In response to the pandemic’s social distancing requirements and the rise in e-commerce, retailers are expanding their use of robots in warehouses – which in return forces anything from supply chains to customer relationships to accommodate and adjust.
Now, in its primary U.S. distribution centers, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is installing 26 new units of Kindred Sort piece-picking robots.
Though the clothing retailer has been using A.I. robotics since 2018, it has increased the volume to meet social distancing necessities and due to its increase in eCommerce demand.
“American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) is committed to building a supply chain of the future—ensuring we are meeting our American Eagle and Aerie customers however and whenever they choose to shop, and getting merchandise into their hands as quickly as possible,” said Shekar Natarajan, senior V.P., global inventory and supply chain logistics for AEO Inc.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Kindred because artificial intelligence, human-in-the-loop methodology, and on-demand robotics as a service are the way of the future. Kindred robots in AEO’s distribution centers have helped to reduce operational costs, increased associate safety, and expedited throughput to better serve our customers.”
This isn’t the only way the brand has reacted to shifting customer habits since the pandemic outbreak, either. Although planned beforehand, American Eagle Outfitters launched OFFLINE, an athleisure label, in response to the high demand for this type of clothing during WFH times.
Right move at the right time to strengthen relevancy and customer relationships.
AEO, of course, isn’t the only brand rushing more robots into warehouses due to coronavirus disruption and to better serve its customers.
A few months back, Gap reported speeding up its rollout of warehouse robots for assembling online orders so it can limit human contact.
Banana Republic, Athleta, and Old Navy, which are all part of the Gap Inc. group, purchased 73 new robots for use in its U.S. warehouses.
Robotics are meant to help optimize efficiency in the retail group’s operations, which includes picking and sorting, and optimizing overall supply chain performance. And communicate these advancements to the public is a must for these brands’ marketing teams.
“Our employees here have really embraced the robots – they all enjoy them, they are like part of the team,” said Ken McKean, senior director logistics at Gap Inc., in a slightly too-futuristic statement.
In Walmart, robots take inventory, clean floors, fetch goods, and organize shelving. Recently, Walmart Chile started using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for more efficiency and flexibility in its warehouse and factory operations.
This is only the beginning of a whole new robot revolution. According to National Geographic, the pandemic has made more people realize that “automation is going to be a part of work.” Though the original motive was productivity and speed, now it has to do with health and safety. Apparently, humans can’t beat robots’ hygiene habits either.
