BY VICTORIA KICKHAM, SENIOR EDITOR
ORDER FULFILLMENT
Technology
GROCERY RETAILERS ARE TAKING
a closer look at their order fulfillment strategies in the face of a growing
consumer appetite for online grocery
shopping, a situation that is piquing
their interest in automated fulfillment
solutions, robotics, and small-scale distribution centers designed to get products closer to customers. But rather than
jump full-force into highly advanced
systems, industry watchers say, more
and more grocery retailers are taking a
measured approach to meeting changing
consumer needs in this new environment, carefully considering their goals as
they seek to improve—and in some cases, develop—their e-commerce strategies.
“[Grocery and foodservice companies] are looking for
growth paths,” explains Sean O’Farrell, market development
director at systems integrator Dematic. “For instance, they may be
using a person to operate a pick cell, but seven years from now they want
to be able to put a robot in that existing cell. They may not be ready for it
now, but they want to make sure the system is designed so that they can add to it
in the future.”
E-commerce
continues to change
the grocery market,
as companies
seek to meet
click-and-collect
demands with innovative
fulfillment solutions and
strategies.
Grocery fulfillment
goes high-tech
