Fulfillment options planned in retail 2020

In 2020, senior logistics executives in retail and e-commerce fulfillment were asked which fulfillment options they planned to have over the following two or three years. The leading system was in-store fulfillment, chosen by 59 percent of them. The set-up of e-commerce fulfillment centers followed with 51 percent of the answers. According to another survey, U.S. retailers would fulfill orders from physical stores to increase their sales and margins.

Omnichannel fulfillment

As they ensure higher flexibility and profitability, stores are turning into small fulfillment centers and becoming strategic in the whole omnichannel retail, which involves offline and online sale channels. In the United States, omnichannel fulfillment is expected to gather increasing investments. A survey from 2020 revealed that nearly six in ten retail supply chain executives foresees higher investments in the omnichannel area. In close relation to this, the ability to forecast demand and adapt to the more complex supply chain accordingly was a key priority to invest in.

The future of micro-fulfillment

With over nine hundred new openings, retail-based centers will be the main category of micro-fulfillment facilities by 2025. Forecast on next worldwide projects indicates that the storage and delivery of orders from distribution centers or stand-alone installations will play a minor role in retail logistics over the next years.