the major concerns fashion and apparel wholesalers face is the growing geopolitical uncertainty which lead towards disruptive supply chains. HauteLogic with its solution backed by advanced AI/ML technologies ensure that you’re always ahead of the curve. This would allow you to leverage predictive strategies that anticipate patterns to proactively resolve these complications before they can incur maximum damage. HauteLogic with its advanced AI/ML algorithms ensure that your path to success isn’t disrupted by external factors.  

  
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In a [recent article in Industry Today](https://industrytoday.com/improving-supply-chains-through-technology/), Visionet Vice President of Supply Chain Solutions Rauf Ahmed discusses how digital transformation is essential for companies in supply chain integration and partner collaboration.  

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Follow this [link](https://www.hautelogic.net/contact) to learn more about HauteLogic and schedule a demonstration to see how this platform enables digital supply chain transformation for leading fashion retailers. 

The modern world has its own set of complications. With raging disruptions and dismantled supply chains, it is high time that you modernize your supply chain with HauteLogic.

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Enhancing Fashion Supply Chains with New and Emerging Technologies

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Enhancing Fashion Supply Chains with New and Emerging Technology

Effective supply chain growth requires automation and visibility. Our ERP platform helps you reimagine your retail experience with all that. Read more.

Enhancing Fashion Supply Chains with Emerging Technologies.

Most retailers evaluate the front end of the online store that customers interact with, but they almost never consider the back end of how they were formed. Consumers today expect apparel and fashion retailers to meet their demands swiftly and at the most affordable prices. More importantly, they also seek flexible shipping and a consistent omnichannel contextual experience.
#### Online and offline shopping are now more complimentary than ever. Increasing customer power & preferences is compelling fashion retailers to revisit omnichannel retailing from a renewed angle.
### Omnichannel shopping customers are simply more loyal
According to [McKinsey's Apparel Omnichannel Survey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/ready-to-where-getting-sharp-on-apparel-omnichannel-excellence), the average omnichannel customer spends more than **$2,000** per year on apparel and purchases **70%** more frequently than an offline-only shopper. This represents a **34%** increase over a shopper who exclusively shops in person. 
In this blog, we'll look at how consumer preferences are shifting across channels in these changing times and how the fashion supply chain industry can better deliver on what customers value most by mastering supply chain excellence with one-of-a-kind customer experience.

### Understand your Customer’s Expectations for Winning Omnichannel Retail
Before you proceed with your supply chain management journey, it is essential to understand the scope of your present e-commerce capabilities and whether these align with your goal of delivering an exceptional customer experience and meeting them where they are in the customer journey. To clear off some uncertainties, fashion retailers should assess their current process and strategy proficiencies by answering the following questions:

→ What distinguishes your omnichannel experience from that of your competitors? What hallmark touchpoints do you generate, and how well are you meeting your customers' needs?
→ Do all employees in the company understand the attributes and significance of omnichannel buyers? Do they have strategies and initiatives in place to satisfy their expectations? Is this reflected in the organization's values and initiatives?
→ Are you connecting your customers' cross-channel engagements and making them seamless? What are the most crucial points of interaction, and how do they help or hinder the omnichannel shopping experience?

