Cheat sheet
Retail logistics balances service levels, inventory and fulfilment cost.
What to check first
Segment SKUs by demand and shelf life, then measure lead-time variation.
How to make the call
Track availability, waste and contribution together.
OpenStax · Retailing and wholesaling · further reading for retail & services
Indian practice case
Fictional scenario
A Mumbai grocery chain has frequent stockouts on fast sellers and high spoilage on slow items.
Reveal the step-by-step solution
- Diagnose the problem.
Segment SKUs by demand and shelf life, then measure lead-time variation.
- Work through the evidence.
Raise replenishment frequency for perishable fast sellers and reduce order quantities for unstable slow sellers.
- Recommend and validate.
Track availability, waste and contribution together.
More Indian cases
Interview question
How would you use retail logistics to make the decision in this case? Explain which data you need first and what would change your recommendation.
See what a strong answer includes
Raise replenishment frequency for perishable fast sellers and reduce order quantities for unstable slow sellers. Track availability, waste and contribution together.