個案總覽

In spite of making substantial investments in information technology planning systems, retailers are struggling with two execution problems--inventory record inaccuracy and misplaced stock keeping units (SKUs)--that are hurting their performance and ability to satisfy customers. At one leading retailer, 65% of inventory records were inaccurate (i.e., recorded inventory levels did not reflect actual inventory levels). Misplaced SKUs at another leading retailer prevented one in six customers who requested help from a sales associate from finding the products that were available in a store. These execution problems reduce profits by more than 10%. Moreover, performance along these two dimensions of execution varies substantially among stores within the same chain that use identical information technology. By examining the systematic differences that exist among stores, this article identifies the drivers of inventory record inaccuracy and misplaced SKUs and recommends steps retailers can take to improve operational execution in their chains.

Describes Borders Group, a well-known retail chain, in late 1999 and its traditional strengths and rapid growth in the 1990s. By 1990, however, the company had fallen behind Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in leveraging the Internet for book retailing, although it potentially had an opportunity to be the leader in integrating the store with the Internet in a "bricks and clicks" model. Allows students to explore the opportunities and pitfalls in pursuing bricks and clicks. Highlights the need for excellence in store execution.