Fashion retail supply chain management : a review of operational models

Abstract

Over the past decades, we have witnessed the rapid development of giant fashion brands in the retail market which inspires a lot of operational research (OR) studies in fashion retail supply chains (FRSCs). In fact, FRSCs are highly consumer-demand driven and face many operational challenges coming from high demand and supply side uncertainties. Realizing the significance of fashion retail supply chain management (FRSCM) and a lack of comprehensive review on the topic, we develop this paper which examines the operational models on FRSCM in the mainstream OR literature. We organize this review systematically with respect to the core functional areas of FRSCs, namely the manufacturer, retailer, consumer, and fashion retail supply chain system. In each functional area, insights regarding the related studies as well as the specific OR model features and assumptions are generated. Finally, we conclude the review by summarizing the major findings and proposing promising future research areas (from both OR modeling and practical perspectives).