Delivering on Consumer Demands for Speedy Fulfillment 

About Dematic

Dematic is the second-largest global supplier of material handling solutions in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. They supply warehouse, conveyor systems, and other products ranging from complex scanning systems to small business solutions. 

Accelerating Micro-Fulfillment Strategies

Consumer expectations for product fulfillment are higher than ever, with many expecting next-day order delivery. In fact, 77% of customers say they’re likely to shop where same-day delivery is an option. The idea of one-hour order fulfillment – unthinkable just a few short years ago – is a trending topic in supply chain, especially for grocery retailers and urban businesses.  

To help retailers deliver on consumers’ need for speed, Dematic, a pioneer in micro-fulfillment solutions, created an innovative, highly configurable product fulfillment solution. Dematic asked Vervint to design the mobile app and infrastructure to accelerate the order fulfillment process and deliver valuable customer insights to their customers.

Making the Complex Simple

The ecosystem of next-day, one-day, and one-hour fulfillment relies on advanced, interconnected technology and software. Enterprise resource planning tools (ERPs), warehouse management software (WMS), mobile applications, web services, IT infrastructure, physical devices, and other systems must operate seamlessly to deliver a positive experience not just for consumers, but to all involved in the end-to-end fulfillment process. 

Vervint’s task was to create an app to integrate with the existing order fulfillment infrastructure at retail stores. Dematic required the app to connect to a central system for order fulfillment and help employees efficiently pick items from automated systems, fast-picks and within stores. Vervint worked alongside Dematic’s team to build a proof-of-concept mobile app that demonstrated basic design and functionality prior to full development. 

Designing for Users

Vervint relied heavily on user testing data throughout a fast-paced design and development process. The team organized multiple hands-on, in-person sessions with retail workers unfamiliar with Dematic, the micro-fulfillment solution, or the application. The team asked workers to fulfill orders using the mobile app prototype to gather real-world usage data that impacted features and improvements at each stage of product design and development. 

Sessions like these are a crucial part of Vervint’s user-centered design process. User testing creates feedback that informs new features that improve apps, which users can then test. These feedback loops, combined with Vervint’s agile approach, accelerate development and result in robust, user-focused applications. 

Vervint built this native mobile app utilizing Xamarin, allowing Dematic to provide a cross-platform user experience on Android, iOS, and Windows devices. Vervint created application integrations and functionality based on the unique needs of retailers, including laser, barcode, and camera scanning, plus manual barcode entry. The app integrates with warehouse and inventory software to minimize the risk of out-of-stock issues and substitutions. It includes functionality for order substitutions and other situations that retailers often face with online ordering. 

Vervint fully developed this app on an accelerated timeline of about three months so Dematic could showcase the micro-fulfillment solution at their Material Handling and Logistics Conference. 

Since then, Dematic has partnered with various retailers to place micro-fulfillment solutions in stores, giving retailers an edge in customer satisfaction.