### Reimagine your Fashion Supply Chain to create seamless omnichannel shopping experiences
When it comes to customer experience, seamless integration of the entire fashion supply chain systems and processes is essential — both for customers and decision makers. For instance, consumers feel more confident in your service when they can access real-time product availability and shipping time information. Similarly, apparel businesses need to integrate their supply chain technologies with real-time simulation capabilities for effective omnichannel decision-making. 
Incremental improvements in operational channels will not be sufficient to deliver the desired outcomes, and executing a complete overhaul can become exhausting for fashion retailers. However, incorporating a modular fashion management solution with assistance with solutions such as HauteLogic can ease the transformation journey for you. 
HauteLogic provides an end-to-end transformative supply chain solution that can assist fashion and apparel retailers in reshaping their approach to the fashion supply chain industry by unraveling innovation in the following business areas:
**e-Commerce and Omnichannel Supply Chain Ecosystems**
When it comes to delivering seasonal goods to a wholesaler's DC, e-commerce consumers expect exceedingly short lead times, while cost takes precedence over speed. A supply chain solution designed specifically for omnichannel experiences will account for the various channel considerations. In this context, warehouse automation is a viable alternative that can help fashion retailers elevate their service quality, increase speed, and ensure process efficiency.
With CommerceLink, HauteLogic enables such ease for retailers. It allows you to seamlessly integrate your existing e-commerce platform by leveraging our disruptive technology designed around the **Dynamics 365 platform** on the **Azure Cloud, Big Data, AI, chatbots, and IoT capabilities**. Using our unified supply chain solution, we help you optimize and automate your internal business processes encompassing order fulfillment, 360-degree customer view, order deliveries, and payments, all in real-time.
**Digitizing Product Design with the PLM Light Solution**
Fashion retailers that have automated their design and manufacturing workflows are outperforming their competitors in terms of time to market, sales, and customer satisfaction.  Manage your seasonal product design and development with HauteLogic’s PLM Light solution, or leverage HauteLogic’s preconfigured integration for more powerful 3rd-party Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) technologies.
**Personalizing CRM & Loyalty **
Meeting customer needs across all channels and grounding all decisions on consumer insights is optimal but difficult to achieve. Retailers need to identify their core target segments as a one-size-fits-all supply chain leads to a lack of differentiation of services and is highly costly. For instance, fashion retailers can charge premiums from prestigious segments for services like fast delivery and early access to new products, while for consumers living in rural areas, efficiency is the most desired service, even if it means two or three days of deliveries.
HauteLogic offers a unified view of customers with cross-channel transactions, enabling you to personalize offers for every market segment and reinforce loyalty with customer-specific offerings and product recommendations. 
**Fulfilling Omnichannel Excellence in Logistics**
Omnichannel excellence is incomplete without smooth shipping, better sourcing decisions, and inventory management. Our supply chain collaboration portal and **EDI solution** allow seamless communication across all supply chain stakeholders, providing you with a consistent, reliable, and dependable logistics network — and access to planning, scheduling, and controlling logistics without any hassle. Additionally, ASN tracking, carrier integration, and shipment tracking all help enhance store performance while minimizing costs.
### Expedite Your Omnichannel Journey with HauteLogic

![](https://stgadm.hautelogic.net/uploads/Picture1_bce0d0c552.png)
 
Source: [McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/into-the-fast-lane-how-to-master-the-omnichannel-supply-chain)

Digitizing supply chain management can get exhausting and costly for retailers, especially in the fashion and apparel industries. However, the rewards for establishing solid foundations with the right basics, adopting appropriate practices, and mastering omnichannel system integration are highly lucrative. HauteLogic leverages world-class cloud technologies coupled with the Dynamics 365 platform, chatbots, AI, Big Data, and IoT capabilities that seamlessly enhance your omnichannel fashion supply chain interactions and supply chain optimization and help expedite your omnichannel excellence journey. Get in touch with our experts to grow your customer base with a resilient fashion supply chain.


Most retailers evaluate the front end of the online store that customers interact with, but they almost never consider the back end of how they were formed. Consumers today 

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The Omnichannel Angle is Reshaping the Fashion Supply Chain Industry

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Explore how seamless integration of your entire fashion supply chain ecosystem can create winning omnichannel shopping experiences. Learn more.

Reshaping the Fashion Supply Chain with Omnichannel Angle.

Businesses can reduce issues caused by supply chain disruptions from the pandemic by increasing visibility and improving communications.

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Improving Supply Chains Through Technology

Suffering from the consequences of the Pandemic,  the fashion industry after 3 years has begun to find its feet but the journey ahead is not as simple as one might imagine. The Pandemic acted as a catalyst and forced major fashion organizations to question their traditional mode of doing business. Changing consumer behavior, the emerging digital frontier, and a highly volatile demand are some of the factors that are forcing fashion organizations to reevaluate their key priorities. The fact is, the nexus for growth lies with adaptation to changing consumer behavior and by being on the forefront of digitization.

