IO tools: key to omnichannel survival

March 1, 2016 - Research Q34

Omnichannel retailers without inventory optimization (IO) tools are running out of time in their battle with Amazon as the e-commerce giant continues to invest in technology to lower costs. To lower picking labor costs and boost the item profit margin for online sales, retailers should use IO tools to position inventory for online orders at the distribution center (DC). Nucleus found that the per unit labor cost for picking online orders in a store is six times higher than when done in a DC.