The retail industry is changing at a fast pace. The new omnichannel reality epitomises consumers’ need for instant gratification. Fast delivery isn’t a differentiator anymore; it’s an expectation. So how can retailers expedite delivery whilst maintaining accuracy and profitability? The answer lies in good last-mile delivery management.
Whether you store your retail or wholesale inventory in your own warehouses, or you are a third-party logistics company responsible for fulfilment and distribution of external clients’ products, you depend on one or multiple carriers to deliver your goods.
We have enlisted the 5 top benefits of having an integrated Application Programming Interface (API) with carriers:
The incredible pace of adoption of internet retail and omnichannel is not only changing consumer purchasing behaviour, it is triggering fundamental operational changes for companies.
How do you succeed in this new economy where retailer and wholesalers need to reinvent themselves to compete (or comply) with giants like Walmart and Amazon? You need the right business processes and solutions that will support and scale with your company’s growth.
The growth of Craft Brewing can only be called phenomenal.
It has been fuelled by the passion of the brewers and the loyalty of their customers… And beards!
HighJump
Whether it’s selling your branded merchandise online, simplifying the ordering process for your distributors, extending your fan club memberships, managing special releases and events, or automating inventory or asset management, your growing brewing business will benefit from automation.
In today’s market, sophisticated technology allows companies to respond to increasing consumer pressure and ever-shrinking delivery windows. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and WMS (Warehouse Management System) systems have become the backbone of distribution, wholesale, supply chain or FMCG businesses. These systems are able to handle large amounts of data, capturing every barcode scan, mouse click and inventory movement. They are designed to improve productivity, efficiency and accuracy whilst reducing overall operational costs.
So which one do you need?
The ability to meet customers’ needs all year long is crucial to a business’ success. However, purchasing inventory is a constant risk that companies undertake, as seasonal demands fluctuate and play havoc with stock levels.
In order to prepare for that, a business must carefully and effectively manage its inventory levels observing seasonal variations to avoid storing unnecessary items as well as running out of popular ones, especially if they’re promising next-day or same-day delivery!
Increasing customer demands combined with the challenges of omni-channel retail; means that every supply chain needs a clear strategy going forward. Smart operators also learn from their competitors. Generally, there are three ways you can improve your supply chain: people, processes and technology.
But none of this is possible without a strategy.
In-store order fulfillment presents a great opportunity for retailers. Implemented successfully, in-store fulfillment enables retailers to decrease shipping costs, boost gross margins, increase supply chain efficiencies and more.
However, retailers are not optimised for ‘warehouse-like’ efficiency. They are designed to provide an excellent customer experience for walk-in shoppers.
Today’s customers demand flexibility and excellent customer service across every channel, whether you are purely brick-and-mortar or e-commerce. But increasing customer demand means increased complexity. Complexity for retailers with unique omnichannel operational challenges.
However, many retailers still haven’t implemented the basics such as store pickup, cross channel inventory visibility, and store fulfillment. There is a disconnect between what consumers want and the omni-channel capabilities that retailers are willing to offer.
