Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas deliveries; what can possibly go wrong?

Black Friday 2014 will be forever remembered by those retailers and manufacturers who ran hugely successful promotions generating increased sales but who failed to have the appropriate supply chain logistics in place.

Many were ill prepared for the increased demand that left several customers dissatisfied by anything from limited stock levels to late deliveries.

There were plenty of lessons to be learnt but one of the areas that retailers should consider when distributing orders is to be more flexible. It makes no sense to just deliver from one big distribution centre if the retailer has a number of large stores that could act as hubs to spread the load and, in doing so, reduce both delivery times and costs.

Customer service has become the new battleground for manufacturers and retailers as they strive for flawless fulfilment. The added complexity of multiple channels to market means there needs to be greater visibility and agility in track and trace.

Consumers now have multiple touch points from which to buy, ranging from bricks and mortar stores to social media. And their expectation is immediacy; same day or next day delivery. Plus, they want to choose delivery destinations; in-store, home, work or somewhere else.

To deliver on these expectations and to have the flexibility to dispatch from more than one location, manufacturers, retailers and distribution centres need visibility of stock across all channels and locations for both their staff, and customers, and to have the logistics in place to physically deliver on orders.

Track and trace technology like label barcoding is pivotal to this process. Empowering staff with handheld mobile devices like scanners and printers gives them visibility of stock, better communication and connectivity and the means to be more operationally efficient.

The next generation of mobile printers are designed to meet the growing mobility needs of manufacturing, logistics and retail organisations. They can withstand the most demanding of environments and be used for numerous applications like proof of delivery, shipping labels and till receipts.

While such technology undoubtedly increases fulfillment speed, maintaining its connectivity is crucial and a good managed service print contract (MPS) minimises downtime and reduces costs. Not all retailers and manufacturers appreciate that most OEM repair solutions are ‘return-to-base’ which proves time consuming and interrupts connectivity; the last thing you need in the run up to Christmas! Again MPS ensures machines are serviced regularly, pre-empting potential issues and enabling many to be remotely fixed thus maximising uptime. A good MPS contact will also ensure that depots don’t run out of the essentials at peak periods like print labels and toner supplies.

Fundamental though to the operational resilience of back office printers and increased warehouse productivity is knowing which printers are really mission critical in the distribution centres. A comprehensive audit of the existing fleet will determine the age and reliability of each device, its function and whether it’s right for the job. This will identify the depots most at risk enabling a support and maintenance strategy to be built in to improve overall operational resilience.

Learning from the mistakes of 2014 is the way forward and it will pay retailers and manufacturers to be fully armed with the technology, knowledge and preparation necessary to not just increase sales but also satisfy both new and existing customers.