It’s one of the biggest days in sports and the second 2nd largest U.S. food consumption day of the year—Thanksgiving being the first. Yep. It’s the Super Bowl. And let me tell you, this year’s Super Bowl is a historical one and probably the best one yet. But, of course, we might be a bit biased being Cincinnati-based, and it may or may not have been thrown around to change our name to Burrow Logistics after our beloved Joseph Lee Burrow quarterback extraordinaire and king. So, combining our two loves logistics and the Cincinnati Bengals, let’s look at the logistics surrounding 2022 Super Bowl LVI. Who Dey.
A Super Bowl Experience – All The Food!
It’s not Super Bowl Sunday without wings, our favorite drinks, and every kind of chip dip imaginable (especially Skyline dip IYKYK). Over 1.25 Billion chicken wings, 28 million pounds of potato chips, 54 million avocados, and 50 million cases of beer will be consumed. With an abundance of demand, goods need to arrive on time to avoid shortages and missed opportunities for profits in retail. So whether fans make purchases in SoFi Stadium, from their local market to bring home, or out at their favorite sports bar, consumers are ready to spend for the experience. Food, alcohol, apparel, and decorations will need to be stocked by retailers.
Meeting Inventory Demands Through Capacity
The most important and challenging problem in fulfillment is last-mile delivery. If a disaster strikes a carrier, the most significant impact is during the transfer from distribution center to retail. Distribution centers cannot order perishable items too far in advance. However, suppose an inbound load is late to the distribution center. In that case, stores can order other items from their distribution inventory while still receiving their in-demand non-perishables. With interruptions in last-mile delivery, consumables may not reach the shelves in time for the big game surge in purchasing. Retailers do not like losing profits and market share.
Carriers want to focus on accurate projections to make best-fit decisions between FTL and LTL. FTL options are enticing due to lower spot rates; however, LTLs can have a significant cost-benefit advantage when expediting a load is the priority. Unfortunately, carriers can lose the gamble with FTL. When shippers are in a crunch for time and need to get, a load sent out, even if it’s a partial, they may end up paying FTL rates instead of LTL rates, which tend to be decidedly cheaper for the volume of freight being shipped.
Luckily, resources like visibility and real-time notifications mean that making a reliable supply chain doesn’t have to feel like betting. Instead, with transparency through technology and an excellent team like Taylor, your business will score big and win each time.