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According to [Mckinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion), in 2020, 7 percent of fashion companies left the marketing in entirety, either due to financial distress or because they were bought by the competition.

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### Tying the loose ends

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One of the recurring patterns over the last couple of years is the acceptance and undisputed relevance of digital acceleration. Partly catalyzed by the Pandemic and partly due to changing consumer behavior, it is apparent that the need of digital adaptation is important to survive for fashion organizations. Hyper-interactive digital environments and investment towards supply chain transformation must be taken into consideration as digitization is now multi-dimensional.

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![hl blog 1 image .jpg](https://stgadm.hautelogic.net/uploads/hl_blog_1_image_a7d4b7ddda.jpg)

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Source: Mckinsey Client Benchmark 2021
Fashion companies are investing in advanced technologies to cater to the ongoing supply chain disruptions.

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### The State of Fashion & its Challenges

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The current state of the fashion business poses several challenges including:

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### Logistical Gridlock

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The fashion industry is volatile. The industry is riddled with an intricate web of global supply chains that are under tremendous pressure and disruption. The ongoing geopolitical crisis along with evolving consumer behavior, is pushing the fashion industry towards turmoil. These factors have resulted in logistical gridlocks, increased shipping costs and inept sourcing models. Supply chain professionals must rethink their strategy and leverage cutting-edge technology to build greater flexibility so that they can keep product flow in-tact with consumer demand.

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### Consumer Shifts

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The Pandemic drastically altered consumer behavior and not just in a specific fashion category, rather the entire fashion purchasing behavior evolved. This purchase behavior pattern included irregular spikes and even lulls of activity which was a cause of concern for many. In such situations, investing in traditional eCommerce capabilities might not be as effective as one might think. Consumer demand isn’t something that you can ignore as it can make or break your business. Hence, adaptation to modern technology is vital.

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### Inept Sourcing

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It would be right to say that the fashion industry faces a plethora of challenges and sourcing effectively is on top of the list. Fashion sourcing has been crippled due to demand volatility, logistical challenges, uncontrollable inflation, and supply chain disruptions. It is vital that fashion organizations must move towards digitizing their supply chains by leveraging analytical decision making and improve the overall operational process.

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In fact, nearly 50% of companies have started investing in digital transformation to achieve speed and flexibility in their digital sourcing processes.  

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### Planning Intelligently

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Everything is interconnected. Supply chain disruptions, inept sourcing, changing consumer behavior and the overall impact of digitization must be addressed with advanced technologies including AI/ML. One of the major reasons why companies face inefficient processes is their lack of investment in AI technology. Automation is the key to streamline all processes and it improves the overall efficacy of your operations. With intelligent planning, fashion organizations can leverage automation to drive enhanced decision-making that leads to great business growth.

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### Newer horizons are a sight away

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There is no denying that the fashion industry was severely disrupted due to the Pandemic. However, the challenges give us an opportunity to make things better. Fashion organizations must expand their horizon and look for ways that can enhance their overall outcomes. Investing in newer technology can be the first step towards success.



Rethinking the Fashion Industry’s Narrative through a seamless buying experience  

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The current state of the Fashion Industry

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The Pandemic has pushed Fashion organizations on the edge of collapse. Read our blog to see where the current state of fashion lies. 

The retail industry is rapidly changing and evolving, and it has become clear in recent years that supply chains are not strong enough on their own to keep up with these disruptions. To stay resilient in the face of these disruptions, many companies have pivoted to ERP systems, or enterprise resource planning systems. In a recent survey of IT decision-makers, [53 percent agreed](https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252434184/IT-Priorities-2018-Where-senior-IT-managers-plan-to-spend-their-budget) that ERP systems are an important investment and should be a top priority. That number is expected to rise in the coming years as the supply chain and the technology that helps in controlling it continues to change.

