General Merchandise
Solutions for meeting consumer expectations
Consumers have always been drawn to positive, enjoyable retail shopping experiences. But as expectations continue to evolve, you must respond to what creates those experiences while anticipating what will work next.
Automation equips you with the retail merchandising, omnichannel fulfillment, and e-commerce logistics capabilities needed to adapt to ongoing change. By integrating automated solutions across your operations, you can delight consumers now while positioning your business to capture new opportunities as they emerge.
What are some current challenges for general merchandise retailers?
Urban and proximity fulfillment
General merchandise operations serving urban and high‑density markets must balance fast delivery expectations with limited space and high operating costs. Dematic solutions help maximize storage density, streamline picking, and reduce manual handling, allowing efficient fulfillment closer to consumers.
Assortment growth and inventory complexity
Expanding assortments increase pressure on inventory visibility, organization, and space utilization. Dematic solutions help general merchandise retailers manage growing SKU counts through automated storage, accurate inventory control, and efficient material flow.
Omnichannel order fulfillment
General merchandise retailers must fulfill store replenishment and e‑commerce orders simultaneously, often under peak conditions. Dematic solutions coordinate inventory, picking, and shipping workflows to balance competing order priorities, improve accuracy, and maintain reliable fulfillment performance across channels.
Benefits of automation for your type of general merchandise retailer
All general merchandise companies share certain challenges, but some are unique to each segment. Automation provides solutions:
Omnichannel store‑based fulfillment
General merchandise retailers increasingly rely on store networks to support e‑commerce and click‑and‑collect orders. Automated solutions coordinate inventory, picking, and replenishment across stores and distribution centers, reducing manual handling and improving fulfillment speed.
E‑commerce and digital‑first fulfillment
Digital‑first general merchandise operations face constant pressure to fulfill high volumes of small, on‑demand orders. Automated solutions support efficient order assembly, accurate inventory control, and scalable fulfillment workflows that help maintain throughput and profitability.
Value and discount retail
Value and discount retailers operate high‑velocity environments with tight margins and frequent replenishment cycles. Automated solutions streamline store replenishment, improve inventory visibility, and optimize material flow, even in space‑constrained and cost‑sensitive retail environments.
Explore a few Dematic technologies for general merchandise operations
General merchandise operations require flexible, high‑performance solutions that support broad assortments, variable demand, and multiple fulfillment channels. Core workflow technologies such as Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), conveyors, sortation, palletizing, and goods‑to‑person workstations help keep inventory visible, orders accurate, and material flowing efficiently across the operation.
These modular solutions allow retailers to deploy the capacity they need today and scale as volumes, assortments, and fulfillment requirements evolve. Working together, they support reliable throughput, efficient use of space, and consistent performance across store‑based and digital fulfillment models.
AS/RS solutions support general merchandise operations with high SKU counts and frequent assortment changes. Automated storage and retrieval improve inventory organization and access while reducing manual handling. High‑density storage makes efficient use of space, and system‑directed movement supports consistent order flow. These systems help general merchandise operations manage seasonal peaks, promotional activity, and evolving assortments while maintaining accuracy, throughput, and operational stability.
Conveyor systems provide the backbone for product movement in general merchandise distribution environments. Automated transport moves cartons and totes between functional areas with speed and accuracy, supporting high SKU variety and frequent volume changes. Conveyors help balance workflows, reduce congestion, and maintain consistent order flow. Modular designs allow systems to adapt to seasonal peaks, promotions, and layout evolution without disrupting daily operations.
Sortation systems support general merchandise operations by managing high SKU variety and frequent order changes. Automated scanning and diverting route cartons and totes accurately to downstream processes or shipping lanes. These systems help balance workflows during seasonal peaks and promotional activity. Modular architectures allow sortation capacity and routing logic to adapt as assortments and volumes evolve, supporting reliable order fulfillment.
Case and piece picking solutions help general merchandise operations manage wide SKU ranges and frequent order changes. Goods‑to‑person and automated picking reduce travel and improve accuracy across diverse assortments. Real‑time software coordination keeps workflows balanced during seasonal peaks and promotional activity. These solutions support reliable picking performance and help general merchandise operations maintain throughput as volumes and order profiles evolve.
Goods‑to‑person workstations support fast and accurate order processing in general merchandise environments with high SKU variety. Items are delivered directly to ergonomic workstations, reducing travel and improving pick accuracy. Real‑time software coordination keeps workflows aligned during seasonal peaks and promotions. Modular designs allow workstations to scale as volumes grow, helping general merchandise operations maintain throughput and operational stability.
How Dematic works in the real world
It is critical to select the right supplier - one that will be a trusted partner throughout the entire process.
As a company that’s led innovation in Supply Chain for more than 200 years, Dematic provides the widest range of solutions and the expertise to build the solution you need for complete control and visibility over your operation.
Our solutions are tailored to your business challenges. Using standardised sub-systems and industry-leading insight and expertise, Dematic provides world-class integrated hardware, software, and support to help you empower people, optimise space, drive growth and improve efficiency.
With Dematic, you can grow your business to compete locally, retain customer loyalty, and deliver with speed and accuracy on a global scale.