The Status Quo
Millions of ruggedized cell phone cases are shipped from distribution facilities around the world. The supply chain is well-established, and authorized retailers are in place to receive shipments and stock their shelves.
These cell phone cases have earned a premium price tag due to their indisputable toughness. However, due to products being diverted to unauthorized channels, not all cases make it to the shelf and have an opportunity to be sold at the targeted price point.
This product diversion can severely affect the value that the brand worked so hard to build.
The Problem
Due to the complexity of the global supply chain, enterprise systems often fall short of providing product-level information as shipments traverse global channels.
Frequently, items are diverted to unauthorized retailers or sold in grey markets that directly compromise the brand equity of the products.
Due to the limited visibility that current systems provide, once the products enter the void of the unknown, there is not much that can be discerned about how or why they were diverted.
The Solution
In order to extend visibility outside of the supply chain, RFID tags and shipment information are associated to millions of individual cases.
When products are found outside of normal channels, the information associated with each RFID tag is used to investigate the source of diversion.
Once a rogue market is identified, the product manufacturer can make the necessary adjustments throughout their supply chain to mitigate any future diversion.
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