SATO’s Solution to Streamline Operations at Omnichannel Retailers

14/05/24 SATO’s Solution to Streamline Operations at Omnichannel Retailers

Background

In today's ever-evolving retail industry, where consumers enjoy more shopping options than ever before, retail stores are undergoing significant changes. These changes include diversifying their sales and item receiving methods, such as home delivery and click-and-collect services. This diversification has led to increased complexity in their in-store operations.

Business Challenge

A French apparel chain with several hundred stores aimed to streamline its order shipping procedures. They previously relied on a time-consuming manual process where they used a PC in their stockroom to download invoice data from the cloud. This data was printed on A4 or letter-sized paper using a laser printer located in the back office, and stores were left unattended as associates had to print and pick up the invoices. Invoices were inserted into clear pouches and pasted to parcels for shipping. Portions of the paper were wasted, and invoices were often mixed up. In addition to the operational challenges, the imperative for the French company to comply with AGEC Law (Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy) heightened the significance of reducing waste.

Solution

The solution included the integration of SATO’s CT4-LX printer, equipped with PDF direct print capability, and SATO AEP (Application Enabled Printing) cloud connector. This allowed the apparel chain's Order Management System (OMS) to print directly to the CT4-LX printer without necessitating any changes to their existing OMS. The compact SATO printers were well-suited for in-store use, enabling on-the-spot, error-free label printing. This transformation resulted in more precise stock tracking, real-time item monitoring from factory to distribution centers through RFID technology, and heightened consumer satisfaction. Consequently, this translated into a 50% surge in orders and a significant reduction in returns. Furthermore, stores had the capability to reprint price tags on the spot, aiding in stock clearance and reducing warehouse returns by 90%. SATO's hub solution streamlined inventory and shipping management at the store, resulting in more accurate and efficient operations.

Results