Ocado Intelligent Automation - Industries

Fashion & Apparel

Trend-Setting Automation for Fashion Retail.

Agility is the fashion and apparel retail industry’s most competitive advantage, followed by the ability to stock a diverse range of seasons, sizes and styles. OSRS offers retailers both, and more, for direct to consumer e-commerce and omnichannel applications.

The Ocado Storage and Retrieval System (OSRS) enables rapid picking of diverse SKUs while automatically optimizing your inventory and ensuring careful and efficient handling of fashion and apparel items.

By streamlining logistics, OSRS assists in meeting fluctuating consumer demand, preserving the quality of delicate apparel and supporting the industry's need for rapid, seasonal inventory turnover and robust returns processes, all while maximizing storage density and protecting margins.

OSRS also meets seasonal peak challenges head-on, at times when operational efficiency and customer satisfaction traditionally become a real challenge.

For fashion and apparel retailers looking to prioritize speed of deployment over maximizing efficiencies in their existing infrastructure, our Chuck AMR (autonomous mobile robot) offers a lower-cost solution to increase productivity. Chuck is a grid-free robot that's easy to deploy and scale, working alongside your human associates to constantly improve performance and lower variable cost per task.

Fashion & Apparel

Key Benefits

Key benefits of the Ocado Storage and Retrieval System (OSRS) to the fashion & apparel industries.

Reliable, Sustained Peak Performance

Deliver ever-shorter cycle times and reduced order cut-off periods with OSRS’ predictable, continuous throughput

Intrinsic Product Slotting

Utilize smart stock ordering within the grid, as slower-moving SKUs move naturally towards the bottom of the grid while fast-moving SKUs rise to the top

Ultra-High-Density Storage

Carry a far greater range of stock within the same occupied footprint. Compared to conventional pallet storage systems, OSRS' cubic storage grid requires significantly less aisle space

Configurable Workstations

Accommodate both individual item and full case picking with our flexible OSRS pick workstations, designed to support a wide range of SKUs and handle multi-channel order profiles

In-Grid Order Buffering

Unlock additional efficiencies in outbound sortation and dispatch processes by nesting delivery bins inside grid bins, with temporary order buffering to support customer order modifications

Reduce Supply Chain Shrink

Keep valuable inventory secured in the grid from start to end with full traceability and minimal human interaction

How does OSRS maximize throughput for fashion and apparel retailers? Vertical cubic storage enables unparalleled storage density for clothing and apparel, while robotic picking means items can be picked far more quickly than traditional methods.

How does OSRS minimize the challenges of demand forecasting and fluctuation throughout the year? OSRS is highly scalable, enabling retailers to quickly adjust to changing demands, reducing the impact of disruptions such as seasonal fluctuations or unexpected trends. Human-led picking operations can be augmented with Chuck AMR, enabling retailers to quickly scale to meet seasonal demand and labor shortages.

How does OSRS use robotics and AI to optimize fashion and apparel retailers’ operations? Our robots are designed to fulfill orders with high precision, reducing errors in picking and packing items, while AI-driven algorithms within our robotic pick arms optimize inventory management and order fulfillment. This integration streamlines retail operations, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. Robotic Sort robots collaborate with humans, improving employee engagement and experience while increasing overall productivity. They’re capable of handling a range of merchandise securely yet delicately, including deformables such as polybagged items. We can combine robotic sort with your existing put-wall technology to maximize throughput in your current facilities.

How does OSRS ensure delicate fashion items are stored securely and safely within the OSRS grid? Items are always secure whenever they are in the grid. The system's reduced human interaction minimizes the risk of shrink or accidental damage to delicate items. With our robotic pick solution, individual items (eaches) can be picked and packed without the need for human handling.