Over the past two years, the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic across the world has caused major disruptions in supply chains, sudden changes in demand, and a lot of manufacturing plants to shut down. Now that the spread of the virus has stalled, all businesses need to get back on their feet and take a step forward.
Retail logistics is known for having a lot of data stored in separate silos and relying heavily on manual processes. However, this is starting to change as retailers integrate new technologies, use warehouse robots, and streamline operations across their supply chain networks. Here are five trends that can set you apart in the world of logistics.
- Omnichannel Experiences
Clever customers are starting to anticipate omnichannel services from top brands and online stores. This means that the shopping experience for the customers should be uniform and consistent across the board – ecommerce, mobile devices, and in-store. For example, if a customer buys something online, the existence of an omnichannel framework means that the client can return the product to any store, no matter where it was bought. These systems streamline the brand’s message and make it the same at all possible points of sale.
- Digital Fulfillment via 3PL Services
To compete with big brands and major online stores like Amazon and Target, there needs to be less time lag between when a customer orders something and when they get it. Solutions like same-day or next-day handover or roadside pickup make it easy to get products to customers quickly. The one thing that makes this happen is a fully integrated system that allows all sales channels to be managed in an accurate and effective way. With so many sales channels, it’s important to have a single place to manage digital orders and keep track of how they’re being fulfilled. At Go Freight Hub, we use the latest technologies in our workflow so that we can help you with your 3PL logistics needs as much as possible.
- Advanced Inventory Management
With retailers putting more effort and money into electronic systems, stock control and management technologies have also gotten a lot better with tools like automatic inventory control, AI order processing, real-time predictive analysis, and more. Data also holds a great deal of importance in this area, and some systems have built-in sales and data modeling for improving retail logistics.
- Contactless Payments
Contactless payments have existed for a long time. Google Pay and other phone-based payment processors have been used in many stores for a long time. Many smaller businesses, however, were slower to adapt because they used outdated payment methods that did not work well with tap-and-go. Contactless payments have become very popular because of the epidemic outbreak and the growing desire on the part of customers to require as little physical contact as possible when shopping.
- Integrated POS Solutions
Since people are now less likely to go shopping in person due to their hectic schedules and the convenience offered by online shopping, the rise in the number of shoppers doing “pre-shopping research” is worth noting here. This means that major retailers are connecting their POS systems to online search engines such as Google so that customers can look at their merchandise and prices before making a purchase, or even before heading to the store. Integrated POS solutions have a big advantage over retail locations that don’t make this kind of information easy to find. Google Search and Google Maps both have options that make it possible to connect POS systems to your retail logistics, which is a growing trend among local retailers.
The Bottom Line
With the focus shifting to online shopping and many people switching heavily to online purchases, online stores and ecommerce businesses have made major adjustments to stay connected with their customers and boost sales. These logistical trends should help you expedite delivery, streamline operations, meet rising customer expectations, and stay at the top of the competition.If you are ready to take the next step and move your freight with an asset-based 3PL company having years of experience in tech-driven third-party logistics, contact Go Freight Hub now for a quick quotation!
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