Delivering Value Through Insight™ with our Industry Insights
One of the core benefits of Expense Reduction Analysts is our global network of experts, many of whom have developed practical knowledge, experience and insight from extensive careers in relevant industries.
To provide further value, we’ve incorporated this real-world knowledge and insight into a range of downloadable white papers, which are available for free and can help you learn more and gain a competitive advantage on a variety of topics.
Since our launch in 1992, we’ve also developed numerous professional relationships with recognized professional bodies and organisations whose insights we’ve also been able to integrate into our white papers.
Explore our latest industry insights and resources below
Explore our latest industry insights and discover practical knowledge and actions you can take to help improve your business. If you’d like to learn more about any of our downloadable white papers or how we can help your business, contact us today.
The State of the Agrifood Sector in 2023
In this issue of our Thought Leadership publication, Christian Bang Søndergaard shares his insights into the current state of the Agrifood sector as we leave 2022.
At the start of 2023, the global food industry faces a number of challenges. For a few years, the industry has been characterized by unstable commodity markets, where the price arrow has mostly pointed upwards. This has naturally pressured earnings, as strong mass retailers do not accept all increases in production costs being added to the price. In the cases where a price increase is accepted, it is typically with a delay, whereas commodity prices tend to take effect immediately.
Download our latest issue of The Thought Leadership today.
Retail Growth in 2023: Turning Challenges into Opportunities
2022 was a mixed bag for retailers, with normal activity returning to the high street after two years of forced closures. However, 2022 was also plagued with challenges including inflationary pricing, supply chain disruptions, economic uncertainty, and retaining employees.
Many of these concerns are still prevalent this year.
Retailers need to be conscious of the change in consumer behaviour, not only due to rising prices, but also as they become more aware of environmental issues and demand a higher level of customer service regardless of where they choose to shop.
The supply chain disruptions of 2022 have resulted in excess inventory for most retail companies in 2023. Retailers need enough stock to meet customer demand and deliver goods quickly, without suffering an excess that diminishes working capital.
Retaining employees continues to be a struggle for the retail sector, who suffered 3x worse with employee retention than other industries in 20221. Can businesses adapt their core values to not only attract customers, but also keep employees engaged?
Will these challenges make 2023 another difficult year for retail, or are there opportunities for growth?
We believe there are several.
Download our latest insights today.
The Innovation Game: Payment Solutions to Challenges Faced by Trade & Wholesalers
How can innovative payment solutions reduce risk and costs?
When we say that businesses are struggling with inflated costs, we aren’t telling you anything that you don’t already know.
It is likely that you are facing many of those costs yourself.
The picture of high costs is applicable to all sectors. But businesses belonging to the trade and wholesale sector are also facing reduced footfall as clients recognise that consumers will be tightening their belts in response to economic downturn.
There are fewer opportunities to pass on your increased costs.
Instead, you should – if you haven’t already done so – undertake a forensic analysis of your spending.
- Are your resources being directed to the most effective areas?
- Are you as efficient as possible?
- Are there any specific opportunities to get ahead of your competitors?
Addressing those questions, many companies race to their office consumables, energy tariffs and waste management, finding significant savings in their biggest areas of spend.
With this document we are recommending that you take that enthusiasm and address your banking and payments.
Download our latest insights today.
Helping Hospitality: Solving the Sector’s Top Challenges
As you know, the pandemic sent the hospitality sector into hibernation.
Economically, few sectors suffered more; retailers took their business online, financial services saw insurance claims drop significantly, but companies belonging to the world of hospitality faced a long period of anxiety-inducing inactivity.
While many restaurants, hotels and leisure facilities used the downtime to renovate premises, improve processes and streamline back-office operations, some didn’t have the luxury of spare capital to undertake these projects.
Instead, an above-average number went into administration.
Illustrating the struggle of many hospitality businesses, the Financial Times reported that London has lost approximately 14% of its restaurants since 2020, and the Italian accommodation and restaurant industry lost approximately €15.6 billion as a direct consequence of the pandemic.
Download our latest insights today.
Rethinking Retail: Tailor-Made Solutions to the Sector’s Top-Shelf Challenges
The World Health Organisation has declared that the end of the pandemic is in sight.
But retailers aren’t out of the woods yet.
