How Intelligent Retail Logistics Management Works – White Glove Furniture Delivery Company Success Story

The last few years have been pivotal for startups all over the world. New ideas crop up everyday with the goal to simplify things across all sorts of industries. Quite often, these ideas and businesses are life changing and one of the defining factors of their financial success is the mastery of the logistics game.

Companies are constantly looking for an easier way to move their products from either manufacturing hubs to retail outlets or to customer delivery points. However, in a country like India, this may not be as easy as it sounds. As an example to further explain this, lets refer to Urban Ladder, a curated online furniture seller, founded in 2012.

Route Planning for White Glove Furniture Delivery

• Typically, furniture industries face a range of problems such as customers demanding instant delivery along with the goods being in perfect condition.
• On top of that, installation of the furniture is a requisite, which results in the company having to ensure that the person handling logistics is skilled and reliable.
• Larger vehicles may also be required to deliver low cost goods or vice versa which is why planning of delivery routes 
• Loading of vehicles must be carefully taken into consideration.

Urban Ladder Use Case:

Urban Ladder i.e., white glove furniture delivery company is a one stop shop for carefully curated high quality furniture that is easily accessible online. With a focus on consumer experiences and honest practices, they believe in excellence in every small thing they do. Attention to detail every step of the way, ensures that their customers get not only good furniture, but also great service.

With deliveries to over 28 locations in India, Urban Ladder could have faced a logistical nightmare. High variability in their product volumes and multiple customer delivery points are just a couple of issues they and other companies in the industry face. Traditionally, the delivery boys are given a list of orders on paper and they are expected to decide on their own which route to take to make faster deliveries.

Similarly, problems arise with regard to load balancing and figuring out which vehicle should drop which orders in order to efficiently meet delivery promises made to customers (SLA’s — explained later). Along with this, having to constantly keep a track of every delivery boy and driver hinders efficiency and is a drain on resources. However, Urban Ladder just happens to be one such company that stays ahead of the game, using technology with our help at Locus to steer clear of any bad dreams coming true.

Intelligent Retail Automation Solutions by Locus

Locus is the Intelligence behind simplifying logistics in order to optimize operations to maintain a high level of consistency, efficiency & transparency.

We provide complete algorithmic automation from the point of dispatch till the order reaches our client’s customers i.e., last mile delivery optimization. Our powerful dashboard helps clients stay aware of all that is going on with features such as live tracking and intelligent alerts that highlight events that need attention the most.

What this means is that when you want to dispatch your deliveries, Locus plugs into your order management system and figures out which of these deliveries should be delivered by what kind of vehicles, in what particular order across what customers and at what timings. So in short, we don’t just tell you where your truck is, we tell you WHERE YOUR TRUCK SHOULD BE!

How Does Locus Help for White Glove Furniture Delivery?

Locus aims to help companies automate their logistics operations and optimize last-mile delivery costs, delivery performance and most importantly, customer satisfaction levels.

Our system factors in hundreds of business variables based on individual client requirements. Whether the requirement is for a multi pick, single drop (MPSD) or like in the case of Urban Ladder — a single pick, multi-drop (SPMD) requirement,

LOTR (Locus On The Road) App for Drivers:

Locus ensures that the right person is assigned to a particular task. Through our LOTR app, delivery agents are able to ensure optimal fleet utilization. Our dashboard gives a complete view of the field workforce at any given instance to the warehouse managers. Also, our client’s customers are left anxiety-free with the assurance of reliable deliveries and the ability to track their orders live through a tracking link.

Dispatch Automation:

Along with this, our platform further helps with the management of deliveries with features including automated smart dispatches and fleet visualisation, proprietary route deviation engine that result in faster deliveries. Locus offers the entire logistics technology stack in the form of a PAAS (platform as a service).

Delivery Scheduling:

All in all, our primary focus is on delivering exceptional customer experience and improving operational efficiency for white glove furniture delivery industry. In the case of Urban Ladder, an example of a scheduled use case i.e on-demand demand delivery services, deliveries are scheduled prior to the actual day of the delivery, giving our systems the input required to provide logical route planning and load balancing solutions.

Through Locus, brands are able to use the optimal number of vehicles, balance and distribute load efficiently and minimize their time and distance on the road.

Streamline Deliveries:

Along with playing a role in achieving greater operational efficiency, Locus also helped Urban Ladder streamline their delivery processes maintain higher customer SLA compliance. An SLA, or Service Level Agreement is a contract between a service provider and the end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider, along with specifically defining what the customer will receive.

For example, promising delivery within a certain time slot (2–4pm). We ensured that Urban Ladder did not have any complications in this regard. And that their on-field resources were best utilized.

“Locus is a fantastic product with a clear interface for easy adoption and usage. For a customer focused, fast growing company like ours, management of on-time, efficient deliveries is super important. Locus has helped improve our productivity by 25% in 3 months. The team has been very engaged and committed towards finding solutions for problems specific to us.”

– KAUSTABH CHAKRABORTY, Sr VP OPERATIONS — URBAN LADDER

With rapid advancements in technology, the retail sector must look to avail the benefits of omnichannel fulfillment retailing. Locus using its technology, understands your business and provides you with the best possible logistical solution for your business operations.