How Office Depot maximizes order pickup efficiency | Ferguson invests in homebuilding automation platform | Rexel USA expands services in La. with acquisition of Teche Electric Supply
Office Depot's buy-online-pick-up-in-store program meets its 20-minute guarantee 98.9% of the time, which Vice President of Omnichannel Jamie Columbus said gives the retailer a competitive edge. To meet that guarantee, Office Depot increased efficiencies by upgrading hardware to run an inventory system software that alerts employees when an online order has been placed and eliminating tasks that were not providing value.
Ferguson Enterprises joined Starwood Capital Group in investing in homebuilding platform Higharc, which has raised more than $30 million in its latest funding round, "to help builders seamlessly integrate our products and solutions into their designs," said Blake Luse, managing director of Ferguson Ventures, the industrial distributor's investment unit. Higharc has developed a system that creates a single platform for builders to automate construction, sales and design.
Just 55% of shippers filled their less-than-truckload hauls to capacity last year, and those coming up short left an average of 25 linear feet of deck space, according to research conducted by Drive Research for Flock Freight. Wasted capacity coupled with high fees temper shipper bottom lines, says Flock Freight, which also noted a high percentage of damage claims.
"Lights out" automation that requires no warehouse workers may be available in about 10 years, Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics, posits. Already, buildings are bespoke for Locus' system that integrates other companies' robots, with an induction area surrounded by a pack space -- and some even unloading trucks via robot as well for a totally automated floor.
Although 73% of business-to-business customers expect personalization in their purchasing, just 22% of businesses are meeting these expectations, according to a Forrester Research survey. Product information management software that can make a company's data more accessible and organized can go a long way in helping businesses give customers the level of service they are seeking, industry experts said during a Modern Distribution Management webcast.
Generative AI is already being used in business-to-business marketing, such as in Hubspot's ChatSpot tool that enables marketers to speed up analytics processes, writes Christopher S. Penn, co-founder and the chief data scientist of TrustInsights.ai. Penn gives examples of the kind of prompts B2B marketers can use to get the most out of generative AI.
If your company keeps getting ghosted by new hires, it's time to assess your hiring process to identify where there are disconnects or encounters that could turn off a candidate, even after they accept the job, write consultants and coaches Three and Jackie Carpenter. "Candidates are judging you at every single touch point, so it would be wise to dig into your candidate experience and see what you could do to make a better impression," they write.
