The transformation from manual to smart warehousing: An exploratory study with Swedish retailers
Kembro, Joakim LU
and Norrman, Andreas
LU
(2022)
In International Journal of Logistics Management
33(5).
p.107-135
- Abstract
- Purpose
To meet customers' expectations on shorter lead times, high product availability, flexibility, and variation in delivery and return options, retailers have turned their attention to warehousing and are making big investments in technology. Currently, technology providers are pushing for smart warehousing, a new and under-researched phenomenon. This study aims to conceptualize the term and examine pathways toward implementing smart warehousing.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory survey was administered to 50 leading Swedish retailers in varying segments. A two-tailed t-test for equality of means was used to detect significant differences between current and future states.
Findings
The study... (More) - Purpose
To meet customers' expectations on shorter lead times, high product availability, flexibility, and variation in delivery and return options, retailers have turned their attention to warehousing and are making big investments in technology. Currently, technology providers are pushing for smart warehousing, a new and under-researched phenomenon. This study aims to conceptualize the term and examine pathways toward implementing smart warehousing.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory survey was administered to 50 leading Swedish retailers in varying segments. A two-tailed t-test for equality of means was used to detect significant differences between current and future states.
Findings
The study found that future smart warehouses will be automated, autonomous, digital, and connected, but that retailers will follow different paths along this journey, driven by contextual trends, e.g. sales growth, wider product assortment, shorter lead-time offerings, and integration of brick-and-mortar and online stores. Interestingly, the study revealed that many of the retailers that aim to create smart warehouses in five years are not the retailers with the most developed technology today.
Research limitations/implications
The paper operationalizes smart warehousing in two dimensions: degree of automation and degree of digitalization and connectivity of information platforms. Based on the findings, 16 theoretical propositions are put forth that, based on contextual factors, explain different pathways for retailers to implement smart warehousing.
Practical implications
The empirical insights and theoretical discussions provide practically useful guidance, including outlined trends, for selecting and benchmarking automation and complementary technologies in warehouse operations.
Originality/value
This paper conceptualizes and operationalizes smart warehousing – an original approach. It is also one of the first to investigate the technological transformation in retail warehousing empirically, explaining how and why retailers choose different pathways toward smart warehousing. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/d561d59f-5bd7-45fa-bc68-cc72f384ebe7
- author
- Kembro, Joakim
LU
and Norrman, Andreas
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-06-22
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Retail, Logistics, Warehousing, Automation, TECHNOLOGY, smart, context, transformation
- in
- International Journal of Logistics Management
- volume
- 33
- issue
- 5
- pages
- 28 pages
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85132342907
- ISSN
- 0957-4093
- DOI
- 10.1108/IJLM-11-2021-0525
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d561d59f-5bd7-45fa-bc68-cc72f384ebe7
- date added to LUP
- 2022-06-22 23:38:56
- date last changed
- 2023-04-05 17:44:59
@article{d561d59f-5bd7-45fa-bc68-cc72f384ebe7,
abstract = {{Purpose<br/>To meet customers' expectations on shorter lead times, high product availability, flexibility, and variation in delivery and return options, retailers have turned their attention to warehousing and are making big investments in technology. Currently, technology providers are pushing for smart warehousing, a new and under-researched phenomenon. This study aims to conceptualize the term and examine pathways toward implementing smart warehousing.<br/><br/>Design/methodology/approach<br/>An exploratory survey was administered to 50 leading Swedish retailers in varying segments. A two-tailed t-test for equality of means was used to detect significant differences between current and future states.<br/><br/>Findings<br/>The study found that future smart warehouses will be automated, autonomous, digital, and connected, but that retailers will follow different paths along this journey, driven by contextual trends, e.g. sales growth, wider product assortment, shorter lead-time offerings, and integration of brick-and-mortar and online stores. Interestingly, the study revealed that many of the retailers that aim to create smart warehouses in five years are not the retailers with the most developed technology today.<br/><br/>Research limitations/implications<br/>The paper operationalizes smart warehousing in two dimensions: degree of automation and degree of digitalization and connectivity of information platforms. Based on the findings, 16 theoretical propositions are put forth that, based on contextual factors, explain different pathways for retailers to implement smart warehousing.<br/><br/>Practical implications<br/>The empirical insights and theoretical discussions provide practically useful guidance, including outlined trends, for selecting and benchmarking automation and complementary technologies in warehouse operations.<br/><br/>Originality/value<br/>This paper conceptualizes and operationalizes smart warehousing – an original approach. It is also one of the first to investigate the technological transformation in retail warehousing empirically, explaining how and why retailers choose different pathways toward smart warehousing.}},
author = {{Kembro, Joakim and Norrman, Andreas}},
issn = {{0957-4093}},
keywords = {{Retail; Logistics; Warehousing; Automation; TECHNOLOGY; smart; context; transformation}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{5}},
pages = {{107--135}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{International Journal of Logistics Management}},
title = {{The transformation from manual to smart warehousing: An exploratory study with Swedish retailers}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-11-2021-0525}},
doi = {{10.1108/IJLM-11-2021-0525}},
volume = {{33}},
year = {{2022}},
}