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Are Your Frontline Workers Equipped for Holiday Order Fulfillment?

It’s no secret that ecommerce has been changing retail operations for years now — decades, really. Consumers can easily access a full assortment of goods, many personalized to their tastes and preferences, and have them delivered at a near moment’s notice. When combined with personalization, that convenience can certainly provide a great customer experience.

 

The problem is that most technological advancements in the retail industry have focused almost exclusively on the front end. New website offerings, order management systems and omnichannel solutions that provide seamless shopping experiences are just a few trends moving the industry forward. However, the same can’t be said for the operational models or processes supporting it all.

 

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Traditional brick-and-mortar stores, in particular, often took existing models for retail fulfillment and adapted them for the digital world. Little to no effort went into transforming the way the workforce connected and operated in order to drive efficiency, quality, and sales. In fact, only 1% of software venture funding goes toward solutions that support non-desk employees, even though they make up as much as 80% of the workforce.

High Expectations for Retail Order Fulfillment

The online shopping experience is certainly critical. But one equally important factor — retail order fulfillment — still flies under the radar.

We know that customer experience doesn’t end at the point of purchase. Expectations are higher than ever that retail operations offer quick, free delivery. And if not that, then companies should at least offer a variety of retail fulfillment solutions: BOPIS (or buy online, pick up in-store), curbside pickup, pickup lockers, and eventually, delivery by drone. After all, having an amazing online experience but not having your goods delivered when you need them (or having delivery be extremely pricey) is a dealbreaker for many.

Retail fulfillment is clearly becoming ever more complex because of increasing customer expectations. Likewise, pressure is mounting because of COVID-19 and the approaching holiday season. Kohl’s, for example, is already adding to its warehouse staff, which usually quadruples from about 300 to 1,200 employees during the holidays.

Adding staff members is a typical solution for weathering the holiday season. However, it’s not only costly, but also more complicated during a pandemic. Case in point: Retailers like Kohl’s can no longer safely use whiteboards in the staffroom to relay information. Instead, they must find a way to onboard people quickly and effectively, and to help everyone work in an agile, productive and safe manner.

All in all, digital transformation in the retail sector shouldn’t simply revolve around improving the online shopping experience. You need to equip frontline workers with the right technology to maintain both productivity and safety and ensure timely order fulfillment.

Communication is Still Key in Retail Operations

Of all the digital transformations in the retail sector, communication-related ones might be the most important. Not only do these solutions allow teams to better connect and coordinate, but they help managers (whether they’re team leads or CEOs) speak directly to the workforce. On top of that, the right communication solutions can help staffers access the up-to-date documents and materials that help them stay more productive: Think health and safety protocols, staff policies, handbooks and so on.

In this way, mobile solutions can certainly help. They ensure the ability to provide top-down and peer-to-peer messaging, and managers and coworkers alike can quickly share pertinent information with everyone on the work floor. But you should also be looking at collaboration-centric communications — another type of digital transformation in the retail sector that’s growing in popularity. It can simplify the dissemination of information across channels, and it provides the accessibility necessary to update information when circumstances change.

Centralized collaboration and communication platforms also serve as effective onboarding tools for those in retail operations. Training modules, compliance videos and other instructional materials can all be housed in one easily accessible location in a variety of languages. Additionally, operational features (such as tasks or checklists) can be added to the employee’s “home screen” to ensure that tasks are executed in a certain way. Paper processes also can easily be replaced with mobile forms to capture employee requests and significantly reduce operational overhead for team leads. Connecting people, providing updated resources and streamlining processes will drive efficiency and safety right away.

When this kind of communication is firmly embedded in an organization, only then should you consider a road map for implementing technological advancements in the retail industry— a change that will likely come after the holiday season. This might include figuring out ways tobetter connect with others in the supply chain to bring more value to your retail operations and your customer base, for instance, or other changes that could drive efficiency and quality of service.

All of the above starts with improved communication, and teams need a more full-fledged means to share information, collaborate and execute simple business processes efficiently and safely. Master that, and all your other technological investments will fall into place. You’ll see the gaps and recognize where you must make changes to compete not just this holiday season, but also throughout the life of your business.


Kees de Vos is Chief Product Officer at Beekeeper, the single point of contact for your frontline workforce. Beekeeper’s mobile platform brings collaboration, communication and tools into one place to improve agility, productivity, and safety. De Vos has two decades of experience in the technology sphere and expertise spanning product strategy and management, professional services and customer success.

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