How to Decide if Click-and-Collect is Right for You

,

As industries continue to navigate through the “New Normal”, several distinct shopping patterns have risen to prominence such as click-and-collect. Way before the pandemic, click-and-collect had already climbed 47% within the 2017 holiday season. During the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, click-and-collect purchases skyrocketed 443%, and it is estimated to continue rising as customers adapt to a new more convenient way to shop. To remain competitive in today’s retail landscape, more and more stores are turning to click-and-collect services. However, because every enterprise is inherently unique, Avalon Integration recommends the following questions to ask yourself before committing to a new order fulfillment system.

Does your team have access to inventory visibility?

Warehouse worker using a powercart

Inventory visibility is crucial

Now more than ever, customer expectations drive engagement. Reports indicate that nearly 85% of customers consider returning to retailers who allow them to track their orders. Those same expectations carry over to click-and-collect services, which is why inventory visibility is crucial. Superior inventory visibility empowers you, teams, too:

  • Mitigate surprise out-of-stocks by replenishing items before they reach established risk thresholds 
  • Locate inventory more promptly to increase throughout 
  • Prepare for purchase surges by tracking high-demand inventory

Have you secured reliable communication between team members and customers?

Two warehouse workers checking inventory in a warehouse

Reliable Communication between Team Members is key for any warehouse

To further meet customer expectations and diminish worker stress, companies are encouraged to maintain secured communication channels within the supply chain to avoid any surprises. While there are many connectivity options available, superior options are marked they their versatility and flexibility, such as Zebra Technologies various connectivity systems:

  • Zebra Workforce Connect – Easy to deploy, Workforce Connect brings your mobile device to a new level by integrating push-to-talk and PBX capabilities and secured text messages into your devices without interruptive backend changes. Scalable and cost-effective, Workforce Connect allows users to create groups and assign roles within an adaptable architecture, streamlining communication channels into your mainstream operations.
  • WorryFree WiFi – As part of Zebra’s family of Mobility DNA applications, WorryFree WiFi helps secure wall-to-wall connectivity to enhance device performance anywhere in the warehouse, making sure your device is able to receive order changes as they come since it remains connected to WiFi. Accelerating response times, WorryFree WiFi also delivers better voice quality and network diagnostics to maximize uptime.
  • Complete cellular network flexibility – Zebra’s line of ergonomic compact touch-computers can provide safe communication channels that fit your current operations, connecting your warehouse and field teams through their current mobile devices. Choose from either cellular, Bluetooth, or WiFi connectivity all protected by Zebra’s fortified Android interface.

What is your staff size?

Two warehouse workers moving a pallet

Click-and-collect solutions generally require a smaller team to operate

Last but not least, to accommodate a smaller workforce within a more demanding market, click-and-collect solutions generally require a smaller team to operate, diminishing unnecessary labor efforts and 3PL expenses. This also allows other team members to focus on different tasks without impacting throughput. By refocusing in-store tasks, click and collect services can empower you to enhance:

  • Inventory management
  • In-store customer service
  • Delivery services
  • Online couponing

Simply put, click-and-collect opens up a myriad of opportunities if integrated correctly. To see if click and collect are right for your business, contact us today.

/by

Does Your Mobility Solution Lead to Operational Visibility?

,

Whether in the storefront or on the warehouse floor, mobility and visibility have proven to be essential assets in securing dependable productivity. However, facing increasingly complex supply chains – brought about either from the rise of e-com and/or new BOPIS purchase patterns – companies must learn to maximize both mobility and visibility in order to meet demands without compromise.

As a Zebra Premier Solutions Partner, Avalon Integration is able to explore multiple ways to leverage both mobility and visibility within today’s operations. From enterprise-ready rugged tablets to on-demand RFID mobile printers, modern warehouses can take a variety of pathways to building a mobility solution that enhances visibility. That’s why we’re exploring three mobility solutions that directly maximize visibility. 

Warehouse Handheld Enterprise Mobility Solutions from Zebra

Mobility Solutions for any warehouse

  • Enterprise Mobile Computing – According to surveys conducted by Zebra Technologies’ specialists, over 70% of warehouses are currently investing or seeking new ways to invest in mobility solutions. Failure to do so may damage your competitiveness. Operating with high-speed connectivity and flexible networking options, Zebra’s line of handheld computers secure viable communication channels inside and outside your warehouse, enhancing:
    • Inventory management
    • Order processing times
    • Efficient reverse logistics
  • Migration to Android – While migration may seem like an overwhelming task, it also opens doors to new opportunities such as secured data protecting and facilitated onboarding. Moreover, Android houses Zebra’s exclusive line of productivity applications, Mobility DNA, that allow you to:
    • Deploy push-to-talk features
    • Scan multiple barcodes simultaneously
    • Remotely manage battery performance and life cycles
    • Convert green-screen apps to touchscreen right out of the box
    • Track missing Zebra devices
  • Real-Time On-Demand Tracking – To meet new demands for faster delivery and fulfillment transparency, real-time locationing systems help track your inventory and/or assets. However, Zebra has taken tracking efficiency a step further with the all-new ZQ511/521 mobile printer, which can print 3 to 4 inches of RFID labels on-demand, virtually eliminating wait times and mislabeling errors since labels are readily available when and where needed, so you get:
    • Rugged mobile printing and RFID power fit for field service
    • Efficient workflows in and out of the warehouse
    • High battery performance that survives your longest shift
    • Adaptable printing speeds and darkness to accommodate temperature conditions

Have more questions about RFID? Ask Roi.

