Massmart, owner of Game, Builders and Makro, has introduced parent Walmart’s global integrated fulfilment software to all Makro stores – with plans to expand to Game and Builders soon.

GIF Store Assist is an order fulfilment software application that digitises and optimises the picking, packing, staging and distribution of online orders. The app was custom-built by Walmart and adapted for Massmart, leveraging Walmart’s experience in the US.

Massmart vice president of group e-commerce delivery Merlin Otto said: “We have made significant investments to build and grow our e-commerce offering. Given growth in 2022 of over 90% across the e-commerce portfolio, our ability to process higher volumes of orders efficiently is a key success factor. We anticipate that the integration of GIF into our business will result in shorter lead times for online orders.”

Key benefits that the proprietary Walmart technology will deliver include automated real-time visibility of new orders for store fulfilment teams; configuration of the best 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, allowing for easier identification of products on shelf.

The roll-out across Makro stores was completed last month and 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, Massmart said.

Following the rapid improvements seen at Makro, the focus has now shifted to implementing the technology at Game stores.

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“Although 80% of Makro orders are already delivered within two days, the use of this type of technology will enable same-day and next-day order fulfilment across the group in the near future,” Otto said. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media