Tag: collection

Inditex Reorganises its Logistics & Unifies its Warehouses for Online & Physical Stores

28 February 2018 – El Economista

In recent years, one of Inditex’s big secrets has been its logistical efficiency and its capacity to move any garment anywhere in the world in record time. Nevertheless, the development of its online business has now forced the Galician fashion giant to go a step further.

With the aim of reducing costs and increasing its profit margins, which have been decreasing systematically since 2012, Inditex has launched a project to unify the management of stock for its physical and online stores. The idea is that the same warehouse should be able to supply stores on the high street and in shopping centres, as well as customers who buy garments through the website.

The project forms part of the company’s digital integration policy. In fact, data collected by Inditex shows that a significant proportion of customers make their purchases online in the same physical store and that around 60% of the returns and exchanges for products purchased through the online channel are managed in a physical store.

Omnichannel strategy

In this vein, in recent months, Inditex has been strengthening its omnichannel strategy. In this way, at its store in Marineda, in La Coruña, it has opened an automated delivery point, with capacity for up to 700 packages, where users may pick up orders they have placed online without having to wait.

After launching that project last September, under the development of its equipment at the Technological Centre in Arteixo (La Coruña), the company explained that its aim is to take a step further towards the integration of its physical and online stores.

Improved deliveries

In December, the President of Inditex, Pablo Isla, announced that the group had started to offer same-day delivery in six cities – Madrid, London, Paris, Istanbul, Taipei and Shanghai – and next-day delivery in Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, China and South Korea.

According to Isla, it is about looking for an “increasingly comprehensive management of the online business”, whereby allowing improvements in delivery times. Just a few weeks ago, at the end of January, Zara, the flagship brand of the Galician group, unveiled the first store in the world that specialises in making and collecting online orders, as well as processing any returns or exchanges, at a new store in the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford (London).

That is a pop-up or temporary store, which will remain open until the flagship store in the same shopping centre is reopened in May, which is going to see its surface area double to 4,500 m2 with a completely new concept.

“The staff in that store use tablets and mobile devices to help customers, who have the option of receiving their orders just a few hours later – if the order is placed before 14:00 – or the next day – if it is placed after that time. It also facilitates the payment system thanks to an innovative system of bluetooth card payment terminals”, explain sources at Inditex. The company, which has 7,504 stores in 94 markets around the world, has an online presence in 45 countries and is continuing to make progress against the large online platforms, such as Amazon and Alibaba. Meanwhile, the stock market is still punshing the group for its falling margins; on Tuesday, its share price fell again, by 0.86% to €25.25.

Original story: El Economista (by Javier Romera)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Amazon Launches Automated Lockers in Repsol, Día and Telepizza Stores

28 November 2017 – El País

Amazon is bringing its automated lockers to Spain. They are now located in more than 120 places across 30 Spanish cities, where customers may receive their packages in a simple and safe way, according to a statement issued by the e-commerce giant today (Tuesday).

The lockers are located at selected Repsol gas stations, Telepizza restaurants, Merlin and Unibail shopping centres, Día supermarkets and OhMyBox storage spaces. They are located in Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Tarragona, Valencia, Granada, Murcia and 21 other cities.

This is a collection option for customers who do not want to have to be at home to receive deliveries. Amazon Lockers are automated lockers from where customers can collect their packages at their own convenience. Amazon’s customers can choose the Amazon Locker that fits with their daily schedule, be it at a gas station on the outskirts of town or at one of the shopping centres, pizza restaurants or supermarkets located in the city centre.

More than half of the pick-up points are located at Repsol gas stations, specifically, it has 70 sites across 21 provinces, according to the oil and gas company.

Barcode access

After buying on Amazon.es, customers are invited to select the Amazon Locker of their choice where they can collect their package at the time that best suits them. As soon as the package arrives at the locker, the customer receives an email notification with a unique code, as well as the address and opening hours of the locker that he/she has selected. Once at the pick-up point, customers can either enter the code manually or scan the barcode to access their packages.

Customers have three days to collect their packages before they are returned to Amazon. Some of the lockers are available for customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Our customers in 30 Spanish cities can now use Amazon Lockers. We are delighted that they can choose where and when they collect their orders”, said François Nuyts, Vice-President and Director General of Amazon.es and Amazon.it. “We are investing heavily in Spain to constantly improve the shopping experience for our customers and we are proud to offer Amazon Lockers as an alternative, as well as to work with our partner companies, such as Repsol, Telepizza, Unibail and Día, amongst many others, to offer a new service to our customers.

Original story: El País (by Ramón Muñoz)

Translation: Carmel Drake