#### **React, Adapt, Sustain**

 One of the most significant issues that ERP systems address is the ability to pivot and respond quickly to potential disruptions. In 2021, a large number of food distributors who did not use ERP systems fell far behind due to the pandemic. Restaurant orders stopped coming in, leaving these businesses wondering, “what now?” By implementing this technology not only can distributors manage quality control and traceability but also track orders in real-time and manage inventory levels accordingly.
 
 Another industry that was forced to react and adapt, and perhaps the most widely discussed, is the fashion industry. As many retailers were forced to switch to e-commerce, large investments were made into that e-commerce side of retail. Today, many retailers that had little to no e-commerce options now have a stronger e-commerce presence than a physical one. With this boom in e-commerce, retailers needed to focus on how much of this was going to be sustainable, if and when this boom would level off, and the technology that would assist in managing these developments. 
 
#### **Benefits of ERP Systems for Retailers Today**

ERP systems provide a multitude of benefits and solutions to specific pain points that are shared by all industries currently dealing with supply chain disruptions. These benefits and solutions range from seamless system integration to the management of inventory, customers, finances, and day-to-day operations and contribute to the larger, more holistic approach to navigating the supply chain and pivoting when necessary

#### **Enhanced Inventory Management**

Inventory management has been one of the most difficult issues for retailers in the last two years. There has been an influx of online orders forcing retailers to navigate an e-commerce boom and pull inventory from physical stores to fulfill online orders. ERP systems, such as [HauteLogic](https://www.hautelogic.net/), aid in the automation and simplification of inventory management by utilizing programs and scannable devices that can track, damage out, and facilitate inventory tracking much faster and more accurately than manual tracking alternatives.

#### **Optimize Customer Relationships**

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is another vital component of any service business, particularly in the retail industry. In a time where so many things were uncertain, customers became more and more involved and interacted with their online orders more than ever before. ERP systems can help unify the various channels that customers use to communicate with a retailer, as well as store a plethora of customer data to generate personalized customer offers, including comprehensive loyalty programs. 

#### **Efficient Management of Day-to-Day Financial and Business Processes**

Another advantage of implementing ERP systems is its ability to manage the financial aspects of a business as well. The system can integrate technology into the existing POS system to provide real-time gross margin, profitability, and sales reporting, as well as automatically feed employee working hours and commission calculations into the back office for simplified payroll calculations.

#### **Seamless Integration Capabilities**

Disruptive technology utilized by ERP systems can seamlessly integrate into existing systems and is customizable based on the retailer's specific needs, which means that retail businesses of any size can use this technology on whatever scale they require to immediately start maximizing both their e-commerce and brick-and-mortar business opportunities.

These advantages are essential to a holistic approach to supply chain management that allows companies a comprehensive look at their entire operations ecosystem, further setting them up for success and redirection as warranted.

#### **Looking to the Future**

As the world begins to show glimpses of pre-pandemic days and shopping malls reopen, many customers are shifting back to the physical shopping experience now that it is once again an option. The question to consider here is, are these consumers truly shopping in-store or are they browsing for the tangible experience and then going home and purchasing online?

From what retailers are experiencing, it has been trending to be the latter, even further emphasizing the need for ERP systems to automate tedious tasks and provide technology to further enhance that experience customers are craving. Additionally, retailers will need to continue to refocus their attention on in-store inventory.

The future of e-commerce lies in the adoption of ERP systems and disruptive technologies. The return on investment is almost immediate, and companies that fail to adopt these systems to enhance their e-commerce processes will, unfortunately, fall behind. We are still just at the surface of what these technologies can do to transform the supply chain and the retail industry, and the industry is on track for innovation in this area to continue to develop in the coming years. 
 

The rise of ERP platforms and how they help optimize business performance

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How ERP Platforms Help Businesses Ensure Sales Channels are Properly Optimized

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How to optimize business performance with ERP platform

The past few years have uncovered new dimensions of innovation across transportation, distribution, manufacturing, and healthcare. The impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced AI/ML has the potential to reshape how apparel, fashion, and footwear industries operate as well by introducing these technologies to the shop floor control. The question is how can IoT & AIoT add value to the apparel, fashion and footwear industries? 

