The Missing Link in Omni-Channel Fulfillment: Mobile Work Execution

Retailers are fighting a public battle to deliver a seamless, omni-channel shopping and buying experience across stores, online, and mobile. They are fighting a no-less important battle behind the scenes to create efficient and speedy product delivery (or pick-up) and returns processes to fulfill the anywhere, anytime promise of omnichannel.

This back-end struggle is being played out in distribution/fulfillment centers (DCs) and stores, many of which are “throwing people at the problem.” They are adapting to new delivery and service demands by creating manual processes or workarounds to fill gaps in current fulfillment systems and processes.

The problem is that these people-driven processes are notoriously inefficient and inaccurate. Unless retailers can optimize and adapt these manual processes, they risk losing customer loyalty and face rising operating costs that are unsustainable in the long term.

A new type of Mobile Work Execution software is designed to address these issues. The solutions fill gaps in automation and inventory planning systems (warehouse management systems) in the DC, and create efficient, accurate, hands-on processes for workers handling product, whether in a DC or in a store.

Mobile Work Execution solutions combine work planning and management software with mobile, voice-directed applications that can be delivered on smartphones and other lightweight mobile devices, which are ideal for in-store or DC use.