Who’s afraid of Amazon Fresh?

NCR Power Picking prepares for the growing pressure in grocery retail

Many believe that Amazon’s new grocery delivery services will put food retailers under pressure and will see a huge increase on in-store fulfillment.

As analysts have estimated that more global consumers will give online shopping a shot in 2016 than they did in 2015, it’s high time for retailers to expand their omnicommerce portfolios and enhance their “click & collect” experience for their customers.

Grocery online shopping has its specifics that traditional grocers can leverage to their advantage. According to a study by the ECC Cologne, 41 percent of consumers have reservations about the freshness and quality of fresh produce ordered online. 

NCR Power Picking, which is part of NCR’s Retail ONE commerce hub, leverages store level inventory and imports customers’ decision-making preferences, such as perishability dates or the ripeness of produce, through e-commerce applications. 

The solution translates online ordering in the workflow of brick and mortar shopping processes. NCR Power Picking directs the store associate to the exact location of each item within the order, using the most efficient route possible. Items and quantities are confirmed using barcode scanning, and then items are placed into the appropriate tote or bag.

Details of multiple orders are displayed simultaneously on a tablet, which allows a store employee to pick multiple orders based on most effective movement around the store, which improves the efficiency of fulfillment for the retailer.

At EuroCIS 2016 retailers can see the solution in action.