In order to see what’s ahead this year in terms of online fulfillment capacity, Bringg, a fulfillment platform provider, issued a study, 2021 Bringg Barometer: State of Retail Delivery & Fulfillment, based on a survey of 1,000 US enterprise retailers and brands.
The retail industry faced immense challenges last year as many were ill-equipped to meet consumers' changing demands in a timely manner due to the pandemic. They did, however, invest in a number of new fulfillment channels to address this shortfall. Many of those surveyed invested in new fulfillment channels since the beginning of the pandemic, including curbside pickup (51%), BOPIS (33%), alternative pickup locations (28%), and same-day delivery (27%).
Retailers and brands surveyed reported that they are prioritizing adding alternative pickup locations (30%) and BOPIS (24%) in the next six to 12 months.
Additional survey findings include:
- The biggest pain points when it comes to scaling delivery are working with multiple fleets (36%), scheduling delivery times with customers (30%), and lack of real-time visibility once the order is out for delivery (20%)
- Lack of visibility (39%) and lack of brand control (31%) are the biggest pain points when it comes to working with external fleets for delivery, followed by cost (29%)
- When it comes to pain points associated with delivering on time, retailers reported the number of drivers available (29%), dispatch and routing issues (20%), and travel distance between warehouse, retail location, etc. and delivery point (19%)
"COVID-19 put an enormous amount of pressure on eCommerce, leaving retailers in a rush to implement fulfillment capabilities that met changing consumer behaviors and demands," said Guy Bloch, CEO of Bringg. "As we look at 2021 and beyond, especially as eCommerce is expected to account for 19.2% of all retail sales by 2024, retailers that prioritize delivery and fulfillment operations will see greater operational efficiencies and provide premium customer experiences.”
