As the US retail sector comes off another record-setting year, ongoing supply chain disruptions will continue to affect the industry in 2022. Retailers have worked around the clock to meet increased consumer demand despite the challenges they have faced. And although uncertainty around the ongoing impact of COVID-19 lingers, especially among key trading partners, merchants will continue to focus on their supply chains to ensure resiliency for future disruptions.
Throughout the pandemic, supply chain issues have been a priority for retailers. Many have made investments both internally and externally to meet the challenge. Critical to this effort has been a focus on communication within retailer organizations and with partners to ensure that all parties are in agreement on the best supply chain strategy.
As we enter 2022, shippers must focus on ensuring that we are better prepared for the future and building out a truly 21st-century supply chain. Retailers will certainly focus their efforts on realigning their supply chains to meet future consumer needs and ensuring their partners can meet those needs.
Working together with all stakeholders to address the continuing congestion issues plaguing major US ports will be critical to moving forward. The industry cannot go back to doing things the same as before. Instead, shippers must focus our attention on getting all key stakeholders together to develop creative solutions that will result in more efficient and resilient supply chains.
Passing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 would certainly help address some key issues that existed well before the pandemic.
Better communication and information sharing among supply chain partners is also critical. More accurate information can help all parties to better plan, prepare for, and respond to any disruption. Creating a national freight data portal that allows supply chain partners to share key data, for example, would provide this visibility and allow better coordination among all stakeholders.