A recent study by Retail Systems Research (RSR) reveals that while more retailers are employing cross-channel distribution models, retailers are still not fully leveraging perhaps their biggest source of inventory - stores.

Point of sale (POS) data has long been the domain of the retailer that collects it. It hasn’t always available – in detail, anyway – to manufacturers and suppliers that could use the data for such things as demand planning, improving supply chains to avoid stock outs and to better understand and act on buying habits so they can more accurately allocate advertising dollars. Of course, all those benefits would in turn benefit the retailers, which could improve planning and forecasting, reduce (or eliminate) stock outs, and even have leverage to enact and enforce service level agreements with suppliers.

A new study by accounting and consulting firm BDO USA looks at concerns tech companies have about their global supply and distribution chains. Supply chains are not to be broken. But there’s plenty of risk that they might, and that risk – or at least concern over that risk – seems to be growing.