A critical step in determining how effective your order fulfillment operation is performing is to determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter most to your business. Once you know the metrics that are most important to your operation, you can benchmark your current performance and monitor improvements and progress towards your goals.
Running a successful order fulfillment operation requires many things. One of the most important things is inventory—it is, quite literally, the stuff that orders are made of!
It’s no secret the holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for retail and shipping industries. And with increases in technology, ecommerce has become the driving force behind record numbers seemingly every year. Just last year, it’s estimated that shoppers spent $122 billion with online retailers alone.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2015 the Warehousing and Storage sector of the US economy employed 785,000 workers. By 2018, that number had grown to nearly 1.2 million—a total growth of more than 41 percent, or 415,000 jobs—driven largely by a growing economy and increased ecommerce sales across the country.
As the global supply chain becomes ever more connected and retailers of all sizes double down on various omni-channel fulfillment strategies in order to predict and cater to changing consumer behaviors and expectations, order fulfillment is only growing even more complicated.
For warehouses, distribution centers, and order fulfillment operations, there is no more certain way of putting the brakes on business growth and expansion than reaching (or nearing) maximum capacity—whether in terms of space utilization or throughput.
The order fulfillment industry faces new challenges seemingly everyday. Often, these challenges are inspired by the practices initially adopted by ecommerce giants like Amazon, which customers then begin to expect from other retailers.
The PARCEL Forum is one of the leading events for anyone who works in the order fulfillment industry or who is responsible for shipping, warehousing, packaging, distribution, and delivery of parcels.
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are commonly thought of as simple machines that perform simple tasks in lieu of personnel. And while this is true in some regards, the last decade has seen AGVs become...
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) are great tools for boosting efficiency in a warehouse or order fulfillment operation. But there are many types—they aren’t one size fits all. Here are the major types of AS/RS that you should consider when choosing technology.
It may be strange to think about the holidays in the high heat of August, but as anyone working in order fulfillment or retail knows, the holiday season is right around the corner.
