This month, locai Solutions has been exploring three more myths around warehouse automation. In April we looked at 3 additional myths around mistaken beliefs that many food retailers may have about automating online fulfillment. You can find that three-part series on our blog. Last week, we dismantled the myth that stock redundancy isn’t a possible indicator of system reliability. Today, in the last post of this new three-part myth-busting series, we’ll tackle another biggie: the myth that system design validation through theoretical data is just as good as a design validated through simulatio ..read more

As we see more and more grocery retailers research and invest in automation, we also see an increase in misconceptions around the technology. With the investment costs involved in automation, it is important to have a high-level understanding of the various pieces which have a major impact on the success of your implementation. In this second, three-part series, we are looking at a new set of common myths when it comes to automation. Again, for this series, we are looking at automation as it applies to order fulfillment. Last week we discussed the difference between workstation capacity and ov ..read more

In April we looked at 3 myths around automation. These included the myths that you need to be a big business to use automation, automation only enhances online ordering, and there’s a long payback period with an automation investment. As with any new technology, misconceptions and misinformation quickly make the rounds adding to the confusion. New terms leave the non-automation expert in the dark as to real-world applications. We are going to continue our myth-busting series and share three additional misconceptions in this new three-part series. Myth #1: Workstation capacity and overall thro ..read more

It’s no secret that grocery eCommerce is rapidly becoming the norm. Consumers today are not only accepting of the idea of online grocery shopping; they’re actively demanding it, causing food retailers to scramble to keep up with the demand. Yet no matter how sophisticated your technology is on the back end – even if you’ve retrofitted your warehouse with AI-powered robots – it’s only as good as what your customers experience. This means grocers need to optimize not only their online fulfillment but also their digital consumer engagement. In other words, while you’re making changes to your inf ..read more

For many food retailers, automated online fulfillment sounds difficult, expensive, and out of reach. The process of switching to warehouse automation is ambiguous, and so many businesses hesitate – but what they may not realize is how much that hesitation is costing them.  Did you know grocers can lose up to $25 on every online order that they fulfill manually?  The fact is, as online grocery continues to climb the charts, manual and in-store fulfillment is simply getting too expensive. Of course, that doesn’t make the switch to automated fulfillment any less daunting. One reason is ..read more

As eGrocery’s market penetration continues to climb, many food retailers are looking into adding automation to their eCommerce strategy. This can be a daunting task since automation comes in so many shapes and sizes. There’s warehouse automation, which often grabs the spotlight with its major role in online fulfillment. There’s retail digital signage, flashing up-to-date pricing on store shelves. There are robots who glide through aisles with mops and product scanners. And then there’s the form of automation that’s perhaps most visible to shoppers: mobile pay, AKA automated pay or self-checkou ..read more

This month, locai Solutions has been exploring three of the biggest myths around warehouse automation. Specifically, we’re looking at the mistaken beliefs that many food retailers have about automating online fulfillment, which may be holding them back from building out a scalable, lucrative eCommerce platform. Last week, we dismantled the myth that automation only improved online fulfillment (spoiler alert: it improves every link in the supply chain, and then some). Today, we’ll tackle another biggie: the myth that warehouse automation takes a long time to start paying for itself. Myth #3:&nb ..read more

Automation is still a new frontier in the realm of grocery eCommerce, which means that many businesses harbor misconceptions about how it works. What does automation look like in a food retail business? Which companies might benefit from it, and what are some considerations around the path toot automation? These are all good questions, and that’s why we at locai Solutions are running a three-part blog series that tackles the three biggest myths of automation. Last week, we debunked the first myth: that automation is only good for big businesses. Today, let’s take a look at the second major myt ..read more

Any time new technology unrolls within an industry, there are bound to be rumors, myths, and misinformation swirling around in its wake. Such is the case with automation in grocery eCommerce, especially in the areas of online fulfillment and micro-fulfillment centers (MFC’s). As more and more food retailers consider automating their warehouses, it’s important to understand what’s true and what’s fiction. In this month’s blog series, we here at locai Solutions are looking at three of the most common myths associated with automation – and of course, exploring the real truth behind them.  T ..read more

For years, the “last mile” has been the bane of food retailers’ eGrocery operations, for a slew of reasons. It’s a logistical hornet’s nest. It’s inefficient and costly. It’s the part of the supply chain that grocers have the least control over, yet it’s the part that customers see and judge their experience from the most. What’s more, consumers are increasingly expecting grocers to offer delivery services – and cover the cost. But of course, where there’s a problem, there is a chance for a solution. Difficulty as much as necessity is the mother of invention. Combine that with a global pandem ..read more