The fashion industry:
fast-paced and omni-channel logistics

The fashion industry's warehouses face several unique challenges, stemming from the fast-paced nature of the industry and the specific characteristics of clothing.

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Challenges facing the fashion industry’s warehouses

Seasonality and demand fluctuations

Fashion trends change rapidly, leading to significant fluctuations in demand for specific items. Warehouses need to be adaptable, managing overstocking during peak seasons and potential stockouts during slow periods.

High returns rate

Online shopping has seen a surge in returns for fashion items due to factors like sizing issues, colour discrepancies, or changing consumer preferences. Efficient return processing systems are crucial in warehouse operations.

Inventory management

Balancing inventory levels is a constant struggle. Understocking can lead to lost sales, while overstocking ties up capital and risks items becoming outdated. Accurate forecasting and flexible inventory management strategies are essential.

Omni-channel distribution

Fashion brands often operate across multiple channels, including online stores, physical stores, and wholesale partnerships. Warehouses must be equipped to handle efficient order fulfilment across these diverse channels.

Space constraints

Clothing items come in various sizes and shapes, making efficient space utilisation a challenge. Warehouses need to optimize storage solutions to accommodate diverse inventory while maintaining accessibility.

High SKU count

Fashion brands often offer a wide variety of styles, colours, and sizes, leading to a high number of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units). Warehouse racking needs to be flexible enough to handle this complexity.

Solutions from stow for the fashion warehouse

Overcoming these challenges requires a focus on automation and efficient order fulfilment processes.

Storage solutions from stow for the fashion industry include light weight shelving which can be custom built and accessorised with clothing/garment hangers and can also store boxes. Hanging and flat pack apparel storage is also achievable. Conveyors and multi-tier or mezzanine floors can be employed for sectioning the space and moving products without human intervention.

Additional space without losing floor space

The Mezza-stow® system has been developed for the construction of system floors. Unlike conventional steel constructions, it can be easily expanded, moved or modified for future requirements. Combined with a full range of accessories, such as staircases, handrails and safety gates, it lends itself to use in almost any situation: multitier flooring systems, shelving and pallet racking systems combined with flooring, etc.

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An AS/RS system for totes, cartons or trays

stow’s automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), called the Miniload Multi-Store, is used for storing totes, cartons or trays (goods) in a beam typed rack. With depth supports between the beam, the goods can be stored. The advantage of this system is that different sizes (width/depth/height) of goods can be stored within the same system.

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Increase storage capacity up to 90%

Where storage space is expensive or scarce, for example in cold stores, mobile racking is the perfect solution. Adding pick & deposit stations on the ends of your stow Mobile mobile racking system might further increase the warehouse efficiency, resulting in a higher return on investment.

Each mobile racking and storage system can increase capacity up to 90% compared to conventional pallet racking systems and may lead to a significant decrease in lighting, heating or cooling costs.

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