Vous êtes confronté à des conflits de fournisseurs qui ont un impact sur vos stocks. Comment allez-vous les résoudre efficacement ?

Understanding the root cause of the conflict is key, find out if the conflict is coming from customer demand and lack of interest OR if the supplier is no longer meeting expectations or agreed terms (price points, delayed shipments, change in tone, product replacement). Figuring out why inventory is being negatively impacted will help resolve the issue at hand. If customer interest is the root cause, negotiating with the supplier in product replacement or return policies may fix the issue while remaining in good standing with a supplier who's brand aligns with your companies values and culture. If the supplier is no longer meeting expectations or willing to negotiate it may be time to source from a new supplier who has similar products.

Gather data on delivery delays, quality issues, or contractual misunderstandings. Keep stakeholders informed about these impacts to ensure they're in the loop and engaged. Work closely with your suppliers to find solutions, such as adjusting delivery schedules or improving quality control processes. If conflicts continue, think about diversifying your supplier base to reduce risk. For instance, when we faced repeated delays from a key supplier, we communicated openly with our team, renegotiated terms with the supplier, and ultimately added a secondary supplier, which stabilized our inventory flow.

Establishing clear and open communication between retailers and suppliers is an important aspect in managing inventory. Retailers will notice trends in products and will be keen on maintain demand for customers preferences, once a retailer notices a product is no longer moving, reaching expiration dates, or negative feed back from customers, it's time to get in touch with the supplier to resolve the issue. Tell the supplier what the issue is, ask about new products the supplier carries as an alterative or replacement policies, discounts and product sampling. A quality supplier will want to work with the retailer and keep their product's on the shelf. If the supplier is unwavering, the retailer should discount inventory, seek new supplier.

Knowledgeable and established suppliers will foresee issues in retail and have solutions to solve issues at hand. Suppliers may offer product replacement, discounts, new product samples or discounted orders to aid the retailer and remain in good standings. Suppliers may also have suggestions for the retailer on how to move product for effectively. In order to maintain a good relationship, it is important that the retailer not be demanding with terms and be flexible with expectations. Establishing desired terms or outcomes and negotiating with the supplier early on will aid in any issues that may arise. It is the retailers responsibility to move inventory, suppliers should step in only when all other solutions by the retailer have failed.

Proactive research by retailers is the formulative grounds in building a strong relationship with a supplier. Because there are a wide range of similar products, the retailer should be in search of suppliers who's values match their own. Having common grounds will aid in a successful partnership and each party will be more willing to work with one another if/when conflict arises. Suppliers want retailers to succeed and vise versa, more so when a product is valued or in demand. Before moving into a partnership, the retailer should sample the suppliers products and the supplier should be willing to accommodate the retailer's needs. "Is this company aligned with our own and one we would be proud to partner with?"

In my experience quality suppliers will be proactive in bi-weekly or monthly check-ins with their partnered retailer via phone call or weekly email updates. Suppliers will ask; how their products are moving, if there is more or less demand for a product, ask about any noticeable trends or negative feedback from customers, and will try to solve any issues with inventory management by discussing new products they offer or similar product they carry biased on retailer/customer feedback. Suppliers will be more accommodable in sending new product samples, offer "trades" or replacements for retailers who show enthusiasm for their product. Answering phone calls, replying to emails, and updates from both parties will maintain healthy inventory.