Dear Santa, I will not be able to deliver 526 million unpaid packages in one night, but can I not get a little more out of my e-commerce business next December?
Hi Santa,
How was your Christmas Eve? I managed to stay awake myself and am now gearing up for managing the biggest return shipment wave of the year by writing to you.
In my eyes, you are an Olympic champion when it comes to managing flows, operating the largest supply chain in the world. And, be honest, is there not a somewhat comprehensible system behind your 100 percent punctuality and delivery precision?
I mean, when you first started out, there were not as many children that you had to deliver presents to as there are now. You must have complemented your magic with an order and delivery management system to keep up with the increase in volume that can be translated into technical advice for a common mortal online retailer such as me. Or, no?
Of course; it must be (?). Millions of Christmas lists are Big Data, if nothing else, and cannot be managed if they are not in the Cloud. You must at least have a system that expands with the number of wish lists you receive, the level of imagination, and the increasing delivery demands, which also transforms all the data into manageable orders in your manufacturing and distribution center.
All I want for next Christmas is a delivery system worth writing home about in my holiday letter.
Thinking about that is mindboggling. It is hard enough to wrap one’s head around Amazon’s various distribution centers. Imagine what it would be like to visit YOUR warehouse. I picture a crossover between the banking system in the world of Harry Potter and a fully automated robot warehouse in China.
Your choice of location, however, would not work for me. Even if the North Pole is a tax-free international territory, it is a bit too far from the infrastructure I am dependent upon. I do not have flying reindeer or drones within reach, unfortunately.
Normal physical laws do not apply to you and your eight reindeer, apparently. Does that mean it is useless to hope for a concrete tip on this subject? I pose this question filled with a large amount of hope, since I truly, truly dream about some valuable input regarding this.
As an online retailer, my long-term success depends on how a customer experiences a delivery from me. My thoughts therefore always wander to the department for deliveries and returns whenever I have a moment to think about structural challanges. But do you know why, for example, costs for everything related to e-commerce except for shipping are going down? Should we be getting our own carriers?
Do you think my hopes for smarter logistics management is a Gordian knot? Then what is my Alexandrian sword-stroke?
On second thought, if I were to ask for just one single Christmas gift, this would probably be it:
Dear Santa, all I want for next Christmas is a delivery system worth writing home about in my holiday letter.
The gift comes in the form of a PDF. Download it via the link below, and you will see why Santa Claus thinks a good logistics and delivery management system is fundamental for anyone striving for a brand in the same caliber as the big man himself. Or as he would put it:
“It is not about the fact that I deliver Christmas gifts for free. It is how I do it. Quickly, inside your home and with warmth. Every delivery counts.”