BOPIS

Last-mile fulfilment can be difficult for Brick & Mortar (B&M) retailers that were never set up for ecommerce and were utilizing an entirely different business model for their retail sales. But, over time, they have come to realize that their B&M locations are already situated closer to consumers than Amazon could ever hope to be, but last-mile delivery is still a challenge.

This is where the Cargo Carousel System (CCS) offers a flexible and efficient solution that provides autonomous delivery options 24 hours a day. With one end of the CCS open into the retail store for staff to load merchandise and the other end fitted with a keypad or card reader, it creates an autonomous delivery system for customers, couriers and drones with the proper authorization to pick up merchandise at their convenience 24 hours a day.

How it Works

The customer orders online, choosing their preferred store location by simply entering their postal code just as they currently do. Store staff load the merchandise into the CCS from inside the store and create a QR code for the order. This allows the customer to pick up the merchandise using the same card that they used to pay for their order. When they get to the security gate they scan their card for access which also initiates movement of the CCS to bring the proper cubic module to the doors of the container so it’s available immediately. The customer scans their card once more at the doors of the container to open the doors so the customer can access their purchases whenever it’s convenient and without assistance from store staff.

For courier or drone pickups, the QR code can be confidentially transferred to them to act as authorization for the pickup, again, whenever it’s convenient and without assistance from store staff.

The CCS can also provide outdoor storage at the DC or at the store to separate store inventory from ecommerce inventory using reefer or ambient temperature containers with remote monitoring, alerting and continuous logging. And, because the CCS brings the merchandise to the doors of the container, they can now be stacked as high as a forklift can reach while still being able to access their contents to provide a much smaller footprint and to help absorb seasonal fluctuations right at the store.