The explosive growth of e-commerce, driven in large part by the proliferation of smartphones, has reshaped traditional notions of peak seasons and posed new challenges for businesses worldwide. Gone are the days of being tethered to a desktop computer for online shopping. With 6.92 billion smartphone users globally, accounting for 85.77% of the population, smartphones have become the primary gateway to digital commerce. They generate the majority of website visitors and account for a significant percentage of online offers, with 74% of retail website traffic and 63% of retail website orders originating from smartphones.Damien Skinner, country manager at Hai Robotics, underscores the profound impact of the shifting e-commerce landscape on the global warehousing sector."Historically, peak seasons were associated with Christmas, summer sales, and back-to-school promotions. However, contemporary trends have introduced new peak periods, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday emerging as global phenomena. These events have put immense pressure on warehouses to fulfil a surge in orders," he said during a recent online event. Managing peak seasons in the warehouse sector effectively requires a departure from traditional approaches that previously relied on throwing more labour at the problem. "In the new environment, this approach is not sustainable," said Skinner, indicating businesses were turning to data-driven strategies more often than not. "An alternative solution to increasing the labour force has always been to rent additional space during peak seasons, but this can also be costly considering rent, set up costs and decommissioning that has to happen." According to Skinner, by using data, an organisation can far more accurately manage warehouses during peak seasons. "Examine your data comprehensively and harness it to develop insights that can shape your future actions. Take a broader view of time and delve into the general activities within your warehouse. This includes analysing metrics such as the volume of outgoing orders, the quantity of items picked, and the intricacies of order construction. These data points serve as the foundational elements for any solution design," he explained. "Remember that data serves as a mirror ref lecting your business's dynamics and offers a valuable resource for forecasting its trajectory. By synthesising this data, you can proactively predict its future direction. Consider various scenarios, especially focusing on growth in specific areas, such as order quantities, order processing methods, order sizes, and the inf lux of new customers. These parameters are pivotal in guiding your strategic decision-making process."
