Urban Ecommerce Fulfillment Center Design
Ecommerce was already a major trend in the retail sector, but there has been a faster growth since 2020. This has increased the demand for services that support online sales, and fulfillment centers are now being deployed closer to the customer. According to a study by eMarketer, Global ecommerce increased by 27.6% in 2020, reaching a sales volume of $4.28 trillion.
- This remarkable growth was possible in a year where global retail sales dropped by 3%, and a more modest growth of 16.5% had been forecast for ecommerce.
- Considering that worldwide retail sales had a volume of $23.839 trillion, ecommerce represented nearly 18% of the market, up from 13% in 2019.
The rapid growth of ecommerce brings challenges, but it also creates opportunities in the 3PL industry. Customers now expect same-day delivery for many products, and in some cases even a 1 hour delivery.
Regional distribution centers cannot meet this demand, for the simple reason that they cannot be close to all customers. However, smaller fulfillment centers can be deployed in urban locations, relying on robotics to achieve dense storage and faster orders. These are called micro-fulfillment centers or MFCs.
Since micro-fulfillment centers are still an emerging concept, designing them while meeting local building codes can be a challenge. They are not addressed directly by codes, and developers must follow the applicable requirements for commercial and industrial occupancies.
Working with an experienced design firm like NY Engineers ensures code compliance and a quick project approval.