As you know, the main focus of online order fulfillment still has two parts: speed and accuracy. In order for this to work, effective e-commerce fulfillment strategies are in place.
Let’s explore some dynamic ways technology and online sellers are working together to leverage technology to fulfill online orders promptly.
Robot Gripping Systems with a Human Touch
Sellers continue to find ways to speed up the delivery process. As such, some online sellers have experimented with robotic picking systems. This has become a trend in the grocery sector, a system where various products can be picked up quickly can greatly accelerate product fulfillment.
One of the biggest challenges for the robotics industry has been to recreate the fluid movements of human beings and that includes the more finesse movements of carefully grabbing and placing items down. This can be especially difficult when items are often oddly shaped and delicate.
To illustrate how serious organizations are about this type of technology, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are working on an ambidextrous system that includes various types of robot grippers. In one scenario, the picker had two types of grippers with a rate of more than 300 picks per hour with 95% reliability for choosing the right gripper for an object.[1]
Although this technology is in its infancy, it is an impressive start and exciting news for ecommerce fulfillment managers when it comes to merchandise retrieval that can lead to reduced damage to products.
Speakeasy Comes to Online Ordering
Customers are already accustomed to using their voice to order everything from channel changes to ordering dinner. It was not a big skip for customers to use voice technology to track their packages. In the coming years, customers will become more used to this tech and will become better at using smart speakers to get some order fulfillment information. Sellers will need to become more diligent in keeping their information even more detailed and updated.
Autonomous Delivery Vehicles on the Move Again
In recent years, new carriers and delivery methods were trending. This will likely continue for the next few years and beyond as shippers continue to look for ways to solve last-mile delivery issues with self-driving vehicles.
It is no surprise the ecommerce giant Amazon is involved in the development of autonomous vehicles. They are currently using a vehicle called Scout that moves on its own with the help of a human attendant. The buyer goes out to meet it and watch as a top hatch automatically opens to let purchasers retrieve their stuff.
Similarly, another exciting self-driving vehicle option is Robomart. It brings an entire store inventory to consumers. A customer requests a vehicle nearest to where they are, then selects the products they want once it arrives. [2]
Additionally, car manufacturers, Ford and Toyota are a couple of companies that have autonomous deliveries in their sights.
The Future Has Arrived
Perhaps cliché but it is clearly becoming an everyday fact that technology is being integrated more and more in our daily lives. Some of these promising technologies are still in the early stages, but they are outstanding previews of how product fulfillment is quickly evolving right in front of our eyes. The tech trends covered here demonstrate that ecommerce is here to stay, and the race is on for each organization to provide the most speedy and accurate product fulfillment.
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190116140638.htm
