Page 42 - HW June 2019
P. 42

retail edge
                                                         The delivery bots are coming
LOOKING FOR THAT last mile advantage, autonomous short range delivery bots the size of chilly bins have been scurrying safely around US suburbs for some time.
Always keen to be at the bleeding edge of retailing, now Lowe’s and FedEx have got together to test an autonomous delivery system called SameDay Bot.
SameDay Bot is a FedEx development that’s being developed to operate on sidewalks and along roadsides, remaining pedestrian-safe, stable and avoiding obstacles, while negotiating curbs, stairs, unpaved surfaces and tight turns. Gyroscopic technology helps keep the load level and still.
SameDay Bot has been developed in collaboration with DEKA Development & Research and its founder, Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway.
The Lowe’s-FedEx programme targets the home improvement professional who is mid-project and breaks a drill bit, or the DIYer who finds themselves short of a can of paint to complete
a room.
Lowe’s suggests that, instead of heading to the nearest store,
they pick up the phone or order online and carry on working while a robot is loaded with that critical component and delivers right it to them, the same day.
FedEx says it is also currently talking with other potential partners including AutoZone, Pizza Hut, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart, more than 60% percent of whose customers live within three miles of a store, ideal range for their Esky-sized bot.
Of course there are other similar initiatives in train, including as you’d expect, from Amazon.
The size of a small cooler, Amazon Scout is a pilot of an autonomous electric delivery system created by Amazon that has been rolling along sidewalks in a neighbourhood north of Seattle, Amazon’s hometown.
Starting with six Amazon Scout devices, packages are delivered Monday to Friday, during daylight hours and, although fully autonomous, will initially be accompanied by an Amazon employee...
https://thefuturefedex.com/ https://blog.aboutamazon.com/transportation/meet-scout
  Aussie retailers’
 omni-channel fail
Canadian e-commerce specialist OrderDynamics says that Australian retailers lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to omni- channel.
Its research, Omni-2000 Research: Australia, found that only 31% of Australian retailers offer click & collect, compared to 64% of UK retailers, despite the fact that over 84% of retailers in Australia have an active e-commerce programme (the global average is around 86%, says OrderDynamics).
Out of 299 Australia-based retailers with a minimum of 10 stores, the research found that:
• 53% of omni-channel retailers offer basic, active inventory visibility.
• 14% of retailers provide free return deliveries.
• 47% of retailers offer Buy Online Return In-Store.
developing market of omni-channel capabilities, this pace needs to accelerate,” says OrderDynamics.
Only 5% of Aussie omni-channel retailers are currently selling
on Instagram, for example and only 33% are showing basic, active inventory visibility (showing in-stock or out-of-stock online), and this number is declining at “an alarming rate”.
“While results prove Australia is progressing as a balanced and
www.orderdynamics.com
 40 NZHJ | JUNE 2019
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz





































































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