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. This year it’s the battle of the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Philadelphia Eagles (or Kelce v Kelce). Because it’s such a large snack day shippers who offer the most popular items at big game parties must ensure their supply chains operate smoothly. As a result, fans will be able to purchase the right food and drink in the right quantities, as retailers will have the right food and drinks in stock. Freshness is paramount when shipping food and beverage freight, so supply chain management plays a crucial role here. Temperature-controlled storage is necessary for many of these items, especially in winter. Depending on the product type, shipping ahead and staging in warehouses may be fine. However, other products can only have a slight lead time due to the risk of spoilage. If you’re a food or drink shipper reading this now with plans to sell, sell, sell for the big game, expedited freight is still an option – especially with capacity still generally available. But ideally, you’re already ahead of the game and have had your ducks – or chips or bottles – in a row for a while.
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 State Farm 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.
