There has been a lot of discussion about how traditional logistics can transform and adapt to the e-commerce model. But most of them focus on the thinking level, or planning level; that is, how to use e-commerce thinking to make decisions, interact with customers, and set categories. If we want to talk about the similarities between the two, as logistics: both traditional and e-commerce are initiated based on the flow of goods; and both aim to achieve logistics goals at a certain controllable cost. This goal is the right time and the right way. Get products to the right people in the right places. This is one of the few things we can find in common. And this article mainly through the analysis of some real work situation, perspective its differences.
Before that, we must master some pre-information, which is the basic starting point of our analysis of similarities and differences. In other words, it is basically due to these seemingly simple but basically recognized changes that lead to the difference between traditional and e-commerce logistics models. ! Considering the rigor, we will focus on the retail department store industry. From 3 aspects:
1. On the surface, e-commerce compresses space and accelerates time. Space means that end users and enterprises basically do not have the traditional concept of distance. The sky is roughly the same, and the acceleration of time means that space is actually virtual compression, but it needs to use speed to convert virtual space compression into practical effects. In terms of logistics language, channel efficiency is required; traditional logistics go through multiple layers of transshipment, and finally arrive at the store, and end users pick it up at the door; e-commerce logistics means that the enterprise directly reaches the user and delivers it to the door! Such a change greatly reduces the fault tolerance of logistics. , the agility and flexibility requirements are greatly improved, that is, each transfer point in the traditional logistics process is a verification process, which can detect the occurrence of errors, which cannot and is not allowed in the logistics of e-commerce; E-commerce enterprises, fast response, and changing customers all require e-commerce to cope well, which is rare in traditional logistics (especially the address, the change of the consignee).
2. “Few varieties, large batches, few batches, and long cycles” have been transformed into “multiple varieties, small batches, multiple batches, and short cycles”; such a transformation has resulted in very different logistics behaviors, such as inventory management, Warehousing, picking, vehicle arrangements, etc. vary greatly.
3. The IT technology factor in the logistics link plays a pivotal role in e-commerce logistics. In traditional industries, the role of this factor can only be an effective supplement. A logistics system with strong IT technology is not available in many traditional logistics. This is a lot of An important reason for large e-commerce companies to build their own logistics, such as Yihaodian and JD.com.
With such a general concept, we will easily understand and possibly go deep into each link of the logistics, and analyze the differences and the reasons behind them. By custom, we are divided into two parts: warehousing and distribution.
Warehousing part:
1) Storage method, traditional logistics generally share the storage area and the picking area. The facilities in the warehouse are generally flat warehouses (stacking) and three-dimensional high-level shelves. Due to the characteristics of large batches, the number of boxes in and out is taken as the unit, or even the auxiliary unit; the storage and transfer are mostly based on the pallet. The logistics of e-commerce needs to cope with the characteristics of multi-variety and small batches. At the same time, under the premise of manual operation, a special storage area must be used to improve the storage utilization rate; a special picking area can improve the picking efficiency ( It is mainly equipped with light shelves, and the flat pallet storage space is supplemented.) In the end, the warehouse layout and auxiliary equipment we have seen are very different. The ABC classification of traditional warehouse categories is basically stable, and the products are mature enough, so their storage locations are roughly determined. E-commerce logistics makes ABC classification extremely dynamic due to various combinations and space compression, so this common method (classified storage) becomes difficult to use, and Amazon's random storage also reflects this dilemma to a certain extent.
2) Picking method. In general: the traditional logistics has large outbound batches, and can be directly picked by forklifts. When measuring the picking efficiency, the number of boxes (original packaging boxes) is the main unit. RF assistance is rarely used, because the quantity is large, but the variety is small, and it can be repeatedly counted; the picking process directly picks the fruit, or sows after the fruit is picked; an order batch is large enough, and there is no need to consider how the order is organized into waves. On the contrary, e-commerce needs to win by scale, with a wide variety of varieties, but the quantity is mostly single digits, or even one or two pieces. When picking, one order is obviously not enough to pick fruit. It needs to be considered in waves. Sowing, this kind of fineness cannot be done with rough tools like forklifts, so the common e-commerce picking is mostly RF, picking trolleys, and turnover boxes. RF replaces the human eye to complete the verification of an action, and the turnover box replaces the mobile packaging unit (pallet).
