Solving the Sourcing Disconnect: How retailers can reclaim control of their import networks: TradeBeyond (Op-Ed)

By Rob Garrison, Senior Director of Enterprise, TradeBeyond

When Amazon pioneered “one click” purchasing and delivery, it radically changed how products were sold. How many clicks does it take for an importer to buy their products? For decades, major retailers have invested in enterprise systems that promised efficiency, transparency, and cost control. Today, however, those systems are being tested like never before. Two-thirds of American consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending, even before many tariff-driven price increases hit the shelves, while middle-income suburban households, once a reliable source of seasonal revenue, are acting increasingly price sensitive. At the same time, retailers are accelerating shipments, adjusting sourcing strategies, and expanding private label lines to protect margins. At present, legacy workflows and disconnected tech stacks leave retailers struggling to respond quickly to market shifts, rising costs, and rapidly evolving consumer expectations. The result is a sourcing disconnect that threatens speed to market, margin, and customer engagement unless upstream supply chain visibility and collaboration are radically improved. 

In many global sourcing organizations, the systems of record (whether ERP, PLM, or order management platforms) do their job well enough raising the order. However, upstream from order placement, chaos often reigns. Teams working on sourcing, product development, vendor management, compliance, order management, and logistics are using manual tools or legacy systems that don’t communicate with each other. Data is locked in static spreadsheets, feedback loops are slow, and collaboration is superficial. 

Consider the stakes, high margin private label products often take 225 days from design to deliver. The complexity of managing the network is outpacing manual solutions. Beyond inefficiency, this has a significant adverse impact on sales. Time to market is critical in order to remain competitive in an always on sales environment.

This fragmentation creates heightened risk in today’s retail environment. As retailers rush shipments to avoid tariff increases, recalibrate sourcing to manage rising costs, and expand private label assortments to appeal to value-conscious consumers, a lack of real-time visibility into supplier performance, timelines, and costs makes agile decision-making nearly impossible. Retailers may miss opportunities to optimize product mixes, adjust pricing ladders, or launch new offerings that align with shifting consumer expectations. 

The Case for an Operational Backbone

Retailers don’t need more systems, they need smarter connectivity between the systems and stakeholders they already rely on. What’s required is an operational backbone that bridges the gap between internal teams and external partners across the globe. 

A centralized, modular platform enables real-time collaboration across product development, sourcing, quality control, ethical compliance, and logistics tracking while integrating seamlessly with existing ERP, PLM, and warehouse systems. It must orchestrate the entire supplier ecosystem and be intuitive enough for non-technical users, whether a merchandiser in New York, a factory manager in Dhaka, or a sourcing partner adjusting production for private label strategies. Such a platform ensures that cost, quality, and lead-time data are visible to all stakeholders, helping retailers react quickly to tariffs, price fluctuations, and changing consumer sentiment.

Driving Change Without Disruption

Digital transformation doesn’t have to mean ripping out existing infrastructure. The most effective solutions augment what’s already in place, bringing structure and visibility to areas that have been historically underserved by technology. Implementation can be tackled in phases, with a focus on quick wins such as supplier onboarding, milestone tracking, or digital sample rooms, to build momentum. The goal is to create a single version of the truth of one shared hub where all stakeholders can access accurate, up-to-date information about products, timelines, and supplier performance. 

Importantly, use adoption must be at the core of any rollout. Suppliers and vendors need localized training, mobile accessibility, and in some cases, integrations with platforms they already use (such as messaging tools or regional portals). If partners can’t or won’t use the system, the value is lost. 

Real-World Impact

Retailers who have embraced this type of upstream connectivity are seeing measurable results like:

• Improved time to market to enhance sales outcomes
• Significant reductions in product development and sourcing timelines
• Faster, more informed decision across merchandising and operations
• Improved vendor compliance and fewer quality issues
• Reduced reliance on spreadsheets, manual rework, and email chains
• Greater flexibility to respond to market and supply chain volatility

One major retailer onboarded more than 18,000 vendors within six months by focusing on supplier enablement and internal alignment. Others have used similar platforms to cut days, (or even weeks) from their seasonal calendars, all while improving collaboration across functions. 

As retail continues to transform, big players face a choice between continuing to patch legacy workflows with manual processes, or invest in a unified operational layer that gives them full control and visibility into the early stages of the supply chain. Contrary to popular belief, transformation doesn’t begin with data, it begins with better collaboration. For large retailers juggling speed, scale, and sustainability, there’s never been a better time to connect the dots.

Related Retail Insider stories:

• The supply chain strategies retail is using to respond to tariffs
• How retailers are navigating global supply chain uncertainty