Although the uptake is slow, we have seen many use cases in smart wearables, shoes, and textiles offered a couple of years ago. Retailers like [Adidas](https://www.robeco.com/docm/docu-20220628-the-future-of-fashion.pdf), Ray-Ban Stories, [Amazon](https://www.just-style.com/analysis/is-the-internet-of-things-iot-the-new-fashion-and-retail-disruptor/), [Auchan](https://www.just-style.com/analysis/is-the-internet-of-things-iot-the-new-fashion-and-retail-disruptor/), Ikea   , JD.com, Nike Inc, and Rewe are excellent examples.

Technologies including AI/ML along with IoT are powerful tools that have the potential to arm fashion and apparel retailers effectively address new demands including a smart shop floor. And enabling tech-driven customer experiences start right from the shop floor automation. 

#### **By 2030, fashion companies that now embed AI into their business models could see a 118 percent cumulative increase in cash flow. (Source: [McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion-technology-report-2022))**



#### **Challenges in adopting shop floor automation**


Fashion, apparel and footwear organizations face multiple challenges when adopting shop floor automation. Here are a few:
- Reduced top floor to shop floor visibility.
- Inability to monitor real-time data.
- Delay in production process due to inefficient tracking.
- Unplanned machine downtime and maintenance costs.
Let’s take a look how HauteLogic, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 allows you to tackle these challenges with ease. 

#### **Sensor Data Intelligence**

HauteLogic, built on Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management utilizes sensor data intelligence that supports a wide range of manufacturing scenarios. It helps organizations to drive optimal business processes that are based on sensor data from machines and equipment on the production floor. With its unique set of capabilities, it allows you to envision smart operations throughout your operation floor. It enables a business to configure its own options in:

![HL ifo graphic-03.jpg](https://stgadm.hautelogic.net/uploads/HL_ifo_graphic_03_97145bca2b.jpg)

#### **Predictive maintenance & smart floor automation**

Accuracy, efficiency, and transparency are vital to improving product quality and ensuring process reliability. Advanced data technologies enable end-to-end automation that provides real-time shop floor optimization, which allows fashion retailers to detect, locate, and diagnose defects, providing real-time machine performance monitoring. Additionally, leveraging AI empowers them to minimize forecasting errors by 30-50%. As a result, there are lower chances of failures, production downtimes, and labor costs. Furthermore, with predictive maintenance, shop floors can effectively schedule activities to ensure minimal disruption to production processes. It includes maintenance scheduling, expected outages, order inventory, etc. Also, machine learning allows retailers to ensure optimal equipment performance and continuous improvement in asset management.  

#### **Remote monitoring and RFID**
Technology is making inventory distribution seamless. Fashion retailers are capitalizing on future-proofing inventory management tools. Analyzing leaps of big data from industrial sensors provides inventory production transparency and insights for predictive maintenance. In addition, sensors enable seamless integration across the factory floors, connecting all web-enabled equipment.  As a result, it saves downtime costs while providing data integration not just limited to manufacturing units but also extends to business divisions and third-party sources. With specially designed dashboards, you can remotely monitor quality checks of machinery and equipment with precision. This allows you to streamline processes and ensure business continuity is not compromised.  


RFID is one of the most crucial technologies that is being adopted by major fashion retailers. The technology enables precise inventory monitoring (item sales and availability tracking) even from a distance, unlike barcodes, while empowering retailers to combat counterfeiting. RFID empowers retailers to streamline their warehouse processes and improve order fulfillment while delivering more engaging in-store experiences.

#### **Demand Forecasting with Azure Machine Learning**

Demand forecasting is essential for apparel businesses as it allows businesses to make the right decisions in a wide range of areas including finance, inventory management, and pricing. HauteLogic leverages Azure Machine Learning to drive enhanced demand forecasting with simplified management. 

#### **Where’s the future headed?**

Utilizing various data and AI technologies, HauteLogic offers you a robust AI/ML ecosystem that supports smart shop floor automation. The current data & AI/ML landscape is transforming manufacturing in a wide range of ways. Smart shop floor automation enables you to leverage connected systems that provide real-time data, demand forecasting and sensor data intelligence. 
It’s time to stop thinking and act faster. Get in touch with our experts today.  




