Keywords: Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Omni-Channel Fulfillment, e-Commerce Fulfillment, Warehouse Analytics, Distribution, Labor Management, Slotting Optimization, Market Shares, Market Growth, Market Trends
The market for warehouse management systems in India is less developed than in many other regions. While users in other regions of the world are now replacing their initial WMS investments, users in India are just beginning to adopt WMS and related value-added services. Many other factors, such as increased awareness of the benefits available from supply chain execution platforms, expanded adoption of WMS add-on modules, and increased demand driven by the omni-channel retail paradigm, enhance growth in the adoption of WMS in India.
“India has a huge addressable market for WMS, thus a large opportunity lies ahead for WMS suppliers in the country. Many companies who were using manual or ‘home grown’ systems to support fulfillment activity, are now looking to improve their operations. The growth of e-commerce has added to the complexity of warehouses, giving WMS suppliers more opportunities to support this change,” according to Senior Analyst Neelam Singh, the co-author of ARC Advisory Group’s “Warehouse Management Systems for India Market Research Study”.
Omni-Channel Commerce Requires Fulfillment Reconfiguration
Brick and mortar retailers and brand manufacturers with direct-to-consumer operations are reconfiguring their fulfillment operations to better support multiple channels. These multi-channel warehouses also require new logic to manage omni-channel waves, put-wall processes, and shipment documentation. Adding e-commerce fulfillment to a traditional warehouse generates the need for functionality to support the piece pick, pack, labeling, and other processes. Meanwhile, retail locations are being outfitted with in-store WMS to improve store-level inventory accuracy and support in-store fulfillment of e-commerce orders.
Integrated Execution Platforms Increase WMS Value
Best-of-breed and ERP providers are touting the benefits offered by integrated supply chain execution platforms. These benefits include breaking down operational silos; providing the ability to collect, aggregate, and share information; and providing the information needed for a holistic operational and analytical perspective. ARC expects these benefits, in addition to the potential for lower total cost of ownership from quicker upgrades and implementation, to contribute to the growth in sales of WMS solutions in the near future.
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