Although retailers may be past the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, other headwinds persist, reminding storefronts the importance of having a resilient supply chain, according to National Retail Federation’s Jon Gold.
Railroad intermodal volumes are down, but consumer spending remains relatively strong. Carloads of coal are up, but forest products are down. Whether these volume changes reflect broader macroeconomic slowing remains less clear.
The Association of American Railroads estimates that a nationwide strike could cost about $2 billion each day, while shippers groups rally Congress to intervene in the event a strike seems imminent.
President Biden plans to sign into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, the first ocean shipping regulations passed by Congress since 1998.
The port chaos cocktail: Mix 12 months of container bottlenecks with contentious contract talks for dockworkers.
“For years, we have talked about the lack of available data to help with port operations. Ports are basically a black box when it comes to available information,” says the National Retail Federation’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy, regarding issues with global supply chains.
An IBM and NRF survey of consumers finds that hybrid shopping options are becoming the default preference for many.
FedEx is forecasting a 10% increase in package deliveries during the holiday shipping season.
As Halloween returns to a semblance of normal in 2021, more consumers than ever before will purchase candy, costumes and decorations online.
New forecasts from the National Retail Federation call for retail imports to stay high through at least February.