Gateway to Responsive, Adaptive, and Connected Manufacturing 

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Creating a Smart Shop Floor for Your Apparel, Fashion and Footwear Enterprise

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Gateway to Responsive, Adaptive, and Connected Manufacturing  

Is your shop floor smart enough? Discover how Data, AI & IoT technologies can help you unleash the true potential of your shop floor management. Read more.

Creating a Smart Shop Floor with AI Technology  

The fashion industry is at the cusp of transformative change and leading this change is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for fashion and cloud technology. Industry cloud for fashion is a breakthrough approach as it will enable fashion businesses to adopt an agile and modern infrastructure that is powered by a resilient supply chain, a compact connected commerce framework, digital sourcing, and intelligent planning. 

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Consumers today expect apparel and fashion retailers to meet their demands swiftly and at the most affordable prices. More importantly, they also seek flexible shipping and a consistent omnichannel contextual experience which can be possible with fashion ERP software and an industry cloud tailored for the needs of fashion businesses.

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### Building omnichannel experiences

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According to [McKinsey's Apparel Omnichannel Survey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/ready-to-where-getting-sharp-on-apparel-omnichannel-excellence), the average omnichannel customer spends more than **$2,000** per year on apparel and purchases, **70%** more frequently than an offline-only shopper. This represents a **34%** increase over a shopper who exclusively shops in person. 

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In this blog, we'll look at how consumer preferences are shifting across channels in these changing times and how the fashion industry can better deliver on what customers value most by mastering supply chain excellence with one-of-a-kind customer experience through Dynamics 365 for fashion.

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### **Win Omnichannel Retail with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for fashion and Visionet Industry Cloud**

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Before you proceed with your supply chain management journey, it is essential to understand the scope of your present e-commerce capabilities and whether these align with your goal of delivering an exceptional customer experience and meeting them where they are in the customer journey. To clear off some uncertainties, fashion retailers should assess their current process and strategy proficiencies by answering the following questions:

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![Omnichannel.PNG](https://stgadm.hautelogic.net/uploads/Omnichannel_6d7401dc61.PNG)

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### **Reimagine your Fashion Supply Chain to create seamless omnichannel shopping experiences**

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When it comes to customer experience, seamless integration of the entire fashion supply chain systems and processes is essential — both for customers and decision makers. For instance, consumers feel more confident in your service when they can access real-time product availability and shipping time information. Similarly, apparel businesses need to integrate their supply chain technologies with real-time simulation capabilities for effective omnichannel decision-making. 

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Incremental improvements in operational channels will not be sufficient to deliver the desired outcomes, and executing a complete overhaul can become exhausting for fashion retailers. However, incorporating a modular fashion management solution with assistance with solutions such as HauteLogic can ease the transformation journey for you. 

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HauteLogic provides an end-to-end transformative supply chain solution that can assist fashion and apparel retailers by using our HauteLogic module which includes connected commerce, digital sourcing, intelligent planning and a resilient supply chain. 

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Let’s focus on a few other aspects and how Dynamics 365 for fashion and HauteLogic can help you:

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**Dynamics 365 for fashion and omnichannel supply chain ecosystems**

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When it comes to delivering seasonal goods to a wholesaler's digital channels, e-commerce consumers expect exceedingly short lead times, while cost takes precedence over speed. A supply chain solution designed specifically for omnichannel experiences will account for the various channel considerations. In this context, warehouse automation is a viable alternative that can help fashion retailers elevate their service quality, increase speed, and ensure process efficiency.

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With CommerceLink, HauteLogic enables such ease for retailers. It allows you to seamlessly integrate your existing e-commerce platform by leveraging our disruptive technology designed around the **Dynamics 365 platform for fashion** on the **Azure Cloud, Big Data, AI, chatbots, and IoT capabilities**. Using our unified supply chain solution, we help you optimize and automate your internal business processes encompassing order fulfillment, 360-degree customer view, order deliveries, and payments, all in real-time.

