Your vendors ship, and then carriers and contract warehouses take over. Carriers move inbound freight to your distribution centers and replenishment out to your stores. 3PLs may run a distribution center, handle e-commerce fulfillment or hold seasonal and overflow stock. Each one sends status in its own format and on its own schedule. Some exchange EDI; others send emails, spreadsheets and paper.
Your customers never see any of it. They see an empty shelf or an online order that arrives late. Your supply chain is your customer experience, and in retail the gap between a vendor’s shipment and your shelf is where it often breaks.