Closing the gap between instore and online fulfilment
In the past 10 years, the gap between instore and online purchasing is beginning to close. Accelerated by the 2020 global pandemic, the rise in popularity of click and collect has enabled retailers to combine their current instore and online offerings.
Providing convenience to both the customer and the retailer, click and collect has enabled businesses to turn their stores into fulfilment centre hubs – drawing inventory from shelves to fulfil online orders. These stores are also now being used as return centres which in turn centralises the control of a business’s inventory distribution.
Technology within the fulfilment process has become integral to the smooth running of the collection and return process. The need for clear, concise labelling of key information such as order numbers and customer details through QR codes, barcodes, text and logos is essential for outgoing items which are picked and packed from both the shop floor and storeroom. While customer returns also require labelling so an item can be put back on sale or returned to the central hub if required. Desktop label printers placed at certain key checkpoints either at the front or back of house, supplemented with mobile labelling solutions enable convenient printing as part of a larger POS system which might include PCs, tablets, scanners and weighing scales.
Label printers for effective fulfilment
BIXOLON supports a range of industrial, desktop and mobile label printing solutions which can be tailored to a retailers chosen fulfilment requirements. Options include the XQ-840 Android tablet mounted 4-inch desktop label printer which allows staff to print internal labels and read barcodes through the scanner connected to the printer. The XT5-40 industrial label printer which allows high volume, precision labelling with RFID printing capabilities. The XD5-40 quality desktop labelling solution offers direct thermal, thermal transfer or RFID label printing options. Alternatively the XL5-40 dedicated linerless label printer which offers on demand labelling for a range of adhesive strengths. Or the XM7 mobile label printer series which offers 2-inch or 4-inch printing options for high volume labelling on the go.