Avalon ROI Robot and Zebra

Needless to say, none of these solutions are mutually exclusive, which is why our modernization specialists work diligently to create custom solutions that adapt to your business.  Contact us to see how modernization can maximize mobility and visibility in your operations.

/by

The True Cost of Misplacements (It’s much higher than you expected)

,

Studies suggest that the average person can spend as much as 6.5 months out of their entire lives looking for misplaced personal things. Needless to say, if that time lost were translated into the workplace, companies would be losing more than expected. However, when facing an average 63% accuracy rate in inventory management, it’s clear that misplacements are currently taking a toll on inefficient inventory management. Indeed, poor visibility leads to inventory distortion, which has cost operations worldwide as much as $1.1 trillion to correct. A few other incalculable costs include:

  • Missed opportunities – Out-of-stocks and delayed shipments often push clients to take their business elsewhere.
  • Storage loss – Misplaced inventory also points to inefficient storage hiding in your warehouse that could best be used for something else. 
  • Product shrinkage – In years past, product shrinkage has drained as much as $40 billion dollars from the retail sector alone. 
  • Inefficient labor – When inventory isn’t where it’s supposed to be, workers must spend extra time searching for it, taking time away from more important tasks.

Needless to say, your operations don’t have time for inventory misplacement. That’s why Avalon Integration’s Roi works hard to expand visibility with Zebra Technologies’ RFID Locationing.

Boost ROI with Roi

To maximize ROI with secured intelligent visibility, Avalon partners with you to create a customized locationing solution built with Zebra’s high-precision RFID technologies so you can:

  • Cut down labeling efforts with RFID labels that hold more information than conventional tags.
  • Increase worker performance with long-range ergonomic Zebra RFID mobile computers.
  • Diminish bottlenecks with on-the-go RFID mobile printing, so your teams don’t have to keep walking back to a far-off printing station.
  • Boost order accuracy with seamless verification before products are loaded for delivery

Check out Zebra’s complete line of RFID technologies in our brochure.

Avalon RFID Portfolio Brochure Download

Download the Avalon RFID Portfolio Brochure

Got some RFID questions? Let Roi help you start out your locationing journey.  From expanded warehousing visibility to on-the-move order fulfillment tracking, begin implementing RFID into your workflow when you contact our specialists today.

/by

What happens if you combine Durability and Mobility in a Printer?

,

Buy-online pickup in-store purchases have skyrocketed by 500% in six months. Similarly, cyber-attacks have also been on the rise since 2018. Moreover, new technologies such as 5G networking, have further contributed to the monumental changes revolutionizing the enterprise landscape. Simply put, there are a lot of factors demanding your workforce’s attention…and your printing solution shouldn’t be one of them. However, outdated tools such as bulky legacy industrial printers can add to your workforce’s stress as they leave room for:

  • Slow printing cycles which create bottlenecks
  • Inaccurately printed barcodes that lead to inaccurate scans
  • Increased cyberattack risks stemming from outdated printing OS
  • Unnecessary travel times as workers must walk to far away printing stations

To avoid these risks and more, Avalon Integration introduces you to Zebra Technologies’ newest most rugged mobile printer, the ZQ511/21, as a foundational piece in developing a durable and mobile printing solution.

Download the ZQ511 and ZQ521 Infographic

When the tough get tougher…

ZQ511 RFID ZQ521 RFID Zebra Mobile Printer Product Lineup

ZQ511 RFID and ZQ521 RFID Product Lineup

Coming from a long line of durable lightweight mobile printers, Zebra’s new ZQ511/21 brings several game-changers to eliminate downtime, bottlenecks, and security threats that could burden your operations.

  • Designed for high-performance – Meeting MIL-STD 810G and IEC68-2-32 standards, Zebra’s newest mobile printer is designed to survive multiple drops, tumbles, and extreme temperatures. Moreover, raise IP rating to IP65 when you add an optional exoskeleton for enhanced durability.  
  • Integrated on-demand RFID printing – As the only RFID mobile printer on the market, the ZQ511/21 elevates inventory tracking by delivering and encoding UHF labels on demand. 
  • Intelligent power consumption – Equipped with high-speed WiFi and Low Energy Bluetooth, the ZQ11/21 works as hard as your team any place at any time. Plus, with a high-capacity 3250 mAh PowerPrecision+ battery, count on dependable power even in the longest shifts. Lastly, Sleep Mode further expands battery life by allowing your printer to “sleep” when not in use. 
  • Green-conscious – Reduce waste with a mobile printer that supports linerless printing, virtually eliminating the need to keep disposing of media liner. Moreover, keep your workforce focused and comfortable as they don’t have to haul around more media rolls, diminishing unnecessary travel.
  • Intelligent printing OS and productivity apps – Manage your printers remotely through one secured system. Plus, with Print DNA, expand your printer’s capabilities to integrate faster printing speeds, device visibility, and printing security.

Printing is just beginning. See what makes the Zebra’s line rugged mobile devices ready to tackle the harshest environments with maximum durability.  

download the ZQ511 White Paper

Download the ZQ511 White Paper

Start revolutionizing your printing system when you upgrade your printers through the GO Zebra Trade-In Program. Trade-in printers from any manufacturer for up to $650 in cash back rebates per device and experience the power of dependable mobile printing. 

Contact us today for a free demonstration of Zebra’s ZQ511/21 to see how seamless printing can benefit your operations.

/by