Supply chain disruptions and delayed inventory shipments prevent retailers from setting up their stores with the products customers want. Many retailers need help with too much of the wrong inventory. Target reported that its fulfillment centre list increased by 43% in the last quarter.
Micro fulfillment strategy includes placing small-scale warehouse facilities in densely populated urban locations closer to the consumer to lift delivery times.
Micro fulfillment centre is best for brands to bypass retail stores or expensive fulfillment services by shipping their inventory. Then they can pick, pack, and ship orders within minutes or hours, depending on their service-level commitment to the customer.
But micro fulfillment centre isn’t just the next big thing for businesses; it’s also the next big thing for retail.
What is Micro Fulfillment?
We improve delivery times by setting small-scale warehouse facilities in highly populated urban locations closer to the consumer, which is known as micro fulfillment.
Two-day or less shipping has become mainstream in the past few years. It takes time to keep up the pace if you’re a retailer other than certified warehousing. We observe that the bar progresses to same-day delivery in some cities.
Micro fulfillment centre aims to move inventory and fulfillment near the consumer and enable smaller retailers to compete in shipping times. It’s cheaper to meet short delivery times from big regional DCs in terms of infrastructure and shipping costs. Micro fulfillment makes the last mile more straightforward and more affordable.
How do micro fulfillment centers help small businesses?
MFC, or micro fulfillment center, refers to a small fulfillment facility that handles local retail pickups and e-commerce.
We may locate them in an existing store, warehouse, or small distribution/warehouse facility, typically 10,000 square feet or smaller in size. The typical length of a warehouse is around 300,000 square feet.We should configure the MFC housed in a physical store, so that we can do order pickup and packing without interfering with customer service. We need to routinely refill the MFC with enough inventory to cover operations for 24 to 48 hours. The store serves as a hub for local pickups and ship-from-store orders within a given zip code or geographic area.
We may create a micro fulfillment center as a specially constructed area within the current footprint of a pre-existing structure such as a retail store or warehouse. We can deploy automated and robotic technologies without enlarging the plant, which reduces the cost of satisfying an order by roughly 75%.
They could be located inside a current warehouse or fulfillment center. MFCs can be found in existing stores, parking garages, and basements of smaller businesses. The idea behind a “dark store” is to turn vacant retail space into an MFC.
4 Reasons why you should swipe conventional fulfillment with micro fulfillment centre.
The independent FMC operation is another model. Warehouse providers hire space, build MFC, and offer services to several shops. Shipive provides more than 900 storage facilities in unparalleled can’t metro areas and is a unique service for the REIT storage sector. Conventional fulfillment centre providers are turning to warehouses anywhere to support their MFC-based e-commerce customers.
Agile approach
As a quick answer for the small-to-medium-sized e-commerce shipper, MFCs have found their place. Traditional warehouses must be more extensive and adaptable. To handle specific goods like clothes on hangers or other out-of-the-box packaging, legacy fulfillment operators like 3PLs must become more agile.
Improve fulfillment process
Retailers and online sellers can improve their fulfillment process by using an MFC. An MFC simplifies Meeting Service Level Agreements for shipment cutoff times with delivery carriers. Costs are reduced because fewer miles need to travel. Because there are fewer zones involved, shipping rates for parcel delivery are less expensive.
Tailor-made fulfillment operations
Retailers who had separate fulfillment operations for e-commerce and store channels found that they had products placed in the wrong warehouse when the pandemic shutdowns occurred. We needed to improve the store replenishment channel for that degree of e-commerce, but as online purchasing increased, e-commerce fulfillment faced difficulty in finding inventory. By adding e-commerce capabilities in the location of the merchandise, a pop-up Micro Fulfillment Center (MFC) could bridge this gap.
An overall convenient fulfillment solution
The ability to quickly expand enables merchants to implement a micro-fulfillment strategy. By utilizing flexible space in existing structures, retailers of electronics, cosmetics, fitness equipment, vitamins, and accessories can ramp up production to meet demand in densely populated urban markets.
How does Micro Warehousing work? Let’s talk.
Micro warehousing and micro fulfillment centre are related because they utilize space outside conventional warehouse walls. Moving goods closer to the customer will enable quicker and more effective warehouse fulfillment centers. Micro warehouses use high-density areas to minimize their footprint for increased efficiency and cost savings.
The product mix that the retailer stocks will determine if micro-warehousing is successful. We increase the complexity by the need to store goods such as food, drink, or pharmaceuticals in a climate-controlled environment. We may need to reduce inventory carrying costs to be successful, but high-value or personalized products may not be profitable. However, conventional consumer goods with durable packaging or those that need slightly specific handling, like clothing, fit well.
The plan supports rapid fulfillment through store pickup and home delivery. It is ideal for heavily populated metro areas where labor expenses, real estate costs, and traffic delays may be issues.
It’s time to connect with Shipive.
To bring the goods closer to the customer for a lower price, Shipive provides flexible micro warehousing space in urban areas.
Shipive is the best Micro warehousing fulfillment center in the USA and micro-distribution center for businesses looking for fulfillment partners. The team at Shipive is well-trained and professional and handle your goods with care.
