Supply Chain Information Management Report for Online Groceries

This report delves into the intricacies of supply chain information management within the grocery retail sector, focusing on both traditional brick-and-mortar stores and the burgeoning e-grocery segment. The report begins by examining the foundational infrastructure of grocery stores, encompassing aspects like supply chain networks, distribution systems, and the integration of technology to enhance operational efficiency. It further explores the development of sustainable strategies aimed at minimizing resource consumption and environmental impact, alongside the establishment of effective customer service models. The report also addresses the economics of e-grocery, analyzing profit calculations through an Excel model and considering the unique challenges and opportunities presented by online grocery sales, particularly in dense suburban environments. The report provides insights into profit and loss statements of grocery stores, time windows for delivery and special delivery notes. The report utilizes various references to support the findings.

Running head - SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Supply Chain Information Management
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Question 1
Background and Infrastructure of Grocery stores
Grocery stores, which is also known as grocer’s store is considered to be a retail shop
that deals with all kinds of food products. It is a store where many bulk products of food are
sold the ordinary public1.
The stores offers many kinds of non-perishable foods that comes in the packaging of
bottle, boxes and different kinds of cans. The stores also deals with many kinds of bakeries,
delis, butcher and different kinds of fresh products2. There are large scale of grocery stores
that deals with many kinds of significant non-food products that deals with products like
clothes, household products; which are significantly classified as supermarkets. There are
many kind of supermarket that deals in pharmacy and they provide service to many other
kinds of customer services like redemption and other electronic services.
In countries like the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada, these
kinds of supermarket and the convenience stores are classified as grocery business or grocer’s
stores. Grocery stores at the England that deals with fresh vegetables and fresh fruits are
known as greengrocers. In the United States of America, they are known as produce market,
and the other small and convenient stores that sells prepared food that mainly compose of
snacks and candies are known as delicatessens or convenience stores.
1 Glover, Dylan, Amanda Pallais, and William Pariente. "Discrimination as a self-fulfilling prophecy: Evidence
from French grocery stores." The Quarterly Journal of Economics132.3 (2017): 1219-1260.
2 Kountotsis, Theodosios, and Agjah Libohova. "Express easy-pass checkout at grocery stores and retail
establishments for preferred members." U.S. Patent No. 9,305,312. 5 Apr. 2016.

2SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
For creating a better environment and infrastructure, the supermarkets have to
undergo a total transformation that would help them expanding their domain and generate
maximum revenue. There are supermarkets that have underwent many changes to create a
better environment. Online retailers like Coles, Tesco and Woolworths have created a better
supermarket. Other than that, wholesale grocery distributors have also gone many changes
that have helped them in achieving a better environment.
The grocery retailers have been making huge investments at increasing their products
so that they could increase their store numbers at the market. They are also expanding their
chains outside the country border and getting many FDA’s.
The first chain of infrastructure changes that is needed to be assisted is the network of
retail foods. This includes the market and corporative of farmer’s, ,making the delivery and
distribution centralized, and making direct delivery’s to the store itself.
These markets are creating a better environment for the farmers and the consumers.
They are connecting the farmers to the consumers in a better way. These connection have
been establishing a better resources that is leading by a percentage of 54 since 2008 and have
been helping over more than 7000 farmers to connect with the many kind of retail chains of
grocery stores and providing scope to interact with the consumers3. There have been
estimation that he USDA have been helping and supporting many small and large scale
farmers for several development in the rural areas and also developing programs that helps in
the improving the produced products and expanding their outreach to many large retail
markets.
3 Caspi, Caitlin Eicher, et al. "Differences in healthy food supply and stocking practices between small grocery
stores, gas-marts, pharmacies and dollar stores." Public health nutrition19.3 (2016): 540-547.

3SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
These farmers have been able to make interaction with many large food processing
firms for supplying the output to them directly and also sell them at the local market. These
local markets have been set up with the community facilities. The food distributors on a
large-scale basis also purchase their products4. These distributors have been supplying the
food and products to many food service organizations such as restaurants, schools, hospitals
and other food organization.
The cooperative of the farmers’ are taken into account for the improvement of the
bargaining power of farmers and help them in growing and strengthening their market. These
are also setting up with the many government agencies that are helping them in funding their
causes and help them in expanding their market. The Conservation and Development
agencies that are working for the conservation of the local industry are also producing
financial assistance to these corporations so that they would be able to set up warehouses and
many other cold storage facilities.
Under the connective system of centralized distribution and delivery, the
manufacturer are making deliveries of the food and other stuff in a larger pallet to many of
the warehouses that are located at the key distribution centers. This system is also ideal for
the manufacturing of food that are processed.
Considering a sustainable strategy to minimize resources
These grocery stores are have been trying to build a sustainable strategy that would
help them in making the resources as minimized as possible. The fundamental principle that
4 Caspi, Caitlin E., et al. "Association between store food environment and customer purchases in small grocery
stores, gas-marts, pharmacies and dollar stores." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical
Activity 14.1 (2017): 76.

4SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
could help in developing a sustainable strategy are – optimizing the potential of site,
optimizing the use of energy and by enhancing the quality of indoor environment5.
The use of the sustainability is becoming important at almost many companies. The
sustainable strategy is helping them in achieving the desirable profits from the market6. As
sustainability is important, these organizations are making the environment well. The strategy
is helping them in minimizing the resources.
Establishing an effective service to the customers base
Effective service at grocery stores are done on the basis of understanding the
requirements of individual customers and help them in achieving the maximum efficiency
and output from the grocery retail store7. The effective eservice at grocery store could be
established by creating an environment where the customers’ feel connected with the service
provider. It is the duty of the retail shop employees to help the consumers in understanding
about the product’s essentiality that is being sold at the grocery stores8. Occasional sales of
5 Wilson, John P. "The triple bottom line: Undertaking an economic, social, and environmental retail
sustainability strategy." International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 43.4/5 (2015): 432-447.
6 Kennedy, Ann-Marie, Sommer Kapitan, and Samuel Soo. "Eco-warriors: Shifting sustainable retail strategy
via authentic retail brand image." Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ)24.2 (2016): 125-134.
7 Hübner, Alexander, Heinrich Kuhn, and Johannes Wollenburg. "Last mile fulfilment and distribution in omni-
channel grocery retailing: a strategic planning framework." International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management 44.3 (2016): 228-247.
8 Ramanathan, Usha, et al. "Impact of customer loyalty and service operations on customer behaviour and firm
performance: empirical evidence from UK retail sector." Production Planning & Control 28.6-8 (2017): 478-
488.

5SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
the products and food are to be given for the creating a better environment of effective
service at the stores. The service of the retail stores should be customer oriented, which
would help them in making an effort for creating effective service for the customers.

6SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Question 2
Profit of the Retail shop
A grocery store
Profit and loss account for the year ended December 31,
2019(in millions, except per share data)
2015
Net product sales 10,000
Net service sales 7,738
Total net sales 17,738
Operating expenses
Cost of sales 1,651
Fulfillment 3,410
Marketing 5,254
Technology and content 2,540
General and administrative 1,747
Other operating expense, net 171
Total operating expenses 14,773
Operating income 2,253
Interest income 40
Interest expense -478
Other income (expense), net -156
Total non-operating income
(expense) -594
Income before income taxes 2,371
Provision for income taxes -950
Equity-method investment activity,
net of tax -22
Net income 1,399

7SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Time window
Name Sequenc
e
Time
window
start
Time
Window
End
Arrive
time
Depart
time
Casual
Drive
time
Wait
Drive
Time
Violation
Drive
time
A 4 7.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 0 0 0
B 3 9.15 9.20 9.30 9.27 12 5 3
C 2 9.20 9.30 9.35 9.40 20 10 5
D 1 10.00 10.05 10.06 10.10 10 5 6
(Source – Author)
Special Delivery Note
The vehicle with number __________________ have been sent for the delivery of
shipment____________________ at address
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Vehicle picked shipment at - ________________________________________________
Model number - __________________________________________________________
VIN number - __________________________________________________________
Undersigned of the declaration ____________________________________________
Way of road- _____________________________________
License - ______________________________________
Name - ________________________________________
Id - ________________________________________

8SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
(Source – Author)

9SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
References
Caspi, Caitlin E., et al. "Association between store food environment and customer purchases
in small grocery stores, gas-marts, pharmacies and dollar stores." International Journal of
Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 14.1 (2017): 76.
Caspi, Caitlin Eicher, et al. "Differences in healthy food supply and stocking practices
between small grocery stores, gas-marts, pharmacies and dollar stores." Public health
nutrition19.3 (2016): 540-547.
Glover, Dylan, Amanda Pallais, and William Pariente. "Discrimination as a self-fulfilling
prophecy: Evidence from French grocery stores." The Quarterly Journal of Economics132.3
(2017): 1219-1260.
Hübner, Alexander, Heinrich Kuhn, and Johannes Wollenburg. "Last mile fulfilment and
distribution in omni-channel grocery retailing: a strategic planning framework." International
Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 44.3 (2016): 228-247.
Kennedy, Ann-Marie, Sommer Kapitan, and Samuel Soo. "Eco-warriors: Shifting sustainable
retail strategy via authentic retail brand image." Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ)24.2
(2016): 125-134.
Kountotsis, Theodosios, and Agjah Libohova. "Express easy-pass checkout at grocery stores
and retail establishments for preferred members." U.S. Patent No. 9,305,312. 5 Apr. 2016.
Ramanathan, Usha, et al. "Impact of customer loyalty and service operations on customer
behaviour and firm performance: empirical evidence from UK retail sector." Production
Planning & Control 28.6-8 (2017): 478-488.

10SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Wilson, John P. "The triple bottom line: Undertaking an economic, social, and environmental
retail sustainability strategy." International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management 43.4/5 (2015): 432-447.