Unlock Efficiency & Accuracy
with Cutting-Edge Retail Technologies
The significance of the retail shopping experience has been amplified amidst ongoing disruptions, as consumer demands evolve and expand. To stay ahead, retailers must swiftly adapt, foreseeing future trends. Companies can meet the dynamic consumer demands by implementing efficient systems that prioritize orders, fulfill them swiftly, and stay on top of consumer needs. It's the consumers who fuel order fulfillment and expect quick delivery, endless choices, and a smooth shopping experience. To keep up, companies need solutions that boost order capacity with speed and precision, while offering system scalability and cutting operational costs.
Navigating Challenges in the Apparel & lifestyle industry
Here are the 3 most common challenges faced by the Apparel & lifestyle industry:
Denser population in cities, smaller warehouses:
- By 2030, 60% of the world’s population will be living in urban environments
- Smart cities, enabling of an interdependent ecosystem
- Close to consumer or micro-fulfillment for non-grocery markets
- This trend is driving apparel companies to get products closer to urban centers, with smaller warehouses, leading to increased labor costs
- One half of growth for the global retail sector in the next five years will be online (equating to $1.4 trillion USD in absolute value growth)
- Gen Z “digital natives” is the largest generation of consumers, accounting for $29 billion to $143 billion in spending; these consumers shop online and in stores more than any other group of consumers (with smaller order sizes)
- Commerce fulfillment services are more complex and demanding than in-store
- As the world becomes more populous, urbanized, and prosperous, demand for energy, food and water will rise
- New generations of consumers make purchasing decisions based on the impact to the environment and their surrounding communities
- Gen Z & Millennials are driving growth in resale, rental and luxury or resilient clothing and moving away from disposable fashion
- Many countries are heavily regulating and monitoring sustainable practices
Denser population in cities, smaller warehouses:
- By 2030, 60% of the world’s population will be living in urban environments
- Smart cities, enabling of an interdependent ecosystem
- Close to consumer or micro-fulfillment for non-grocery markets
- This trend is driving apparel companies to get products closer to urban centers, with smaller warehouses, leading to increased labor costs
- One half of growth for the global retail sector in the next five years will be online (equating to $1.4 trillion USD in absolute value growth)
- Gen Z “digital natives” is the largest generation of consumers, accounting for $29 billion to $143 billion in spending; these consumers shop online and in stores more than any other group of consumers (with smaller order sizes)
- Commerce fulfillment services are more complex and demanding than in-store
- As the world becomes more populous, urbanized, and prosperous, demand for energy, food and water will rise
- New generations of consumers make purchasing decisions based on the impact to the environment and their surrounding communities
- Gen Z & Millennials are driving growth in resale, rental and luxury or resilient clothing and moving away from disposable fashion
- Many countries are heavily regulating and monitoring sustainable practices
Successful Strategies for the Retail & Lifestyle Industry
In the ever-evolving world of retail and lifestyle industries, effectively managing a wide array of products from different brands and suppliers is vital. These sectors, including fashion, home goods, and more, demand efficient processes to navigate complex inventory and keep pace with ever-changing consumer preferences.
Armstrong Dematic provides innovative solutions customized for apparel and lifestyle businesses, transforming warehouse operations to streamline inventory management and order fulfillment seamlessly. Through optimizing accuracy and minimizing manual labor, our integrated systems guarantee operational safety and efficiency, enabling retail and lifestyle companies to excel in today's fiercely competitive market environment.
What are some proven logistics strategies for apparel & lifestyle retailers?
Ecommerce fulfillment tends to generate more returns than traditional brick-and-mortar shopping, and as online sales grow at double-digit rates, returns are expected to rise at a similar pace. Unfortunately, this leads to a significant environmental impact, with about 25% of returned items ending up in landfills. This waste occurs due to various reasons, such as damaged products or health and safety regulations, making sustainability a growing concern. Consumers increasingly demand that brands adopt sustainable practices throughout their operations.
Preparation for peak seasons, whether during the holidays or another time, requires careful planning, not last-minute decisions. Many companies turn to automation for its flexibility and scalability, allowing them to meet manufacturing and order fulfillment demands during their busiest periods.
Using in-store stock to fulfill online orders creates unsustainable pressure on both store inventory and real-time inventory tracking. Retailers who rely on this practice risk depleting products for customers who visit physical locations, potentially leading to a negative shopping experience. To address this, retailers are turning to micro-fulfillment as a solution for their e-commerce needs. Micro-fulfillment can also support inventory requirements for nearby stores, dark stores, and urban fulfillment centers, meeting modern consumer expectations for rapid order fulfillment. This approach allows retailers to maintain control of the shopping experience, retain crucial customer data for personalization, and keep rapid order fulfillment profitable.
The initial 24 hours after receiving returns are crucial for processing. If returned items can be sorted and prepared for resale within this timeframe, there's a significant opportunity to boost overall sales and minimize the risk of holding returned inventory for too long. This is especially vital for seasonal or fashion items, where quickly reintroducing them into the sales inventory is key to reducing holding costs and maximizing their resale potential.
Key Criteria for Selecting an Apparel & Lifestyle Industry Automation Partner
Scalability in Operations
When choosing an automation partner for apparel and lifestyle, focus on their expertise in fashion logistics and ability to address operational challenges. Seek innovative solutions enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and productivity, adaptable to various scales. Armstrong Dematic excels in developing, commissioning, and maintaining solutions with top-notch support and global presence across 14+ countries, ensuring scalable implementation.
Software Integration
Armstrong Dematic's software elevates automation to new levels of efficiency. Their AI-driven BI software optimizes performance and streamlines order fulfillment processes by integrating warehouse operations, maintenance, and analytics into a unified ecosystem.
24/7 Customer Support
Armstrong Dematic brings extensive experience in developing, commissioning, and maintaining solutions, backed by industry-leading support through diagnostics, monitoring, responsive maintenance, and global implementation capabilities. Their 24/7 customer service is unmatched, with operations in over 14 countries.
Wish to know more about Armstrong Dematic
Armstrong Dematic is a global leader in intralogistics and warehouse automation. With innovative know-how we automate your inbound and outbound, Sorting, storage and retrieval & end of line operations. If you wish to make your operations faster smarter and cheaper your search ends at Armstrong Dematic.
