Walmart has opened its second Market Fulfillment Center (MFC).
Source: Pixabay.com
This object of the trading giant’s large-scale presence complex has its own information search and storage systems. A new sales center opened in Bentonville, Arkansas, last Monday, May 22. The first such facility was opened in January 2020 in Salem, New York. The relevant information is contained in a Walmart press release, which was published on the occasion of the opening of a sales center in Arkansas.
Both facilities are powered by Alphabot, a system that uses autonomous carts to retrieve goods purchased from an online store and deliver them to a workstation where a Walmart employee checks, packs, and delivers an order.
Ryan Simpson, a store manager in Bentonville, says that the new order fulfillment system changes the rules of the game. According to him, this solution not only improves the quality of customer service due to faster and more accurate execution of orders but also provides an opportunity to continue to develop the business.
The first Alphabot-based MFC launched in Salem was originally intended to test the technology and explore its possible improvements before launching nationwide.
Walmart claims that automated grocery systems, such as Alphabot, collect and package orders at a speed that is 10 times faster than the pace of similar human work. This technological feature allows you to increase sales volumes as the demand for online grocery services grows.
MFCs were built inside existing stores. This expands the possibilities of using these objects as fulfillment centers.
The technological solution allows you to increase the number of orders that the store can fulfill within one day. Also, in this case, employees of retail establishments have additional time, which they can direct to help visitors make purchases. Another result of the use of technology is the possibility of creating new leadership positions and the possibility of mastering new skills.
Pratibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of innovation and automation at Walmart, says that to improve the quality of life of customers and partners, the trading giant uses technologies that save time. He also noted that this solution improves the quality of service regardless of the method of making a purchase and moves the business forward.
Roy Avidor, CEO of Cymbio, said last year that at the current stage of the development of the trade sector, there is a gradual disappearance of borders between traditional physical and virtual commerce. He also noted that those brands that are expanding the scale of their presence in the digital business dimension by introducing automation processes are more likely to satisfy the wishes of customers regarding the format of interaction with the seller.
As we have reported earlier, Walmart Gains eCommerce Edge Over Amazon in India.
