Locus Robotics, a company spun out of third-party logistics provider Quiet Logistics, has begun production and implementation of a DC-based order fulfillment robot which it sees as a next logical step beyond Kiva. The company’s executives claim its robots can be deployed a few at a time without major facility retrofitting, and will eventually be used in stores as well as DCs.
I go to lots of conferences, but for me the Operations Summit is the most helpful to our clients and our consulting practice because it’s dedicated exclusively to improving direct-to-customer and omnichannel operations, presenting a broad range of operations experiences and solutions. It’s not too late to join us, April 12-14 at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati.
Third-party logistics companies or 3PL providers can help ecommerce and direct-to-customer merchants expand internal fulfillment operations without large outlays. In the past five years some large companies have entered the market with extremely competitive services and costs.To help in the decision process, here are 10 ways that 3PLs have helped companies do just that.
Omnichannel enjoyed buzz-worthy status in 2015, but that was just the beginning. This will be the year that omnichannel becomes “omni-essential,” driven by the increasing need to meet customers when, where and how they shop. Here are 3 reasons why this phenomenon is taking place.
What does it mean to have CSRs act not just as problem-solvers but as “shopkeepers”of your brand’s unique style? Kara Soulia, director of operations, and Melissa Lackney, operations training and development coordinator for Vermont Country Store, explain the concept, and how they train their agents to extend the down-home feel of the company’s trademark stores to every channel and interaction, while being alert for “cues and clues” that can lead to cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
With hundreds of millions of square feet of public space available for your retail warehouse in North America alone, how can your company do the best possible job of differentiating between facilities? Just as important, how can it choose the retail warehouse space that will be a perfect fit? Here are some tips that can help make the selection process a great success.
UPS cited ecommerce growth, tight management controls and automation investments in its record Q4 results, while reaffirming its relationship with Amazon.
Shoppers not only expect but demand flexibility and freedom to buy at their total convenience. This creates supply chain complexity around synchronizing inventory and orders coming from stores, websites, mobile, catalogs, etc.
In November of 2015, we had a company first – an entire week with one, single error across thousand of orders between two e-tail outlets.
Data from a new survey from Temando shows a disconnect between consumer expectations for ecommerce fulfillment and what retailers are actually delivering.