GIF Store Assist is an order fulfillment software application that digitises and optimises the picking, packing, staging and distribution of online orders. The fulfillment app was custom-built by Walmart and adapted for Massmart, leveraging Walmart’s years of operating experience in the United States.
Key benefits that this proprietary Walmart technology will deliver includes automated, real-time visibility of new orders for store fulfilment teams; configuration of optimal paths for picking orders based on factors like efficiency, product locations and the customer’s chosen fulfilment option; and the addition of product images on orders, enabling easier identification of products on shelf.
Massmart’s vice president of group e-commerce pickup & delivery, Merlin Otto, explains that this is the group’s latest initiative in its quest to become a leading online destination for local shoppers, by leveraging the group’s store network to create a strong omnichannel ecosystem.
“We have made significant investments to build and grow our e-commerce offering at Massmart. Given growth in 2022 of over 90% across the e-commerce portfolio, our ability to efficiently process higher volumes of orders is a key success factor. We anticipate that the integration of GIF into our business will enable shorter lead times for online orders,” he says.
With the rollout across Makro stores completed last month, Massmart said the benefits of GIF Store Assist are already clear with order pick rates having increased by as much as 150% since implementation, and an overall 40% reduction in total order processing time. Following the rapid improvements seen at Makro, the focus has now moved to implementing the technology at Game Stores.
Otto adds, “Although 80% of Makro orders are already delivered within two days, the use of this type of technology will ultimately, in the near future, enable same/next-day order fulfillment across the group.”
