Retailers prepare for an influx of both in-store and online shoppers every holiday season. But something that will differentiate this holiday shopping season — and is currently raising concerns across the retail industry — is a lack of inventory. With 77% of the world’s ports experiencing abnormally long turnaround times, global supply chain delays mean many of the products in high demand still aren’t available — and they likely won’t make it to the stores, or even the distribution warehouses, in time. Add on the fact that retailers have been struggling to forecast their deliveries and stock, and the combination results in an inaccurate grasp of the amount of available inventory.
