Manual processes throughout pre-retail logistics risk delays, bottlenecks and costly out-of-stock scenarios during the busy peak trading period. Stuart Greenfield, UK and European Sales Director at Advanced Supply Chain, looks at how retailers can solve these pain points through automation and digitalisation.

Peak pressures during pre-retail

Selling high volumes of products at high speeds is what peak trading is all about. It’s a challenge that retailers relish, but also one that can quickly expose underlying supply chain inefficiencies.

Heightened demand pushes warehousing and fulfilment operations to the extreme, and slow, below-par processes are rapidly overwhelmed and at risk of grinding to a halt. This happens frequently during the pre-retail stages of supply chains, where manual processes can’t keep up with peak demands.

Many pre-retail logistics operations still rely on paper-based systems. Handwritten labels and inventory logs are prone to errors and duplication, delaying shipments and disrupting supply chains. These outdated methods also limit access to real-time data, hindering quality control and transport planning. During peak, when speed and agility are crucial, retailers can find themselves unable to keep pace with faster and higher turnovers of Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory.

Faster time to market

In many cases, there will often be some form of computer and web-based system in place during pre-retail logistics, but processes are not fully digitalised and connected. Operatives will be manually filling-in labels and stock inventory logs, because they are physically moving around a warehouse. Information is then entered into a supply chain management system at a later stage. 

Automating and digitalising labelling is a simple, yet powerful way to improve performance. Mobile kiosks, which can easily move around warehouses, print labels on demand, tailored to retailer specifications. This reduces issues with handwriting errors and eliminates the need for manual corrections. Products can be quickly processed to improve speed to market.

Connecting kiosks to a web-based supply chain management solution enriches the flow and accuracy of stock inventory data to enhance product availability. Visibility and insight are created, which—combined with the right IT capabilities and transport management systems—can improve vehicle cube optimisation and enhance route planning.

It’s possible to maximise vehicle loads during both inbound and outbound logistics, while also scheduling vehicle movements to reduce dwell time at warehouses and fulfilment centres. This can help eliminate bottlenecks and delays caused by HGVs queuing at busy warehouses during peak, as they wait for a space at inundated loading bays. It’s also possible to ‘green lane’ priority vehicles for loading and unloading, which is particularly advantageous for quickly replenishing stock and dealing with sales spikes during peak.  

Improving quality control 

The automation and digitalisation of labelling is a lynchpin for improving overall quality control during pre-retail logistics. The availability of accurate data can be used to create a quality control dashboard that streamlines product checks and minimises the possibility of imperfect goods moving beyond the pre-retail stage. While this is generally seen as a huge positive for safeguarding consumer satisfaction and brand reputations, it also avoids effort and resource being wasted by moving non-satisfactory goods backwards and forwards through supply chains.

Optimising the pre-retail stages of supply chains to handle peak demand requires an overhaul of manual processes and better connectivity. This is possible through something as simple as the automation and digitalisation of labelling and can help retailers cope more effectively with moving high volumes of products at high speeds.