United Supermarkets Takes a Fresh Approach to Online Grocery Fulfillment with Wynshop

Background ↓

United Supermarkets

United Supermarkets is a North American supermarket grocery store chain headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. Its first store opened in 1916, and it has since grown to include 95 stores in 30 Texas cities. In 2013, United Supermarkets was acquired by Albertsons, the second-largest supermarket chain in North America.

The Journey ↓

United Supermarkets’ Digital Transformation Journey

In 2016, United Supermarkets had a list building solution for shoppers to plan their grocery lists, and shoppers could not order groceries online. They were seeking an in-house digital commerce solution that could provide complete control over the customer experience and drive costs out of their operations with efficient order fulfillment. United Supermarkets selected the industry-optimized Wynshop platform in order to offer an exceptional click and collect experience for shoppers while maximizing margins and maintaining ownership over their ustomer data and customer loyalty.

Upon the successful implementation of Wynshop Commerce, they launched a pilot program with Wynshop Fulfillment at four stores before rolling out the picking application to 55 locations to expand their pick-up and delivery services. Their team engaged with the Wynshop consulting team to prepare for their anticipated rapid growth, including what it would take to scale a single location to 1,050-1,400 orders per week.

In 2019, they elected to upgrade to the latest version of Wynshop to take advantage of its artificial intelligence capabilities, extensible technology architecture, and growing partner network.

Timeline ↓

The Results ↓

Efficient Order Fulfillment

United Supermarkets relies on Wynshop Fulfillment to achieve pick rates of up to 150 units/hour. The typical manual pick rate of 60-80 picks per hour can be multiplied when automation and intelligence are applied. United Supermarkets attributes their high pick rates to:

• Multi-order picking: Multi-order picking allows United Supermarkets to fill more orders without increasing headcount. Team members pick up to eight orders simultaneously.
• Area mapping: Pickers are trained to pick across the entire store rather than specific zones to ensure efficient picking across any section or zone of the store. Items are mapped to a section of the aisle and pickers are guided by a handheld device that directs them to the area with a picture of the item to help them quickly and easily locate the item.
• Picking path optimization: United Supermarkets feeds data into Wynshop Fulfillment, and the system optimizes the pick paths accordingly. This ensures pickers pick items throughout the store in the most efficient manner for the multiple orders they fill at once.
• Reports and dashboards: Management relies on reports and dashboards to oversee operations and identify areas of improvement. Real-time reports provide visibility into picking performance at the store/ sector/employee level to ensure items are being picked correctly and efficiently.
• Intuitive mobile tools: Wynshop Fulfillment provides pickers with intuitive tools at their fingertips that boost productivity, picking accuracy, and speed. Pickers are able to adopt the tools in a matter of hours.

With the Wynshop platform and the support of the Wynshop team, United Supermarkets is well-positioned to continue to innovate and thrive in the digital economy. They are preparing for their next phase of growth with plans to open new store locations, expand existing locations, and roll out curbside pickup at 75% of their stores by 2023. They continue to set the industry standard for operational excellence, digital profitability, and customer satisfaction.

The Solutions ↓

Wynshop Solutions

• Wynshop Commerce is a complete e-commerce solution. You can now engage shoppers with revenue-boosting recommendations and complex promotions with Wynshop’s easy-to-use content management system!
• Wynshop Fulfillment profitably manage online order picking and fulfillment with the most scalable, adaptable, and reliable solution. Wynshop Fulfillment is an intuitive tool designed for complete visibility over fulfillment operations.
• Wynshop Personalization delivers cutting-edge e-commerce personalization through Halla Intelligence, the only AI-powered technology uniquely designed for the food industry.