Here I would like to emphasize that the author believes that the most potential improvement for large-scale e-commerce warehouse operations is picking, and there is almost no one. The reason is that ① the order of magnitude is large, small changes but the harvest may be quite large. ② The picking of e-commerce companies cannot be mechanized in the short term, and there are many variables in the implementation. There is still a lot of work to be done on how to establish a scientific process and ensure efficiency. ③ Its complexity is higher. Compared with traditional warehousing operations, it is more important to emphasize its systematic optimization idea. Although, like traditional logistics, improving the efficiency of picking operations needs to start from warehousing planning, how to combine the most shrewd wave, what kind of guidance path to establish, etc., but it is difficult for e-commerce picking to achieve these goals. More, because we have to consider the ABC properties of goods from the big data, how to combine waves, and how to optimize the route; and these basic properties may still change from time to time. What I want to express is that behind this work, it requires a perfect combination of IT technology, data analysis technology, and of course logistics practical experience. Due to the limited space and the suspicion of going off topic, there will be a period later.
If these characteristics are summed up, it is that e-commerce must make sure that one step is correct, how to do it? That is, almost every step must be verified by a fool. Traditional picking is relatively clear. In the author's experience, many skilled picking personnel (traditional logistics) can basically clearly remember the storage locations of some common goods. At this time, the role of the IT system is evident. In a word, the dynamics and operation scale (data scale) of e-commerce greatly exceed that of traditional logistics.
3) Review, the review procedure of the traditional outbound warehouse is important, but it is basically based on the quantity count, as well as the odd box, and the variety check, which can also be done manually alone, while the review of e-commerce is almost re-count, through the terminal of electronic equipment Complete the verification one by one.
4) Information elements, the information elements on traditional logistics goods are not very demanding, because the appearance or physical properties of the goods themselves can be distinguished, for example, no labels are required, and there is no need for a one-to-one correspondence with bills, that is, invoices can be asynchronous with goods. However, e-commerce logistics strictly requires the standardization and integrity of label information. At the same time, if there is no label and barcode information in the order content, it will be lost in the sea, and the invoice must flow synchronously with the goods. Damage to the "customer experience".
5) Packaging: The packaging of traditional logistics generally does not need to be adjusted since it is shipped out of the factory, so there is no obvious packaging line in traditional logistics, and the reason for packaging is reinforcement or safety; while e-commerce logistics is due to the reorganization of goods, "new products" ” is in an unpackaged state, and the e-commerce warehouse packaging line needs to have the ability to design packaging and respond accordingly. It is necessary to develop packaging solutions according to different commodity characteristics and under the constraints of cost and time to ensure the safety of goods in transit. In this regard, packaging is another of the most professional and technical aspects of warehousing and logistics.
6) Inventory: The inventory of traditional logistics is carried out on a regular basis. Since there is no strong system constraint, inventory has also become an important means of inventory management or problem exposure. Traditional logistics can stop operations for inventory, and multi-level inventory distribution also ensures the feasibility of stopping operations. E-commerce logistics cannot achieve such a static inventory, and the 7*24-hour service keeps the warehouse in operation. How to ensure the consistency of accounts So that every change in quantity, status, and position is synchronized with the physical object of the system. Through strict control of these aspects, it can make up for the lack of static inventory work. More feasible is a partial inventory, classification inventory.
Shipping and Delivery Section
Traditional transportation has large batches, relatively single types, and relatively fixed target locations, which is easy to generate economies of scale. Therefore, we have seen many dedicated line companies, and even one person can open a logistics company with one car and one person. Even in the distribution link, there are quite a lot of them. (Most stop at the store). For traditional logistics, the last mile is often the RDC (regional distribution center) to the store. For e-commerce, due to the different types of goods (precious, fragile, etc.), it is difficult to integrate. We can understand that compared with traditional logistics, there is an extra kilometer, that is, site-customer, and this kilometer It is often the core of e-commerce distribution. Specifically:
1) Supply source organization: The traditional transportation source of goods is simple, and it can be attached to a single enterprise to organize the operational source of goods, and the rhythm is relatively stable and the volume of goods is relatively reliable. This is not the case for e-commerce. If a transportation company intends to operate a certain area, it must have more supply objects to ensure overall stability. On the contrary, making self-operated distribution decisions also requires a sufficient order volume, otherwise the decision-making is very unscientific. Easily idle resources.
