Keeping up with Online Retail Growth

With the rise of new technologies during recent years, e-commerce and digital retail has experienced a period of rapid growth. That growth reached new heights during the global COVID-19 pandemic, as a growing number of consumers shifted to online shopping in a trend many analysts now believe will become permanent.

In a 2020 U.S. E-commerce Market Report, of companies experiencing 100% revenue growth, nearly 80% of companies that doubled their revenue growth attributed that increase to the COVID-19 pandemic. And 89% of those companies believe the impact on their business growth will continue well into the future. (Source: eCommerce Financing | News | Wayflyer)

The Digital Commerce 360 Index, which ranks food and beverage merchants, is projecting a collective sales increase of 109.1%. This increase tops the previous 2019 growth of 22.9%. (Source: COVID-19 drives a surge in online holiday shopping (digitalcommerce360.com)

With the growing shift toward digital retail, this means technology now more than ever before is critical to the success of business operations. Without consistent, uninterrupted power, operations may grind to a halt – which could adversely impact sales and deliveries to customers.

For years, energy industry and service providers have delivered impressively on resiliency solutions available to retail and e-commerce order fill centers. Customers shopping for resiliency needs in today’s market will easily find numerous product and service implementors offering ideas, approaches and equipment, as well as options to design unique custom resiliency solutions for your facility.

In our work lives, the extraordinary and unexpected impacts of the pandemic have caused massive change. The accelerated demand for e-commerce has driven growth and expansion of order fill facilities and resiliency is even more important than ever to support the digital foundation in which they run.

Now in 2021, facilities and operations continue to add and expand to meet their e-commerce online order fill business. Digital-based operations that run sophisticated handling and order systems require resilient energy systems. It is critical to discuss within your company the real-world financial impact of every minute of power outages. How do you best protect your network and your business from power failure? This covers far more than central refrigeration or the facility’s ability to transfer onto generator power. Your customers expect their orders to arrive on time. They don’t care if your order fulfillment center across the country has been affected by a hurricane, tornado, or a car crash that takes out utility poles. You need to make sure that your energy infrastructure can support your business.

What is new here in resiliency for retail and e-com order fill operators? Starting with a digital base of operations, these sites will require resiliency nearing that of data center or hospital level operations. Resiliency in digital intensive operations will also need instantaneous power support when power transfer events happen. Newer designed retail and e-com orders filled with AI systems will need to be addressed by broadening and strengthening these facilities resiliency.

Sustainable and reliable operations help create the competitive advantage your company needs. Unplanned power outages may affect your sales, customer experience and product quality. That’s why you need a customized energy infrastructure plan that continuously provides you with a cost-effective, flexible and reliable energy system. With more resilient energy equipment, you can help provide a better customer experience, less product waste and more seamless operations.

Predictable and accurate fulfillment equals happy customers and positive reviews.

When evaluating your systems, look for an experienced team that will think alongside and work with you to assess your current infrastructure and then create actionable plans to help ensure  sustainability, reliability and efficiency will be assured in your operations.

Projects related to your resiliency assessment can positively impact other energy intensive initiatives such as energy efficiency, emissions reduction assessments, on-site solar, energy storage, or microgrid options designed to enhance power reliability. Your electrical/mechanical design, build and maintenance services are important details worthy of attention.