The massive growth in e-commerce since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic has required a monumental shift for the FMCG industry.But, says Anthea van Breemen of Forte Warehouse Solutions, industry has responded well and is coping with the new logistics demands brought on by online ordering.She told Freight News the new online ordering apps required faster turnaround times which often placed pressure on the back-end warehouse and storage facilities.“There has to be an equal response of faster, more accurate picking and distribution across an organisation. To support this, warehouse management systems (WMS) have had to improve their picking and replenishment methodologies. A good example of this is for the system to allow for more than one unit of measure for the picking of products.”She said new developments assisting with the growth on the ground were the move to cloud-based WMS and the visibility of data from different platforms in one place.Commenting on some of the top trends in the FMCG sector, Van Breemen said the impact of Covid on consumers was evident in the move from brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping. “We have also seen a drop in the sale of luxury items while essential goods are stable and sales are ongoing.”Van Breemen said the market, however, remained unpredictable, making inventory management more difficult. “The trends have changed and what used to be a predictable monthly curve for certain products is now completely unpredictable. Item sales can be down the one week and double the next week, making it difficult to identify any trends for planning.”Returns was another area posing some challenges, even though it’s a benefit offered to online shoppers. “One of the challenges is expiry and shelf-life dates on articles. Not only must this be controlled with returns, but the WMS must cater for the tracking and visibility for both recapture value or the disposal of these goods if they have passed these dates”.Growth in the FMCG sector was still for essential products while the market for luxury items was expected to remain in the doldrums for the foreseeable future, in her view.“These are challenging times, but technology is helping companies to manage changes that are necessary to stay ahead in this market,” said Van Breemen.New online ordering apps require faster turnaround times which often place pressure on back-end warehouse and storage facilities.– Anthea van Breemen
