Introduction to Store Fulfillment

Overview of Store Fulfillment

Where the 'Store Fulfillment' Module sits within Fluent Order Management

A diagram of the main layers of Fluent Order Management is shown below. As you can see, Store is one of the core modules of the platform providing capabilities of Store fulfillment:

Overview of the Store Fulfillment

'Store Fulfillment' enables stores to function as fulfillment locations by bringing Pick, Pack, and Dispatch capabilities to the store context. It also allows store staff to manage collections and arrivals in the store. Through this module, retailers can expand their fulfillment networks and improve the consumer experience by utilizing existing store stock and fulfilling orders in closer proximity to the consumer.

Fluent Store is the in-store responsive web application that provides the user interface to fulfill orders placed from anywhere. Together with the Store Fulfillment module, they provide store staff with end-to-end order management capabilities. 

Key features

The starting point (or reference features) provided by the Store Fulfillment module include:

• Pick, Pack and Dispatch
• Arrivals
• Customer Collections
• Carrier (or Courier) Collections
• Store fulfillment options
• Store-to-Store transfers
  • Ship-to-Store
• Fulfill-from-Store
  • Ship-from-Store (or Home Delivery)
  • In-store Pick-up (or Click and collect)

Extension of Store fulfillment's capabilities is through Software Development Kits (SDKs).  You'll learn about what's possible through extension as you progress through the course.

How Store fulfillment works

Overview of high-level entities

High-level entities include:

• Fulfillment
• Wave
• Article
• Consignment

This is all driven by workflow functionality, and each fulfillment assigned to the store will allow the store to move the fulfillment through its lifecycle, from beginning to end, through the pick pack and dispatch processes.

As found in larger fulfillment locations, Store Fulfillment utilizes the concept of Wave Picking, to allow the store staff to manage a number of orders at a time.

A Wave workflow facilitates the pick, pack, and dispatch process for the selected number of orders and updates the relevant fulfillment status through the Order workflow as each step is completed.

Once a wave is complete, the customer and courier collections interact with the Order workflow, managing the lifecycle of each article (or parcel) and consignments, should the articles (or parcels) need to be shipped to another location.