Oisin Cooke

Inventory audits may be one of retail’s most overlooked revenue opportunities. Every large retailer has invested in software that predicts demand, triggers replenishment, and manages shelf space with precision. Almost none of that software questions whether the inventory number it’s reading is actually correct. A recent study in the Journal of Business Logistics suggests that blind spot is expensive, and that fixing it is one of the more overlooked levers a retailer has for growing sales. The researchers, working with a major UK grocery chain, examined roughly 24,000 products across 11 stores to understand why inventory records drift from what’s physically on the shelf, a problem known in the industry as inventory record inaccuracy. They then ran a field experiment to measure what happens to sales when a store corrects those records through a full audit. The results reframe a task most retailers treat as a nuisance into something closer to a growth strategy. Start with why the records go wrong in the first place. The study found that products carrying more inventory and products replenished more often were significantly more prone to inaccuracy. That makes intuitive sense: every case broken down, every unit moved from backroom to shelf, is…

written by Chris Cunnane with InterSystems   Automotive manufacturers have invested billions in digital transformation over the past two decades, achieving meaningful gains in production efficiency. Yet one area has stubbornly lagged behind: warranty cost performance. Despite advances aligned with Industry 4.0, warranty costs as a percentage of revenue have remained largely unchanged. This disconnect highlights a critical truth that while production has evolved, warranty operations have not kept pace. At the heart of the issue is a fundamental inefficiency: time. Specifically, the lag between when a warranty claim is submitted and when meaningful problem-solving begins. This delay not only drives up operational costs but also impacts customer satisfaction and brand perception.   The Hidden Complexity of Warranty Claims Warranty management is more than a back-office function. It is a complex, data-driven process involving multiple stakeholders, systems, and validation steps. Each claim requires verification of warranty coverage, assessment of the issue, and coordination across service providers, suppliers, and internal teams. Much of this process remains manual. Organizations often rely on fragmented systems, inconsistent data formats, and time-intensive validation steps such as reviewing receipts, maintenance records, and warranty agreements. These inefficiencies introduce delays that can stretch into weeks before root cause…