One consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is retail and ecommerce fulfillment operations need to do more with less to comply with strict safety restrictions. This is especially true as some states and cities reopen for business and then close again, while uncertainty reigns.

There’s plenty of pressure on ecommerce merchants to get orders out the door faster and into the eager hands of customers — so they don’t go to the competitor next time when the experience is less than flawless. Behind the scenes, more fulfillment center operations are turning to the latest automation solutions, including robotics, to address throughput and efficiency issues and tight turns in an era of scarce labor and rising costs.