Instead, they still have to contend with rapidly increasing energy bills (causing a cost-of-living crisis and, as a result, reduced high street footfall), supply chain disruption and a higher cost of doing business.
As a CPO, CFO or CEO, you may be feeling the pressure, more so than at any other point in your career.
We acknowledge that you don’t always have time to address these issues head-on, but we do.
In this whitepaper, we discuss the challenges facing retailers and a few of the possible solutions.
Download our latest insights today and discover how our expertise might prove the perfect tool to future-proof your business.
The Thought Leadership | Issue 5 | A Shipping Perspective on Supply Chains
In this issue of our Thought Leadership publication, Hans-Henrik Hansen shares his insights into some of the areas you should be aware of when navigating your way through the everchanging risks that have been facing intercontinental supply chains for the past 30 months.
This ‘perfect storm’ might appear to be subsiding, but the proper and timely address of these risks can still mean boom or bust for businesses.
Download our latest insights today to find out more.
Sustainability in Healthcare: Can It be Achieved Without Compromising on Care?
People are living longer than ever before. On the face of it, that’s positive news. Of course, it is. In 1800 the global average life expectancy was just 30 years old. Today that’s risen to 73.
But as they navigate their twilight years, our older generations are experiencing a proportionally similar rate of chronic illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, arthritis and asthma.
What do an increased life expectancy and an increase in people living with chronic health conditions mean for the healthcare sector?
They mean that the healthcare sector is under enormous pressure to provide long-term care.
But there is another concern that is becoming increasingly important in every sector and every area of our private and public lives.
Sustainability
So, the question that you might be asking yourself as a chief procurement officer or chief financial officer of a healthcare facility is this:
Can you optimise procurement to enhance your bottom line and help the planet without sacrificing patient care?
The answer to that question, in the eyes of our specialists, is a collective and resounding yes.
Where do you start? Download our latest insights to find out.
The Value of Risk Reduction
Risk has been and always will be a key consideration when doing business.
As the world around us changes, its evolution brings challenges, sometimes predictable, often not.
Those challenges can expose businesses to risk.
But it is how they solve those challenges and deal with the risk that businesses can set themselves apart from their competitors, taking the opportunity to innovate or fall by the wayside as a result of not adapting quickly enough.
As we navigate the tail-end of a pandemic, come to terms with a European conflict, attempt to solve climate change and navigate a squeezed economy, many companies are becoming overwhelmed by risk.
Our consultants help businesses to navigate and capitalise on risk.
They’ve been doing exactly that for 30 years.
Download our latest insights today.
What’s Next? How Financial Services Can Make a Procurement Plan for the Long-Term
From insurance to retail banking, pension specialists to accountancy firms, most businesses operating under the umbrella of financial services are looking at ways to simply survive these turbulent times. For many, the instinctive knee-jerk reaction might be to put cutting-edge ideas on the back burner and focus on what has proved profitable in the past.
Are they right to do so? Not always.
In fact, the opposite is often true. By adopting bold new ideas, your company may fair better than one that shies away from them.
Organisations that maintained their focus on innovation throughout the 2008 financial crisis, for example, emerged stronger than those who didn’t.1
Your goal should be long-term thriving, rather than short-term surviving.
But to adopt those ideas and change your strategy for the future, you need capital.
This is where Expense Reduction Analysts can help. Download our insights today.
Tackling Disruption in the Agrifood Sector
Right now, most sectors are experiencing turbulence.
Whether it’s a shortfall in labour caused by the pandemic, a steep rise in packaging prices, interrupted supply chains or skyrocketing fuel costs, 63% of companies are navigating some form of disruption.
The agrifood sector, however, is different.
That’s because it’s experiencing all these challenges and more, simultaneously.
Decisions and events on one side of the world can have significant impacts on the food production of the other. They can influence dramatic price increases, squeezing a company’s profit margins.
What’s being done to help?
Well, for member states, the EU is proposing a lump sum payment to farmers, who regularly bear the brunt of agrifood’s pain.
In the UK, however, the government has not yet confirmed plans to offer a similar lifeline.
Whatever action governments are taking, your business should be prepared to weather the ongoing storm.
What can you do?
One method is to optimise the procurement within your most significant areas of spend.
Download our latest insights today to find out how.
