Optimise Pre-Retail Logistics with ‘Retail Ready’

Many different factors are making pre-retail logistics challenging for manufacturers and brands supplying products to retailers. Growth in omnichannel retail has added sales channels to supply chains, while diversification of product ranges can impact packaging and labelling requirements. The path to net zero carbon emissions can also create new complexities. Scope 3 emissions, for example, can intensify the focus on packaging formats and efficiencies, and the need for suppliers to reduce wastage and carbon emissions during pre-retail logistics.

Alongside these factors, retailers must work hard to satisfy high consumer expectations to drive sales in competitive markets, while also managing costs to protect margins. For these reasons, clearly defined standards for suppliers are a necessity. Retailers need stock inventory to be delivered to them on time, in the right format and perfect quality to ensure that products can be processed quickly for sale. Mistakes, excessive handling and delays are costly, risking missed sales opportunities and negatively impacting brand reputations.

The pre-retail logistics opportunity

For retailers, manufacturers and brands, there’s often significant opportunity to improve efficiencies during pre-retail logistics. In many instances, Advanced Supply Chain (ASC) has seen a heavy reliance on manual processes to coordinate everything from labelling through to quality control, and fleet planning. Manual operations can be replaced with automated and digitalised processes, which are available now and don’t require intensive capital outlay or downtime to realise efficiencies that can also reduce carbon emissions.

Our teams often receive amazed reactions when they specify something as seemingly straightforward as automating on-pack labelling, highlighting its critical role in improving overall performance during pre-retail logistics and compliance with retailers’ supplier standards. Getting labelling right can save time and resource upstream when retailers receive goods, as well as avoiding errors and inefficiencies downstream during the preparation of outbound deliveries to retailers.

The automation and digitalisation of on-pack labelling starts with kiosks in warehouses and fulfilment centres. Labels can be created and printed on demand, eradicating the need for manually writing and filling in forms. As well as making processes quicker, this reduces the chance for errors caused by handwriting mistakes. Labels can be templated, so that they are bespoke to retailer specifications. All the required information can be included and displayed on-pack, strengthening pre-retail compliance and avoiding the need to correct and re-do non-compliant orders. Additional resources and energy incurred through corrective actions can be avoided.

Data-driven visibility

Connecting kiosks to a web-based supply chain management solution enriches the flow and accuracy of stock inventory data. Visibility and insight can be created, which, combined with the right IT capabilities and transport management systems, can be used to improve cube optimisation of fleet vehicles 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. Mileage in supply chains and the number of vehicles in transit can be reduced to save carbon emissions and fuel costs. Just-in-time inventory management can also be better planned, minimising stockpiling and the associated energy consumption and costs of warehousing excessive inventory.

Improving quality control

The automation and digitalisation of labelling proves 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 boosting retailer compliance and safeguarding consumer satisfaction and brand reputations, it also avoids effort and resource being wasted in moving non-satisfactory goods backwards and forwards through supply chains.

Retail Ready streamlines pre-retail logistics to improve efficiencies and sustainability, while reducing costs. The value-added service can help to minimise handling and dwell time in distribution centres, consolidate deliveries, enhance accuracy and create end-to-end visibility of all inbound stock, and boost speed to market.

Contact us to find out more about Retail Ready and how you can streamline pre-retail logistics to move products quickly, accurately and effectively.