28 February 2022 Technological Change and Its Impact on Consumer Behavior Technology is transforming the world and people’s behavior. With digitalization, communication has gained full momentum, shortening distances and promoting immediacy. All of this has influenced how consumers interact with companies and what they expect from them. Today’s customer has more power and demands more from their shopping experience. They want flexibility, comfort, and immediate gratification. Faced with this scenario, companies have embarked on a race to optimize logistics and offer the best service. Omnichannel Sales and the Importance of Channel Integration A strategy that has gained strength is omnichannel or multichannel sales. In an attempt to offer an unparalleled experience to consumers, companies have diversified their sales channels and, most importantly, have worked to ensure they operate in synergy, allowing the customer to move from one channel to another without any friction. In practice, this means that a customer can start a purchase online and complete it in a physical store, or vice versa. They have the freedom to choose what is most convenient for them. But this works well only if all channels are well integrated. Otherwise, it can turn into a nightmare for the customer, with errors, miscommunications, and delays. The Essential Preparation of the Warehouse for Multichannel Sales So, what is essential for multichannel sales to work well? The answer lies in preparing the warehouse for this new reality. Multichannel sales require a highly complex logistical operation, where processes are agile and well-aligned, and information is centralized and available in real time. Efficiency in the Multichannel Warehouse: Speed and Accuracy One of the most evident changes caused by omnichannel in the logistical structure of companies is the demand for greater efficiency: delivery must be faster and 100% accurate. Moreover, once a company becomes multichannel, its warehouse must adapt to serve the new audience. For example, a company that previously distributed only to stores and now has a direct-to-consumer website must restructure to meet both types of demands: larger orders from retailers and fractional orders from customers. The Fundamental Role of the Warehouse Management System (WMS) In this new scenario, which makes operations more complex, it is necessary to invest in tools that assist in the work, bringing more speed and accuracy in order fulfillment. This is where the Warehouse Management System (WMS) comes into play, a software designed precisely to support intralogistics operations, helping in management as well as in material flow. The WMS is present from the receipt of the product to its shipment and, most importantly: the software supports different operations in the same warehouse. The system’s intelligence organizes orders, selects waves at the right time, performs automatic replenishment, organizes delivery routes, among other functions that add a lot to a multichannel operation. The WMS: A Crucial Ally in the Omnichannel Ecosystem Discover some reasons that make the WMS an indispensable tool for a multichannel operation: The WMS establishes specific rules for each type of customer: Even if you serve both retail and e-commerce in a single warehouse, which require different processes, this is not an obstacle when you have the WMS. We know that retail order picking generally occurs in large pallets of the same item, while for e-commerce it tends to involve individual (fractional) items. Therefore, a multichannel warehouse must accommodate more than one picking method, maintaining process organization. The WMS helps improve the customer experience: Today’s consumer desires an unprecedented shopping experience and expects the company to give them full visibility on the status of their order. But how is it possible to provide this data without having a system that records all movements and process flows? This is where WMS helps. The WMS offers a competitive advantage in multichannel sales and helps the business grow: While the big players offer increasingly faster deliveries and attractive shipping costs, other retailers find themselves under pressure to offer a similar service. Those who are not quick to win over customers risk being left behind. Offering a unique shopping experience that provides comfort and flexibility to the customer: this is the biggest challenge for companies that have already taken the first step towards a multichannel strategy. It’s not enough to have more touchpoints with the consumer; All must offer the same quality of service. To this end, it is essential to have high-performance logistics. In this scenario, the WMS system forms the foundation for warehouses to be structured and capable of meeting multiple needs simultaneously. The software needs to be integrated with other systems used by the company, in order to centralize information and thus allow various sectors to perform their work excellently. It is also important to highlight that we are in a new context, where everything changes continuously. Therefore, challenges and obstacles are inevitable. However, for those who invest in technology, it becomes much simpler to face them. The best warehouses thrive even when difficulties arise. Monitoring changes with manual processes is practically impossible. If your company wants to leverage omnichannel to grow, consider adopting a WMS system to standardize your processes, speed up your operations, and thus conquer your market. How does a WMS assist in managing a multichannel warehouse? Deagor WMS per ecommerce può aiutarti!