Retail
Home Delivery, Omni-channel Retailing, Inbound Logistics and Store Distribution
Leading retailers both large and small depend on Descartes technology to better manage the end-to-end processes involved in the transportation of goods from suppliers to end consumers. Whether the challenge is home delivery, omni-channel retailing, global/local inbound logistics or store distribution, Descartes can help retailers realize results quickly and have the flexibility to adapt as businesses change.
Home Delivery is all about “profitable choice”. Descartes can help turn what has traditionally been a cost-focused activity into one that is a customer-facing competitive advantage.
- Differentiated customer service through flexible time-window choices for delivery
- Increased revenue through premium delivery services or time windows
- Reduced costs through steering consumers to optimal delivery times for retailer
- Improved execution through same day/next day scheduling, combined with mobile-enabled proof of delivery and automated pre- and post-delivery notification services
Omni-channel Retailing requires a uniform but differentiated delivery service across all selling channels and delivery modes. Descartes solutions can help create a powerful delivery “face” for retailers to leverage all of their delivery channels in a single, integrated approach.
Inbound Logistics involves optimizing the flow of goods while reducing purchase order to dock or store door lead times. We help retailers gain visibility and control to streamline the flow of the goods locally or globally, regardless of whether the transportation is managed by the supplier or retailer.
Store Distribution means real-time collaboration between retailers and logistics services providers and shared visibility into moving goods more efficiently through the supply chain to the stores where consumers buy them. Descartes solutions help retailers ensure they transport the right goods, to the right location, at the right time and for the lowest cost.
Descartes Solutions for Retail Support:
- Apparel
- Consumer Electronics
- Furniture, Home Furnishings & Appliances
- Grocery, Convenience & Pharmacy
- Mass Merchants
- Specialty Retail
Leading UK Retailer, John Lewis Partnership turned home delivery operations into a strategic differentiator and profit center by offering variable time windows and up selling value-added services online and in-store.
For John Lewis Partnership, the value goes far beyond “just” increasing customer satisfaction. They increased revenues by tens of millions of pounds, due to increased service orders and increased purchases of premium delivery windows. They were able to cut an average of 1 mile (from 7.5 to 6.5) off every delivery route decreasing logistics costs by millions of pounds and reducing carbon emissions.
Additional Resources/Tools
Furniture, Home Furnishings & Appliance Resources
Recent News:
Internet Retailer: The Online Shopper Now Judges the Retail Supply Chain
Supply chain executives at Sears explain how the company transitioned its nationwide home delivery business with Descartes’ route planning and mobile software solutions.
