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Gartner Reports

Dark stores on an upward trend

Public consumption is increasingly taking place online, which is reflected in the continuing growth of online supermarkets worldwide. Companies, particularly in the retail sector, need to innovate constantly in the face of new consumer trends if they are to remain competitive in the long term.

Dark stores are therefore becoming more common in the e-commerce sector as a means of optimising order preparation and effectively managing the last mile logistics, which is one of the most complex stages of the supply chain. The distribution and order processing centres are often located close to city centres and are set up just like traditional supermarkets. The difference is that there are no customers. Once orders are received, they are all forwarded to the picker, who collects the products from the supermarket aisles and prepares them for delivery.

This model is not just being used in the food sector, but in other areas too and makes it possible to respond efficiently to the growth in online orders. Working with you, we define your logistics goals and set priorities, which we then use to start planning your dark store facility.

Dark stores come with a range of advantages for companies:

  • Effective management of the last mile: The warehouses provide support for managing the last mile. For Logistics 4.0, this is where most of the costs normally are incurred. Dark stores allow products to be sent from a nearby distribution centre directly to the end customer, which simplifies the entire delivery process.
  • More efficient picking processes: Operators follow instructions from the warehouse management software, eliminating errors when preparing orders. Picking is also optimised, as these warehouses can typically use automatic systems such as pick-by-voice.
  • 24/7 operation: Despite the appearance of a supermarket, these warehouses do not have to keep to shop opening hours. Multiple shifts are therefore possible and increase the productivity of the warehouse.