From order to delivery: the journey of a fashion item
From order to delivery: the journey of a fashion item
Zalando does everything it can to offer an incomparable shopping experience. But what actually happens between ordering and receiving a parcel? For this article, we take the perspective of a pair of shoes and go through the various stages in a logistics center with them.
It's a beautiful morning in November. Alexis opens the wardrobe, packs up and we leave the house together with Zelda the dog. We always walk the same route in the morning. I like the route because of the asphalt surface, so I usually stay clean. I do have a few dings because Alexis sometimes forgets to put me in the cupboard and Zelda then plays with me. But it's best if I tell you from the start how I ended up here. In this beautiful corner of the world, at home with Alexis and Zelda. Me - a pair of black ankle boots, size 39.
It all started when Alexis was looking for inspiration for her closet in the Zalando app on a Sunday evening to find some chic "all-rounder" footwear for her very extravagant closet. And believe me, her outfits are colorful. Her star sign is Gemini. Of course, that explains a lot. She is very erratic in her choice of clothes. Naturally, this played into my hands when Alexis looked at an influencer's Zalando story. And guess what? This influencer was wearing black ankle boots. And Alexis realized that they look pretty hip, whether with blue jeans or a maxi dress.
So off I went, from the Zalando wish list, into the shopping cart and yes, she pressed "order". I still remember exactly how my journey began. Where? In one of Zalando's 12 logistics centers in Europe, of course...
Dynamic warehousing
Zalando stocks hundreds of thousands of items and keeps track of where each item is located. Thanks to a clever algorithm, the "Zalos" merchandise management system developed by Zalando knows exactly where I am and where my relatives are located in the logistics network. Some of them are also here in the picking warehouse in the same hall. However, as Zalando works with a dynamic warehouse system, we’re not all located together, but are distributed to different locations.
This makes it easier for the "pickers", the people who pick us from the shelves, with the routes and the merging of ordered items. And above all, I get to know other fashion items on the shelves to my right and left. But well, let's not digress. So I'm lying on one of the many shelves, next to the other shoes. And who suddenly drops by? A picker! It's my turn today. Great! He quickly scans the yellow code on my box, which is important for the process so that the system knows that I'm already reserved for an order, and off I go into an orange transport box, which they call tubs.
Everything in flow
Look, there are already a lot of articles in there. Hey guys, how are you? It's great that I'm not alone here. Wow, this is really fun, first I'm lying in the tub trolley and now I'm riding the conveyor system through the logistics center. Oh, now we're standing still? What's going on now? Maybe there was a technical fault and the conveyor system needs to be repaired? But I'm sure the material flow technicians have already sorted that out. They are responsible for keeping everything "in flow" here.
Well, I knew that Eren, one of our material flow technicians, could do it. Let's move on. After a short trip to the so-called "tub warehouse", we all arrive at the packing workstation. You should know that I was able to take a shortcut because Alexis only ordered me. When customers order several items, they first have to be sorted before they can be packed and shipped. But because I'm traveling alone to my new owner, I'm not going to the sorting station, but straight to the packing station.
Cardboard box or envelope?
Hee hee, that tickles. Now I'm carefully taken out of the orange tub and the yellow label on my box is scanned again. Wow, a photo of me even appears on the monitor. This is important so that the person at the packing table knows whether or not they are packing the correct item. So, now I'm lying here on the packing table. The nice packer briefly considers which packaging size is best for me. Together with the delivery bill and the returns label, I am placed in a shipping bag made from 100% recycled paper. Close it, tape it up and put a shipping label on the bag - off I go, on my way.
Last stop: Shipping
Yay, now I'm back on the conveyor belt. A spiral conveyor belt takes me upwards before my shipping label is scanned with the corresponding barcodes and I then go down a chute to the exit. Zalando supplies a total of 25 markets. Each country is assigned at least one chute to which a parcel is then routed to the right truck, depending on its destination.
Love at first sight
Once all the parcels are in the truck trailer, it's time to go. Less than a day later, the moment has finally arrived. The box opens and I look into shining eyes and immediately sense that my new owner Alexis has been eagerly waiting for me. And so began our adventure together.
By the way: Alexis and I were a direct match. However, if I had been too small for her feet, she could have sent me back free of charge. But to make sure she gets the right size next time, she can enter her feedback on the fit of the items she ordered in the app. You can find more information about our size advice here: How Zalando leverages technology to help customers find the right size. Since customers usually only try on the items they order once, Zalando can resell most of them on their next order. Read more about this here: Returns at Zalando and here: Returns at Zalando: A look behind the scenes.