Creating Efficiencies
Online grocery ordering experienced another record year in 2021 and PackIt Fresh EcoFreeze™ totes were there! We rolled out pilot programs inside major grocery chains, as well as smaller retail operations both here in the U.S. and abroad. As we look ahead to 2022, a few members of the team and I thought it would be a good idea to share our perspectives on what these use cases have taught us and can teach our current and future PackIt Fresh partners. We’re planning to share a series of blog posts in the coming weeks. We hope you can find the time to read and share your own perspectives as we work together to increase efficiencies, sustainability and food safety in online grocery ordering. Let’s do this!
– Quentin Kluthe, CEO
Conservative estimates put today’s online grocery orders at $100B annually with growth targets of more than $200B by 2024. That is a massive volume of orders being fulfilled for store-pick-up and at-home delivery.
Our 2021 customer programs provided an intimate look at the role our PackIt Fresh EcoFreeze totes play through every step of online grocery order fulfillment. Our EcoFreeze totes aren’t simply a means of transporting perishables from the store to the customer at home – they serve as a refrigerated pick-and-pack AND storage solution, too. Many of our PackIt Fresh partners effectively utilize our totes as a portable, scalable refrigerator inside their stores, warehouses and fulfillment centers.
Because our patented EcoFreeze technology maintains the industry food-safe temperature of 41˚ F for up to 15 hours, they have this flexibility. This helps eliminate the capital expenses required to build out and run large, refrigerated staging areas to keep orders at temperature. That 15-hour, food-safe technology also helps eliminate the purchase of fleets of expensive refrigerator trucks that have been very difficult to secure of late.
Our partners are also reporting that orders are being fulfilled faster, saving them in labor costs while increasing the volume of orders they’re fulfilling every hour. These efficiencies have been very important to them this past year when staff was hard to hire. Pick-lap times are decreasing while order accuracy and overall quality are increasing. Holding an entire order together means far less risk of forgetting an item or even an entire bag when it comes time to deliver to the customer at home.
In short, the take-ways from our 2021 programs have been extremely validating. Reduced labor costs, reduced travel costs and reduced space costs are being further offset by increased order capacity. The PackIt Fresh refrigeration system is delivering on its promise to create EFFICIENCIES through every step of online grocery order fulfillment.
Stay tuned for PackIt and PackIt Fresh Founder and President Melissa Kieling’s update on the different ways PackIt’s Fresh is being integrated into retailers existing fulfillment and delivery strategies. CUSTOMIZATION and SCALABILITY are key!