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**Digitizing Product Design with the PLM Light Solution**

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Fashion retailers that have automated their design and manufacturing workflows are outperforming their competitors in terms of time to market, sales, and customer satisfaction.  Manage your seasonal product design and development with HauteLogic’s PLM Light solution, or leverage HauteLogic’s preconfigured integration for more powerful 3rd-party Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) technologies.

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**Personalizing CRM & Loyalty with Dynamics 365 for fashion**

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Meeting customer needs across all channels and grounding all decisions on consumer insights is optimal but difficult to achieve. Retailers need to identify their core target segments as a one-size-fits-all supply chain leads to a lack of differentiation of services and is highly costly. For instance, fashion retailers can charge premiums from prestigious segments for services like fast delivery and early access to new products, while for consumers living in rural areas, efficiency is the most desired service, even if it means two or three days of deliveries.

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HauteLogic offers a unified view of customers with cross-channel transactions, enabling you to personalize offers for every market segment and reinforce loyalty with customer-specific offerings and product recommendations.

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**Fulfilling Omnichannel Excellence in Logistics**

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Omnichannel excellence is incomplete without smooth shipping, better sourcing decisions, and inventory management. Our supply chain collaboration portal and **EDI solution** allow seamless communication across all supply chain stakeholders, providing you with a consistent, reliable, and dependable logistics network — and access to planning, scheduling, and controlling logistics without any hassle. Additionally, ASN tracking, carrier integration, and shipment tracking all help enhance store performance while minimizing costs.

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### **Expedite Your Omnichannel Journey with HauteLogic**

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![omnichannel-journey.png](https://stgadm.hautelogic.net/uploads/omnichannel_journey_4a925efe0f.png)

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Source: [McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/into-the-fast-lane-how-to-master-the-omnichannel-supply-chain)

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Digitizing supply chain management can get exhausting and costly for retailers, especially in the fashion and apparel industries. However, the rewards for establishing solid foundations with the right basics, adopting appropriate practices, and mastering omnichannel system integration are highly lucrative. HauteLogic leverages world-class cloud technologies coupled with the Dynamics 365 platform, chatbots, AI, Big Data, and IoT capabilities that seamlessly enhance your omnichannel fashion supply chain interactions and supply chain optimization and help expedite your omnichannel excellence journey. **Get in touch** with our experts to grow your customer base with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and industry cloud for fashion.

Why Microsoft Dynamic 365 is essential for the fashion industry?

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Adapt swiftly to the changing fashion market conditions

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Discover how Dynamics 365 for fashion can help you create exceptional omnichannel experiences and can enable you to rapidly adapt to changing market conditions. Read more.

The benefits of Dynamic 365 for the Fashion Industry

With ongoing supply chain disruptions, it becomes vital for fashion, apparel, and footwear organizations to streamline their inventory by leveraging an intuitive apparel management software.

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Inventory optimization is the process of maximizing the value of an organization's inventory while minimizing the costs associated with managing that inventory. It's an essential aspect of operating company assets because inventory is typically one of the largest investments a business makes, and optimizing it can directly impact its profitability. This can be achieved through an apparel inventory management software.

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**Why does inventory optimization matter for Fashion, Apparel, and Footwear Organizations?**

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One of the main reasons why inventory optimization is crucial is that it can help prevent common inventory problems like stock shortages and excess inventory. Stock shortages can be costly for a business, resulting in lost sales, decreased customer satisfaction, and missed opportunities to generate revenue. On the other hand, excess inventory can tie up valuable capital, take up valuable space, and lead to obsolescence or spoilage of products, all of which can negatively impact a company's bottom line.

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By keeping an eye on stock levels and knowing how many of each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) a business has at any given time, companies can better manage their inventory and avoid these common problems. This can involve using inventory management software to track stock levels in real-time, forecasting demand to ensure that the right amount of inventory is on hand, and implementing strategies like just-in-time (JIT) inventory management to minimize waste and improve efficiency. 

