Riding on the festive spirit and e-commerce upswing

As the world gradually gets on to a path of recovery with the worst of the global COVID-19 pandemic hopefully behind it, even the Indian economy has shown very visible signs of growth across sectors, in the past two months. With the months of October-November heralding the festive season, e-commerce is seeing a significant upswing, thus burgeoning the demand for robust e-commerce logistics services.

The top e-commerce firms in India together amassed sales of USD 3.1 billion in just the first few days of the festive season that kicked-off in the month of October, according to the management consultancy Redseer.

Pent up demand owing to constraints during the global pandemic and lockdown, the relative safety of e-commerce and online deliveries as compared to shopping outside in-person, and the emergence of convenient delivery models like contactless deliveries, kerbside pick-ups, etc. are some factors that also played a key role in driving the increased demand for e-commerce.

Balancing speed with flexible, agile and scalable solutions

No sooner do consumers place an order than they are already tapping on their screens to track their order and see how soon it will reach them. Speed is of the essence. Come festive season, and the tapping only intensifies!

During such times, the ideal option for e-commerce customers is to partner with an e-commerce logistics expert like AvvashyaCCI who can seamlessly manage the entire process flow, right from receiving an order for the dispatch of shipment, packaging, invoicing, coordination with couriers, and even reverse logistics. They also keep track of the quality of goods with thorough checks at entry and exit points as well as during storage.

The maintenance of high standards and quality has assumed even more importance with e-commerce which traditionally comprised of a majority of non-large (mobile phones, apparel, etc.) and white goods (furniture, electronics, etc.) now including food and groceries to a much larger extent. As more and more e-commerce customers look at catering to customers’ needs at a hyper-local level, AvvashyaCCI has geared up and is making its mark in warehousing for food and groceries too. Catering to a few marquee customers already, the organization is also in talks with several others to expand further in this space.

In addition to providing customised, end-to-end solutions, what truly tests the mettle of e-commerce logistics services providers is the ease and efficiency with which they can devise supply chain solutions that are scalable to meet high spikes and fluctuations in demand. Often, festive season demands may require additional manpower, a restructuring in the work-shifts and the requisite adjustments in operational processes to maximise productivity and minimise loss of time or delays.

In recent times, with e-commerce players choosing to have different types of sales all-year-round, the ups and downs in demand need to be accommodated for. Additionally, in event of an unforeseen situation like the global COVID-19 pandemic, for example, there is usually a very stark change in consumer behaviour patterns and consequently in terms of e-commerce demand and products bought.

It is a task best suited for teams of expert professionals who understand the e-commerce sector, are experienced in designing and implementing end-to-end supply chain solutions and are committed to deliver excellence. That’s exactly where AvvashyaCCI steps in!

In the recent festive season, AvvashyaCCI’s performance has been phenomenal at locations all across the country. The monthly throughput i.e. total number of e-commerce orders fulfilled shot through the roof in the month of October, on an average registering growth levels of over 200% and even nearing 300% in some cases, as compared to the average past performance

“Our track record before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has been impeccable. We have successfully handled timely deliveries for essential goods, made forays into the dynamic sector of warehousing for groceries and continue to bolster e-commerce customers to leverage the complete potential of the festive season. A great team, a solution-driven approach, backed by end-to-end capabilities have kept us ahead. Customers across industries have vouched for us and now we are also exploring new levels of first and last mile logistics in collaboration with Gati and its extensive network in more than 19,800 PIN Codes of the country”, says Anoop Chauhan, Chief Operating Officer – Supply Chain, AvvashyaCCI.

Zero compromise on safety and training

Considering that safety is one of the key reasons why customers are currently opting for e-commerce deliveries, it goes without say that the same levels of reliability and safety have got to be maintained by e-commerce logistics service providers at every stage of delivery.

At AvvashyaCCI, not only is the workforce trained in operational duties and processes, but COVID-19 care and safety is also an integral part of the training process.

Additionally, at AvvashyaCCI’s warehouses across the country, strict hygiene and safety protocols continue to be maintained with regular sanitization, social distancing, temperature checks, disinfection of vehicles, etc. Even work-shifts are planned in manner that allows for social distancing and fewer workers in the warehouses, while still ensuring that operations continue without hindrances.

Safety awareness and training is a must for everyone including drivers, handlers, equipment operators, contractual staff, vendors, etc.

Focus on digital tools and technology in the new normal

AvvashyaCCI’s end-to-end e-commerce solutions are bolstered by its cost-efficient, semi-automated warehousing, Warehouse Management System (WMS) applications and ‘Put to Light’ and ‘Pick to Light’ operating models. Additionally, its systems are designed in a manner that they can perfectly integrate with those of their customers, thus streamlining operations and reducing time and cost inefficiencies.

In current times, the idea is to offer cost-effective, sustainable yet efficient e-commerce and warehousing solutions by empowering the human capital. Integrating technologies like voice picking that can enhance manpower productivity and operational accuracy to a great extent by keeping the hands and eyes of the workers free or a ring scanner that is an effective substitute for a bulky hand scanner are some ways to strike this balance.

Not only is it likely to save time and make training more efficient but can also help warehouses manage huge volume of cargo with reduced manpower.

Conclusion

With a wide-ranging experience of serving India’s biggest e-commerce players, unmatched domain expertise and end-to-end supply chain solutions designed with ingenuity, AvvashyaCCI is looking ahead to new performance highlights this festive season and even beyond.