2) Transportation plan: The traditional logistics point is fixed and the quantity standard has a lot of planning space. In particular, the impact of some seasonal or traffic factors can be more accurately predicted, and the traditional logistics can be transported in advance. Obviously e-commerce can't carry out shipping operations until the last minute of the order, because we can't predict what will be shipped, the real product is the combination. Traditional logistics is different, especially in some traditional festivals (such as the Spring Festival) when transportation resources are relatively tight, it can achieve the effect of "exchanging inventory for transportation". The backlog of high inventory avoids bottlenecks caused by limited transportation resources during peak periods.
3) Procurement of transportation resources: For traditional logistics, the provider and demander of transportation resources remain relatively stable. Contracts are large contracts. The advantage of large contracts is to ensure the minimum risk of operation. More active cooperation is required. However, it is easy to cause commercial bribery in the early stage of purchasing resources, resulting in high cost and low quality. In the process, try to cover up the lack of operational quality. E-commerce logistics procurement allows users to evaluate the results as a direct judge, and transportation plays a pivotal role in the operation process, making the quality of transportation resources more transparent. However, what is more optimistic is that e-commerce thinking affects the evolution of the transportation industry. The successive realization of transportation resource platforms centered on IT technology has laid a foundation for the transparency of the procurement process of transportation resources. The dual dataization of process and results may subvert the The entire logistics industry, not only e-commerce logistics.
4) The last mile: The last mile of both sides is clear. For e-commerce logistics, the last mile plays a very important role. It is the only direct face-to-face channel between e-commerce and users. The data accumulated in the service contains the tentacles of the client, which can accumulate extremely valuable things based on data procurement and information management. For front-end market forecasting, supply chain management is very important. With the advent of the era of big logistics and big data, the commercial value contained in the "last mile" will become more and more obvious. Taking Jingdong Mall as an example, in addition to the self-built logistics system, Jingdong has successively launched campus business halls, subway self-pickup points and community self-pickup counter services. Among the many schemes, "self-promotion" has become the key word. For enterprises, intensive delivery can reduce delivery costs and be more flexible in delivery time, while improving user experience and protecting consumer privacy. However, the problem with the self-lifting cabinet is that the initial investment is relatively large, and when it can break even is still a big problem. To this end, there are many e-commerce companies that cooperate with social resources, including examples of convenience stores and third-party service agencies, as well as products such as Receipt and 24-hour self-service toll stations. In the end, whether resource integration will eventually take the top score or self-promotion will become the best; there is no conclusion yet. Obviously, traditional logistics have less of this trouble.
5) Transportation information flow: Monitoring and information feedback during transportation are very important, but traditional logistics and e-commerce logistics have different emphases.
a) Basic information of the transport unit: Traditional logistics corresponds to a transport unit, and requires strict weight and volume information, while e-commerce logistics is difficult to obtain these data because of packaged goods, but it is also precisely because of packaged goods. It makes the information of the transport unit not very important, because in general, there will not be a huge difference in information such as weight due to different goods in the package, nor will it cause a huge difference in settlement costs. For traditional logistics, the accuracy of basic information is very important because of the large batch size, and the arrangement of vehicles is also an important reference.
b) In-transit tracking, compared with traditional logistics, the in-transit tracking of e-commerce logistics has become part of the "ultimate product", and it must be able to feed back to the place where customers can see it at any time. The traditional logistics allows it to be incomplete or even missing.
c) Receipt feedback, in the traditional logistics industry, we take the consignee's signature as the final proof of the completion of the transaction, and he is the best tool to resolve any disputes. The feasibility lies in the fact that there are few orders, and these documents must be managed by scanning + original documents. And in some specific enterprises, there are strict standards for signing the form, such as stamping and signing the receipt in person. In the e-commerce industry, one is the implementation of payment collection, and the other is the combination of system confirmation and comments. Its huge order volume cannot be managed by traditional methods, and many companies are managed by form here. Also due to the characteristics of the last mile, in order to save time, many couriers have adopted the method of automatically finding someone to collect on their behalf to ensure successful delivery, although there have been many "impostors signing for receipt".
The above is a discussion of the actual operations of traditional logistics and e-commerce logistics. It should be noted that any evaluation is relative, that is, traditional relative to e-commerce or vice versa. There is no comparison, and some views are biased. For example, the last mile of e-commerce is important, but tradition is also important; another example is the simple source of traditional goods, which is actually quite complicated. Therefore, the article itself is to let everyone understand the difference between the two more intuitively, and some places have been enlarged. In conclusion, these differences are a practical feeling that is expected to provide advice on related research or planning.
