C onsumers who rarely, if ever, ordered anything online have become an anomaly thanks to the pandemic. Effective e-commerce ful llment has never been more important as the habits shoppers formed during long months of being sequestered have stuck with them. The dif culty of obtaining inventory may have eased but in ation and rising costs continue to complicate matters. Inventory management and variability strategies can help stem pro t bleeding as can use of innovative technology. AUTOMATION ADVANTAGE Having entered the e-commerce space in the 1990s, Gap Inc. was an early adopter. The clothing and accessories
retailer with a portfolio of global brands that includes Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta saw e-commerce business almost double throughout the pandemic. In summer 2022, 35 to 40% of the company’s weekly sales were via e-commerce. “E-com business has held its own, even after our brick-and-mortar stores have re-opened,” says Kevin Kuntz, the company's head of logistics ful llment and procurement operations. Gap Inc. wisely began investing in automation back in 2012, initially concentrating on automated storage and retrieval. It rst acquired TGW cranes, which predominantly handle inbound putaway.
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