Retail order fulfilment and delivery consulting
I help retail teams organise the work between an accepted order and a completed delivery. We measure the picking queue, stock exceptions, packing and handover, then redesign the process around the delivery promise and the economics of each order.
Discuss this projectEugene Mischenko · English & Russian · Remote consulting
01 / Context
Who this is for
For retailers with late orders, rising picking costs, disputed stock or repeated handover failures. The work connects store operations, e-commerce, customer support, IT and delivery partners.
02 / Decisions
Questions we examine
- Which queue or handoff consumes the available delivery time?
- How do item count, store layout and substitutions affect picking capacity?
- Who owns an order when stock, payment or delivery fails?
- Which orders should use stores, a dedicated picking area or an external fulfilment partner?
Results of the engagement
- A timed process map from acceptance through picking, packing, dispatch and return.
- A capacity model by location and shift, with order cut-offs and overload rules.
- Operating instructions for substitutions, damaged goods, failed deliveries and pickup handovers.
- A service dashboard and cost model for choosing and managing delivery partners.
What to prepare
Prepare anonymised order timestamps, item counts, cancellations, picking schedules, delivery tariffs and support reasons. Include normal and peak trading periods so we can distinguish daily process problems from capacity shortages.
How we start
Send a short description of the business, the decision in front of you and the result you need. We discuss the context, identify useful inputs and agree the format, scope, timing and fee.
Write about your projectExperience & sources
Experience behind the advice
METRO: e-commerce leadership
Experience leading the e-commerce division at METRO Cash & Carry. A published Mindbox interview discusses customer data, the digital channel and the business behind omnichannel retail.
Read the sourceMETRO: online and offline customer journeys
A recorded talk at the Online Trade forum explains how METRO brought customer data from several digital channels together with offline transactions.
Read the sourceBefore we begin
Do you work with click and collect?
Yes. The review covers reservation, readiness notifications, storage, identity checks, customer handover, uncollected orders and returns. We measure the time customers and store employees spend at the pickup point.
How do we compare delivery partners?
Use the same order mix, service areas and promised windows. Calculate the complete cost including redelivery, returns, claims and support, and compare the actual fulfilment of that promise during a controlled pilot.
Can we improve operations before replacing systems?
Start with queue ownership, shift planning, picking instructions and exception handling. The review identifies which changes fit the existing systems and which require inventory, order-management or carrier integrations.