Packagers need to be ready for the demands of omnichannel sales, warns Zebra Technologies, a supplier of rugged mobile computers, barcode scanners and barcode printers, which has just released its ‘Future of Fulfilment’ vision study looking at the on-demand economy.
According to Tom Christodoulou, ANZ sales director at Zebra, it has become extremely rare to find an organisation that’s still weighing up whether to move into omnichannel fulfilment, i.e. using both physical and online outlets to sell products.
This imposes new requirements on the packaging industry.
“The supply chain is looking for visibility throughout its length. Packaging centres will have to start integrating into the rest of the supply chain, whether it’s for clients or their own products,” Christodoulou said.
According to the study, in five years’ time, 67 per cent of logistics companies expect they will provide same-day delivery, with 55 per cent anticipating delivery in a two-hour window by 2028.
Packagers will need to adapt to these demands, Christodoulou said.
“I think the clear trend is that everyone’s going to be a bit more connected going forward, looking for inventory accuracy for their stock, and aiming for flexibility as well. People want things more customised and they want them now."
Jim Hilton, manufacturing and T&L global lead at Zebra, said digital technology and analytics were giving companies new ways to compete in this on-demand world.
“Driven by the always-connected, tech-savvy shopper, retailers, manufacturers and logistics companies are collaborating and swapping roles in uncharted ways to meet shoppers’ omnichannel product fulfilment and delivery expectations,” Hilton said.
“Zebra’s 'Future of Fulfilment' Vision Study found that 95 per cent of survey respondents in Asia-Pacific agreed that e-commerce is driving the need for faster delivery.”
Corresponding to the developments in the fulfilment space, Zebra has introduced a new mobile printer and RFID solution that will help drive better efficiencies both on and off-premise. The new ZQ300 Series mobile printers empower workers in the field, in the warehouse or on the retail floor with on-demand printing capabilities. Meanwhile, the FX9600 fixed UHF RFID readers will enable enterprises to keep up with high volumes of cargo movements in the warehouse or dock doors.
