Retailers Launch Test Robots To Prepare Customers' Online Orders
The hustle and bustle of picking products from the shelves and placing them in the right boxes for online delivery is among the most labor-intensive tasks for warehouse workers. To cut back on those costs, retailers are increasingly turning to machinery and automation — and yes, robots — to get the job done.
Teaching a robot to pick-and-pull products is no easy task, but companies like Hudson’s Bay Co. (which owns Saks Fifth Avenue) and Chinese e-commerce player JD.com Inc. are test-launching robots to prepare orders for delivery, with some companies boasting their robots can move products 50% faster than human workers, the Wall Street Journal reports.
As e-commerce sales skyrocket and retailers pursue more aggressive delivery abilities (such as same-day and overnight deliveries) by moving in closer to customers, retailers are increasingly turning to tech advancements to help with their logistics woes.