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In addition, optimizing inventory involves finding the right balance between the cost of holding stock (e.g., storage, insurance, obsolescence) and the cost of stockouts (e.g., lost sales, dissatisfied customers, rush orders).

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Here’s how HauteLogic can optimize your fashion, apparel, and footwear organization’s  inventory levels:

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**1. Leverage demand forecasting**

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The goal of inventory optimization is to strike a balance between maintaining enough inventory to meet customer demand while minimizing the costs associated with holding excess inventory. Demand forecasting plays a critical role in this process by providing insight into expected demand levels and patterns. Forecasting demand as accurately as possible allows you to reduce the amount of safety stock you need to keep on hand and develop a reliable forecast using historical sales data, market trends, and customer feedback.

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By accurately forecasting demand with apparel management software, organizations can make more informed decisions about when to order inventory, how much to order, and where to store it. This can help minimize the costs associated with excess inventory while ensuring that there is enough inventory to meet customer demand.

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**2. Set appropriate reorder points with an apparel management software**

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The reorder point is the inventory level at which you need to place a new order. Setting the reorder point at the appropriate level is crucial for inventory management as it helps minimize the risk of stockouts while also reducing the need for excess inventory.

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By setting the reorder point too high, a business may end up with excess inventory, leading to higher carrying costs and potential waste. On the other hand, setting the reorder point too low may result in stockouts, leading to lost sales and dissatisfied customers. In addition to determining the appropriate reorder point, businesses may also use safety stock to further minimize the risk of stockouts.

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Safety stock is the extra inventory held beyond the expected demand to cover unexpected demand or lead time variability. By combining the appropriate reorder point with safety stock, businesses can maintain optimal inventory levels and provide excellent customer service while minimizing inventory carrying costs.

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**3. Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management and Time-Phased Inventory Availability**

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Time-Phased Inventory Availability is a crucial inventory management feature in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain, which HauteLogic leverages to optimize supply chain processes. This ERP fashion software enables businesses to plan and manage their inventory levels based on forecasted demand and expected supply over a given period. 

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With time-phased inventory availability, businesses can view their inventory levels for each item at any point in time and adjust them based on anticipated demand. This allows them to ensure that they have the right amount of inventory on hand to meet customer demand while avoiding overstocking or understocking.

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Dynamics 365 Supply Chain uses a time-phased approach to inventory availability by creating a snapshot of the inventory levels at the start of each period (usually a day or a week). This snapshot takes into account all inventory transactions that have occurred up to that point, such as sales, purchase orders, and transfers between locations.

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The system then calculates the expected inventory levels at the end of each period based on anticipated demand and supply, using various algorithms such as reorder point planning, safety stock planning, and master planning. This information is then presented to users through reports and dashboards, allowing them to make informed decisions about inventory management.

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Overall, time-phased inventory availability is a powerful tool for businesses to optimize inventory levels, reduce costs, and improve customer service.

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**4. Conduct regular inventory audits**

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Regular inventory audits can help you identify slow-moving or obsolete inventory, allowing you to reduce excess stock and free up valuable warehouse space. It will also help you to ensure compliance and identify potential loopholes that can be avoided further down the road. In addition, inventory management software significantly enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of stock-related procedures while streamlining inventory audits for more precise results. This will help businesses improve time efficiency and minimize the risk of errors.

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**5. Use an apparel inventory management software**

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Inventory management software can help you track inventory levels in real time, automate reorder processes, and generate reports that can inform your inventory optimization strategy. The best way to go about this is leveraging apparel management software that offers a holistic solution that fast-tracks processes and ensures that your PLM cycle is always on track.

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By implementing these strategies and regularly reviewing and adjusting your inventory management practices, you can optimize your inventory levels and reduce the risk of stockouts while minimizing holding costs.

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**Get in touch with our experts** to learn more. 

Learn the 5 ways or strategies on how you can use apparel management software to optimize inventory levels and avoid all challenges.

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5 Ways HauteLogic Can help you Optimize Inventory Levels

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Learn the 5 ways or strategies on how you can use apparel management software to optimize inventory levels and avoid all challenges. Read the article.

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