CLOUD WMS: BEST WAY TO STREAM HIGHER IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

As fashion and footwear brands expanded their global outreach, they began having a separate warehouse for in-store and online fulfilment. These created problems for labels because it became extremely challenging for them to meet the dynamic needs put forth by customers across various channels. Fashion houses need to implement a warehouse management system that allows them to meet all the needs and optimize various business processes.

The WMS enables fashion brands and retailers catering to inventor sub-classification and associated business logic in picking, optimizing their downstream operations, improving transportation efficiency, and reducing their dependency on a single platform. Brands can no longer solely depend upon manual flow from inbound to outbound and must implement a proper framework for opening new warehouses. And if fashion houses move to cloud computing and software, it serves as an additional benefit to their business model. Its infrastructure as a service enables companies to save money on inventing expensive computer hardware. Now users can access WMS from practically any computer or mobile device. There are many more systems that are affordable for mid-market companies.

Budding fashion and footwear brands and retailers that used to manage inventory using paper or spreadsheets can now reconcile inventory with WMS. Understandably, one size doesn’t fit all; therefore, we have listed various must-haves in the WMS in the current blog.

Let us look at numerous critical features in every WMS:

Architecture

Fashion and footwear companies must look for software that supports flexibility and scalability to adapt to business requirements and technology. Ideally, users must be able to manage shipping methods, products, locations, and other aspects without going back to the provider for additional programming. The WMS should be able to support seasonality and high volumes and provide an easy-to-use interface for even temporary employees. It is not advisable for fashion houses to invest their money in something challenging to comprehend. Before investing in a system, companies must also ensure that the system’s architecture should be workable even after 5 to 10 years because the landscape is changing fast, and you don’t want to waste your time and money on buying new software anytime a new trend emerges.

Functionality

Critical functions depend on the volume of the operation and complexity of products, for instance, sudden rise in purchases during festive or holiday season; therefore, it requires a different solution than offering during off-seasons. In any case, investing in WMS optimizes day-to-day warehouse operations and provides a higher efficiency level to satisfy customers and the bottom line.

The advanced WMS must be able to offer and handle a few table-stakes functions. The extra bells and whistles, such as business intelligence analytics and labor management, are another advantage for companies that need them and can afford them. For instance, the Cloud WMS provides solution support, enabling fashion companies to fully automate receiving, putting away, and cross-docking their inbound products. It helps companies surpass and exceed all their B2C relations with the latest fulfilment solution.

Scalability

WMS requirements depend very much on the size and complexity of the organization and what it aspires to be in the future. Low-cost SaaS mu suffice for companies that aim for a straightforward distribution network but have nothing to offer in terms of analytics and business intelligence to take your business to the next level. Living comfortably within the constraints of “this is what you get in a limited amount, and this is how it works” can be a viable option, and for some, it may be the most cost-effective way to get into a WMS. However, the scenario will be different for small retailers because the functionalities it asks for may not as sophisticated as they might be for big brands. A retailer may serve eCommerce and its store that could expand to serve other distributors and retail partners; hence the need for WMS may be different. The order profile may vary from delivering a single item to a consumer to sending pallet loads to distribution centres. However, using WMS at the beginning can help them cater to growing businesses’ demands and upgrade with higher functionality.

Labor Management and Planning

The WMS must be able to identify the best path for workers to identify the correct inventory to pick apparel and footwear boxes. Fashion labels can also add a gamification element by communicating workers’ productivity. An intelligent labor WMS can help in providing industry guidelines for productivity. For example, a worker should be able to pick a certain quantity of product within an hour, depending on the product size and picking methodology. The interactive dashboards also help brands understand which employee is working better and performing against the standards set for each warehouse.

Direct feedback to workers motivates them and establishes transparent relations with the employer, another crucial aspect of running a successful business. Some systems will also match an employee’s skills or qualifications to the job and identify their weakness or area of expertise.

Closing Remarks-

In a fast-paced, highly competitive market, it is crucial for fashion and footwear brands to stay connected with their buyers and adapt a more customer-centric approach to attain their business goals. And installing WMS is the best way to do it as it is the most seamless and cost-effective business strategy to grapple with current scenarios. CloudGrexPro’s Warehouse Management System is a leading name in the fashion-tech industry for offering smart and robust solutions to automate and modernize fulfilment.

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