Supply Chain Management
SCM as a term has only been around since the 1980s and it received an enhanced level of focus starting in the 1990s, but the concept has been around as long as trade has been around. Goods have traveled across the globe to be bought and sold for centuries and merchants have tried to manage the overall process from the manufacturer through the distribution as efficiently and risk-free as possible. A greater degree of efficiency or a lesser degree of risk resulted in higher profit margins.Technology and the Supply Chain
eCommerce and the Supply Chain

Product Distribution Channel Monitoring
Product Distribution Channel Monitoring is an integral part of the overall Supply Chain Management process. It consists of the process of monitoring all available data points (internal but largely external) around the distribution of the product when it is available for sale to the general world. Whether the product is available online or through channel partners only, whether it is only available in brick and mortar store or if it is a digital product or available through all kinds of distribution channels, the amount of data may vary but it is always available to be gathered and monitored. The data needs to be collected, cleaned and correlated (the toughest part) and analyzed for trends and markers and positively or negatively impacting factors. Then the knowledge that is gained from all this analysis needs to be rapidly consumed by regional and upper management to use in their strategic or tactical decision making.Types of data available online

Product data
- Product Images (High resolution or grainy pictures depicting your product in bad light)
- Description (The officially approved version or an online retailer’s poorly written substitute)
- Video (Handheld nausea inducing video or a slick company production)
Product Reviews
- Formal reviews by the traditional or digital only media companies (Magazines, Newspapers, Online publications, Blogs)
- Semi-Formal reviews by online Influencers
- Informal reviews on social media or niche online boards
Complaints
- Complaints on online support websites
- Complaints on social media
Success Stories
- Positive mentions about your products or brands
- Mentions in the academic community or research journals
- “Feel good” customer stories about product use
- Positive and Potentially viral interactions with the company
Counterfeits
- Identifying counterfeits
- Separating Counterfeit reviews or complaints
- Effectiveness of counterfeit management processes
Marketing and Advertising
- Effectiveness of advertising – both online and traditional media
- Effectiveness of marketing strategy and budgets
- Adequacy of coverage in various regions of the globe
Inventory and Distribution
- Lack of Availability or too much availability
- Uneven online vs offline distribution
- Uneven regional demand and distribution
- Ignoring the potential “virality” of a product globally or regionally
Vision for the future

Control the data or feel powerless
Almost everyone would agree that Apple controls the narrative about their products and their brand extremely well. While not all companies can be Apple nor have the resources or budgets to be like them, they can definitely strive to learn from the techniques employed by Apple and control the data and the narrative as opposed to the “tail wagging the dog”. If companies don’t take charge of the data, they will be powerless to control damage on the negative side and feel powerless to enhance the brand image on the positive side. The time of hand wringing and staring at each other with a sense of powerlessness is over – it is time to take charge.Extremely low cost to get started and quick time to fruition

Let’s get started with Product Distribution Monitoring
Turn the Internet into meaningful, structured and usable data