How and why the coronavirus pandemic threw retailers and their warehousing and distribution operations - whether omnichannel, pure e-commerce, or direct-to-store replenishment - into a tailspin has been well documented. Stock-outs of high-demand items.
Exponential growth of e-commerce for both parcel shipping and curbside pick-up at a brick-and-mortar store. Shifting customer demands for more product choices and expectations of hyper-fast, free delivery.
Just as nobody could have predicted the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the future is equally unclear in terms of the demands to be placed upon retail and fulfillment operations. However, these recent predictions from the National Retail Federation (NRF) point to continued growth across all channels:
With the current growth in retail relatively assured, fulfillment operations and distribution centers (DCs) must take steps to mitigate against the uncertainties of consumer demand and the on-going challenges of e-commerce and omni-channel fulfillment.