E-commerce: rethinking the warehouse to get closer to the end customer

In 2021, e-commerce in France exceeded 129 billion euros, confirming, according to Vivad, the continued strong growth of the sector. Thus, in France there are 41.8 million electronic buyers, or 80% of Internet users, and more than half of them used their mobile phones as an intermediary. For brands, the stakes are high: speeding up delivery while controlling costs, in order to meet ever-growing consumer demands. Today, connected customers refer their purchasing decisions to the quality of services provided by their online suppliers: availability of items, wide choice of delivery methods, speedy delivery of products at a lower cost, respect for deadlines …

In addition to these requirements, there is another phenomenon: the increase in the frequency of purchases, on average, an e-shopper performs 4.2 online transactions per month with an average basket of 60 euros in 2021.

Integrating the supply chain into an overall strategy

Along with a surge in orders, online sales sites must reinvent their customer relationships to address the many challenges of omnichannel: constantly available and easily accessible inventories, improved processes to speed up order preparation, and reliable and efficient shipping processing solutions to supply to multiple recipients ( stores, end customers, logistics operators, etc.) at competitive prices. Therefore, logistics services have become one of the main pillars of customer satisfaction and loyalty, and thus the growth of the company. The logic that all e-commerce leaders have fully integrated by automating and digitizing their supply chain as much as possible. Therefore the connected repository stands out as a central part of the system.

Digitize your warehouse to meet new challenges: fluidity, speed and service concept

Digitize its warehouses and accommodate its logistics services to provide excellent service to its customers? This is the option offered by Le Vapoteur Discount, a French e-commerce retailer of electronic cigarettes which has more than 27,000 references in its catalog. With a business policy focused on satisfaction and service to customers, it offers deliveries within 24 hours and returns within 14 days. To be able to achieve its goals and keep pace with the significant increase in its activity, the company launched a warehouse equipped by Mecalux with shelves for picking (exiting items) and a mezzanine that allows the exploitation of all available surfaces. The warehouse is managed by From EasyWMS Mecalux, which organizes processes from receiving goods to sending orders, including their preparation. 27,000 references are monitored in real time and operators are guided through each step via the WMS digital interface. Optimizing operations through digitization allows Vapoteur Discount to ship up to 1,500 orders per day, which can reach a peak of 4,500.

Other e-retailers have redesigned their warehouses with Mecalux software solutions. Harcour, a brand of equestrian clothing and accessories, has adapted its warehouse to market developments and omnichannel by offering different sales and communication channels to its customers. From a logistical point of view, this involves large flows of goods and can lead to administrative errors, particularly in the preparation and dispatch of orders. To rectify this and improve operations, it has chosen to trust Easy WMS. The flexibility and scalability offered by the program allows it to calmly face the growth of its activity.

Finally, Spartoo, the expert in selling shoes and ready-to-wear online, has opted for a complete solution that combines shelving for selection, mezzanines and conveyors. The 23,000 square meter warehouse consists of two cells connected by a large conveyor circuit and an area for sorting, consolidating and shipping orders. This design responds to the large flow of goods handled by the company, warehousing needs (over 2,200,000 units) and shipment of more than 20,000 daily orders. The installation is also designed to support Spartoo’s growth over time, as its high storage space can be easily expanded.

Thanks to these logistics solutions, these e-commerce brands are meeting the expectations of their customers and offering shipments more discreet and faster than ever before. A trend that is not about to run out of steam with the increasingly connected consumer, purchases made on social networking platforms, particularly with purchases posted on Instagram, and more personalized messaging with, for example, on-demand delivery systems.