Food and Beverage SMEs: Are you ready for the Amazon effect?
Amazon is a Goliath among tech giants, having moved from selling books to electronics to general merchandise and, more recently, fastmoving consumer goods. Almost two years ago Amazon acquired Whole Foods, an upscale grocery store, which gives the online retailer bricks-and-mortar locations as well as closer access to consumers with last mile distribution. Faced with the combined buying power and omnichannel smarts of the amazon-WholeFoods synergy, supermarkets are under greater pressure than ever to reinvent themselves. This acquisition is likely to be a game changer in terms of how the grocery model operates in the US, with implications beyond the food segments for retail in general.
“… Whether you are looking to work with or against these tech-savvy organizations, you have to change the way you do business. ”
The problem is that Amazon is a first and foremost a tech company that happens to sell products, making it harder for traditional retailers to keep up with the fast-evolving technology Amazon has. The question small and midsize enterprises should be asking themselves is, how do we stay competitive and relevant in the Food and Beverage area? Here are the key areas to focus on for operational excellence:
Good news is that smaller businesses can compete by being more swift and agile, and responding to change faster. Information technology can increase your company’s efficiency and decrease human error by developing automated processes, with opportunities for greater improvement typically found in the four key areas shown in the image above.
- Business integration: to increase the delivering value of the tech investment, first break down the informational and operational silos in raw material sourcing, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and inventory management.
- Productivity and efficiency: to revitalize processing productivity, it is necessary to be able to manage inputs, control inventory and reduce waste.
- Supply chain management: in order to forge tighter relationships with customers and suppliers, take a more inclusive approach to supply chain management.
- eCommerce transaction: consider eCommerce integration to enable EDI inbound/outbound transaction to/from your ERP system.
Read our eBook and contact us to learn how our team of professionals can guide you through every step of your business digital transformation to take on major supply chain challenges in the Food and Beverage industry.
Spotlight on Success
Drink Daily Greens, Food and Beverages Manufacturing
“SAP Business One has given us the visibility to be able to make educated decisions. This enables us to fulfill our mission and get a green juice into everybody’s hands by making them available and affordable everywhere”
Shauna R. Martin, Founder and CEO
Andes Global Trading, International Meat Traders
“Andes Global Trading is a unique business model: a mix of logistics, finance, and services. Consensus creativity applied to SAP Business One, allowed us to go to the next step. Consensus helped us develop a solution that integrates our uniqueness in all of our areas.”
Sandy Almeida, Project Manager.
