The dynamic development of the e-commerce sector, recently strengthened by the effects of the pandemic, is compared by many entrepreneurs to a harvest defeat. On the one hand, stores record a dynamic increase in orders, on the other - they are not able to fulfill some of them efficiently. This presents entrepreneurs with new challenges in the area of logistics, the center of which is often a warehouse.

As the business grows, the processes taking place in it become more and more complex, and thus warehouse management becomes more and more difficult. The WMS (Warehouse Management System) comes to the rescue, which is not only used in logistics aspects, but also in the flow of goods in the supply chain.
 

The standard of a developing e-store

The incredible dynamics of e-commerce forces entrepreneurs to adapt to customer expectations. The growing number of orders, fast deliveries and high availability of the assortment are just examples of challenges that an online store must take into account. It is then possible for mistakes, such as incorrect product identification or non-compliance of the goods with the order to occur. This generates delays and reduces customer satisfaction.

Taking this into account, more and more companies are choosing a professional warehouse management system that accelerates and facilitates the entire range of processes. According to the Software Connect report, 70% of companies with an assortment of approx. 10,000 products have a WMS system. The functionalities and development potential it offers are unimaginable. For example, by integrating barcode readers, we optimize the work to a large extent. Such a combination allows for faster identification and location of goods and automates generating warehouse documents.

It is also possible, allowing for many additional factors, to analyze the layout and organization of space in the warehouse. Moreover, the system supports human resource management and making decisions in crisis situations.

It is also worth noting that there is a possibility of high personalization of the WMS for a given company. Conducting an audit of the warehouse and all supply chain processes allows to detect dependencies occurring in the company and individually adjust the system to them. Therefore, WMS is used on many levels, not only in the warehouse, but also as a tool to manage logistics processes outside of it.
 

Problems with the storage of goods

A warehouse is a place where "a lot is happening", so optimal space organization is very important. Especially in the case of e-commerce, where fast and correct order fulfillment is very important. The use of the WMS system in this matter is a bull's-eye.

There are situations when a large number of orders forces business owners to decide to expand the storage area, often at the expense of other zones. This causes many problems and disrupts the work of the staff. Assuming such a course of events, the company makes many quick, not always correct decisions, which may result in, for example, an incorrect layout of the entire warehouse.

In this field, we can use the potential of the WMS platform even before the implementation, in terms of planning and verification of ongoing processes. It will allow you to create a logistics map of the warehouse, and thus a detailed analysis of the warehouse layout, as well as the size and location of individual zones. It may be also useful to embrace the view of an experienced logistics specialist, who in cooperation with IT implementers, at the system planning stage, will eliminate fundamental errors in the functioning of the warehouse. It will allow you to develop up to 30% more storage space for goods, without losses for other zones.

In addition, the WMS, based on the data of the stored products, will allow you to calculate all indicators and select the appropriate storage configuration in order to maximize the use of space and ensure the safety of both goods and employees. At the same time, the system will determine the storage time of individual goods, optimizing their purchase, and thus also the storage needs.

There are many different industries in e-commerce, and thanks to the personalization of the system, we can choose from a wide range of possibilities, including the storage option. Moreover, it is also possible to simulate changes in consumer behavior and other criteria influencing storing up goods.

The e-grocery market is a unique example. Food products require an appropriate method of holding, that has regard to the expiry date and the manner of safe-keeping. Ensuring a balance between the level of orders and the availability of products in stock will in this case guarantee customers access to always fresh products.
 

Respond to customer expectations

In the era of growing customer demand, the product offer is also expanding. To avoid mistakes, warehouses use ADC (Automatic Data Capture) technologies to automatically identify products. By using this technology with WMS, it is possible to replace the traditional record of goods and have full control over it.

Products are scanned with a barcode scanner and automatically registered in the system, generating appropriate warehouse documents. The goods are then labeled individually with a given warehouse and placed in the storage area. This gives you full access to information about the assortment, its current availability and location, thanks to which it becomes easier to process orders quickly. In this way, the problem of incorrect order picking is largely resolved and the entire process of delivering the product to the customer is shortened.
 

Fast and efficient order fulfillment

Looking at the order fulfillment process, it is visible that most of the problems associated, emerge at the stage of completion and preparation for shipment. Proper planning of the process is quite a challenge.

The WMS system comes in handy, as it takes care of the appropriate warehouse management and supports the verification of goods parameters.

There are several logistic concepts for the procedure during the order execution. Proceeding in accordance with them in conjunction with the WMS system and the proper functioning of the warehouse eliminates numerous errors, such as shipping a parcel that is discordant with the order, incorrect quantity of goods, untimely execution of the order or difficult or impossible contact with the customer.

The integration of the e-store with the warehouse system will also help in presenting customers with the always up-to-date offer and the appropriate number of available products. Data compliance is then guaranteed, even when updating the store's assortment, prices of individual goods or inventory.
 

Summary

The above-mentioned aspects of the WMS are just examples of the facilities it introduces to the e-commerce industry. Its application is very wide, and the development potential it gives is enormous, regardless of the field of e-store.

WMS allows the company to build a certain competitive advantage, but most of all it improves logistics processes. In turn, they allow proper functioning of the store and they build good relations with customers, increasing the likelihood of further purchases. The awareness of enterprises in this area is constantly growing and warehouse management systems are being implemented more and more often.

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