Descartes Systems Group was awarded the 2014 Logistic Business IT award in the UK. Of the numerous software suppliers the solution Descartes implemented for and with John Lewis Partnership was chosen based on performance and ROI. John Lewis improved delivery fleet productivity and sale of value-added services Modern retailing requires an omni-channel approach. John Lewis was struggling with how to keep service levels high when offering any kind of delivery service to customers. The company was looking for a better way to deliver services than their competitors. In the past they had been adding services and arranging time manually, but that was inefficient and costly as they could not predict or plan for future routes. In addition to this John Lewis wanted to expand its omni-channel business - action was needed. Descartes Reservations™ and Descartes Route Planner™ solutions helped John Lewis by combining shop and web orders with any kind of service a customer would demand. With regards to creating the desired customer-centric fulfillment John Lewis set a goal that scheduling a product for delivery had to be as easy, as fast, and as flexible for the customer as buying the product was. It had to be profitable for John Lewis as well. To satisfy that mandate, John Lewis provides a delivery scheduling system that lets the thousands of customers who schedule delivery each day choose the delivery schedule that suites them at the point of sale in seconds. There are no delays between placing an order for a product and scheduling the delivery. A range of costed delivery choices are available to the customer at point of sale so the customer can choose what is convenient for them. Value added services such as electrical installation and disposal of old appliances are also available at point of sale of the product and are factored into the delivery options available to the customer. John Lewis did all this in a way that reduced its fulfillment costs by £1.8m and directly contributed tens of millions of pounds to its top line.

Innovative omni-channel retailing

Providing customers the same experience regardless of how they shop (on-line, in-store or over the phone) and scheduling deliveries at the point of sale has significantly strengthened the John Lewis brand and its reputation as an innovative omni-channel retailer. The solution, gives the customer choice and convenience whilst delivering a substantial return on investment for John Lewis in terms of both the significant cost savings achieved and increased revenue from the sale of value added services. Email info@descartes.com to discover how your transport operation can benefit from Descartes Routing Solutions.