Pick App
Product
Retail stores have changed the logistics of how online orders are shipped to customers. Many retailers, like Academy, ship online orders directly from store locations, acting as distribution centers. The Pick App was an app created to streamline the ship from store logistics.
Problem
The process of fulfilling online orders from store inventory was a cumbersome experience for in-store associates. Associates retrieved orders from the antiquated, Sterling desktop software. From the software, they printed paper pick tickets for the products they needed to pick from the store’s floor. With a pen, they marked off the products as they picked it from the floor. They then returned to the desktop software to update the system based on their paper pick tickets.
This process increased cycle time. This resulted in less product being shipped to customers in a 24-hour cycle. The high cost of paper and ink also affected each store’s budget.
Discovery
The first step taken was to visit 4 Houston area stores to learn the current ship from store process. Stores visited were located in Houston, Katy, Pearland, and Missouri City. At each location, a SFS associated walked me though the entire process, from retrieving their requests through Sterling to making FedEx shipping requests. I also conducted interviews to gain insights into pain points, highlights, and areas of improvement.
The following areas of concern were documented:
1. Sterling is a slow application
2. Product images on pick sheets were misleading or inaccurate
3. Important product information, like the styling number, was missing from pick sheets
4. Inventory count was missing on pick sheets resulting in associates searching for products that were not in stock
5. Pick sheets did not have department information resulting in associates spending more time on the floor searching for products
6. Paper sheets were often lost or inaccurately marked as picked or not picked
7. Order accuracy was affected resulting in orders being returned to the store with dissatisfied customers
8. Fulfilling orders took 2 shifts to complete
9. Increase cycle time resulting in less products being delivered from the store each day
10. Miscommunication between associates
11. High costs of paper, pens, and printer ink
Solution
The logistics, from start to finish, was a complex process for associates. They needed a solution to simplify the process in one mobile technology. Based on the research and a series of heuristic evaluations, the following solutions were recommended and implemented:
1. Sterling information directly received to the mobile app
2. Pick app actions directly received back to the Sterling software
3. Improved product detail information and accuracy
4. Improved product images and accuracy
5. Provided the department location for each product
6. Integrated custom controls for selecting and saving picked items
7. Decreased cycle time resulting in orders being fulfilled within one shift
8. Improved product pick accuracy resulting in an increase in correct orders and fewer return orders
9. A savings of over a $1,000,000 from reduction of paper, pens, and ink at 200+ locations
More Details
COMPANY
Academy Sports & Outdoors, December 2015
EFFORT
IBM Analytics, user interviews, direct observations, requirements, heuristic evaluation, user flow mapping, wireframes, prototypes, user interface design, microinteraction design, Axure