Transporting goods from one point to another is now cheaper than ever before due to the advancements that have been in supply chain technology. The innovations in areas such as the Internet of Things and mobile telephony, big data, and weather forecasting tools that are useful in the shipping of goods have enhanced reliability of trade despite many challenges and risks that the industry continues to experience. While technology has significantly advanced, supply chain financing remains stuck in the past as a new decade of maturity beckons. Although buyer-centered plans still dominate, the focus has turned to the need to finance even the lower tiers of suppliers.

The supply chain is one of the industries that the world cannot live without considering the critical role it plays in ensuring humans get their needs regardless of where they come from or where they are. As growth continues being felt in the supply chain, various innovations continue coming in to improve service provision and reduce the misuse of resources. One of the latest attempts is to make supply chain circular. But what is a circular supply chain? According to Gartner, a circular economy is an economy that encourages reuse as a way of ensuring economic growth. As natural resources continue dwindling, recycling is one of the widely championed initiatives expected to ensure minimum waste of resources. So, circular supply chain is where recycling and reuse of scrapped products is advocated.

The retail industry has been going through a raft of significant changes since the last decade. These changes have been occasioned by the increased internet access and the rise of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and robotics, all of which have proven helpful in many industries. As we move into the future, many technologies keep coming up and the industry will no doubt be revolutionized for the better. The changes will, without doubt, change retail as we know it to a completely different one going forward and you can expect these changes starting now.