Winning in January - 2009

Improving availability through the supply chain in January represents a great opportunity to improve sales for suppliers and their retail trading partners, and ultimately provide a better service to shoppers and end consumers.

The following ECRA report, Winning in January, published in 2009 aims to provide insight into this industry wide problem and guidance on the best ways for retailers and suppliers to meet the challenges and make the necessary improvements for January 2010.

Use this report to:

•  Understand the causes and impacts of poor service levels to the industry;  

•  Identify the opportunities and challenges to improving service levels in January within the Australian market;  

•  Gain insight into the top seven focus areas for improving availability and what they mean for your 
   business; and  

•  Consider developing organisational specific action plans to drive improvements.

Click here to download the Report.

Trading Partner Performance Management (TPPM)

A global group facilitated by Global Standards Management Process (GSMP), the pre-eminent worldwide collaborative forum where GS1 standards are built and maintained, has recently completed work on the development of Trading Partner Performance Management (TPPM). The TPPM provides comprehensive, unambiguous metrics and definitions that represent diverse trading partner performance measurement requirements and are precise enough that independent companies working with the same underlying data will derive the same metrics result.

Given that the industry in Australasia does not currently embrace a standard set of KPIs and measures, ECRA will maintain a watching brief on global developments to ascertain the benefits of implementing such standards locally at a future point in time.

In the meantime, companies are encouraged to consider whether the TPPM measures could be adopted in their businesses, particularly if looking to establish new KPIs or revise calculation methods and/or terminology of current KPIs.

Click here to download the Report.

Retail Ready Packaging Toolkit Edition 2

Since the publication in 2007 of the Retail Ready Packaging – A Focus on Shelf Ready Packaging an Industry Toolkit significant changes (such as global economic slowdown; commodity price increases; focus on sustainability; expansion of discount retail outlets; oil price peaks etc) have taken place in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Responding to these changes with the ability to adapt and develop agile responsive supply chains is increasingly important to food and grocery manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and wholesalers. 

Many of these factors have had an indirect impact on the implementation and adoption of Retail Ready Packaging (RRP) solutions into the market. However it is as a result of inadequate in-store execution; a lack of a clear whole of chain business case; and cost complexity that wide spread adoption of RRP has not been evident.  ECRA has updated the guidelines, Retail Ready Packaging Edition 2,  and continues to work with retail and supplier organisations to ensure alignment where possible is achieved.

Click here to download the Toolkit.

Retail Ready Packaging 2007 Toolkit

ECRA recognised the potential for a multiplication of shelf ready packaging standards within the Australian and New Zealand food and grocery industry leading to a risk of proliferation of contradictory guidelines, which would endanger the initial vision of bringing more value to the consumer.

The development of a set of common industry standards and guidelines aims to assist retailers, suppliers, wholesalers and packaging companies implement sustainable alternate packaging solutions. Through the publication of the Retail Ready Packaging – A Focus on Shelf Ready Packaging - 2007 Industry Toolkit guidance is provided on how to look at the introduction of shelf ready packaging within your organisation. The practical approach of the Toolkit will benefit trading partners and provide a framework for open dialogue, avoiding prescribed solutions or technical specifications.

Click here to download the Toolkit.

Loss Prevention - One Page Guide

The One Page Guide (OPG) to Shrinkage is a document designed to assist both retailer and supplier personnel in the development of their knowledge of the topics of Shrinkage and Loss Prevention.

For many people this may serve as an introduction to an important topic to which they may well be stakeholders in their roles. For others it will provide a portal to access links to greater levels of detail and the tools required to undertake shrinkage reduction projects internally and with business partners.

Click here to download the One Page Guide.  It can be used in 2 ways:

1. As a printed document it serves as a quick reference guide introducing some of the key concepts and facts in the areas of shrinkage and loss reduction.
   
   
2. Viewed in electronic form online, it provides built-in links to a wide variety of documents and tools facilitating real world knowledge building and action planning for business partners, including:
   
   Loss Prevention Library - Additional Resources:
   
   Known / Unknown Loss Matrix Tool
   ECR Blue Book
   Best Practice & Loss Prevention
   Criminality Insights
   Role Specific Guides
   Reports & Case Studies
   Shopper & Staff Impacts