There’s no single cause of the global supply chain disruptions. Shortages of plastic and aluminum combined with difficulties retaining and recruiting factory workers and truck drivers amid COVID-19 have created bottlenecks that experts expect will remain for the foreseeable future.
On top of all that, there’s another wild card that threatens to further squeeze the supply chain: the weather. Severe weather across the country, including draughts in the west and huge rains in the Midwest, made this growing season a rough one for many farmers. “Between the hot weather, no water, the smoke from the fires, it’s all hurt,” California farmer Joe Cates told Fox Business. “It’s been a rough year.”
Scientists for the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have found that extreme weather events across the globe can create ripple effects that quickly disrupt the supply chain, and that effect is magnified when multiple disruptions occur around the same time. “When extremes overlap, economic losses in the entire global supply network are, on average, 20 percent higher,” said Kilian Kuhla, who authored the study.
Customers are already noticing the cumulative effect of these disruptions at grocery stores, where some staples they’ve come to expect may no longer be available. Experts predict that in the coming months major manufacturers will continue to reduce the amount of items they produce — offering cereals in fewer sizes, for instance, or condiments in fewer flavors.
But that’s no excuse for grocery stores to let shelves sit empty. Thoughtful displays can make the absence of some products less noticeable by playing up the inventory that stores do have. Tidy displays allow the customers to quickly find what they’re looking for — or tempting substitutions for products that aren’t available — and create more favorable impressions of your store.
Retail Space Solutions specializes in display innovations that ensure attractive, front-facing inventory and increase sales. Our solutions touch every corner of the grocery store, from the dairy, meat and candy aisles to frozen food and produce, and help eliminate false out-of-stocks — which is more important than ever during a time when stores are facing so many very real out-of-stocks.
Retail Space Solutions also offer personalized site assessments to help each store address its unique needs. When you’re looking for premium quality solutions to create attractive retail display spaces, Retail Space Solutions will work with you to identify your goals and how and where products should be placed on shelves and displays in order to increase sales.
For more information on center store pusher displays systems from Retail Space Solutions, visit www.retailspacesolutions.com or call 1-800-279-5291.