For the third consecutive year, “State of the Retail Supply Chain 2017,” conducted by Martec International, Elizabeth, N.J., for RELEX Solutions, Atlanta, reveals how retailers are facing modern supply chain challenges.

Key findings include:

• 40% of retailers cited “handling promotions effectively” as their main supply chain planning and execution issue.
• Forecasting more effectively for promotions and new products jointly ranked as the top forecasting challenge.
• Only 18% of retailers are satisfied with their current promotion and new line introduction planning and forecasting system.
• For most, the supply chain is still managed in its own silo and does not take into consideration either “space” or “external” data, such as weather or competitive pricing.