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On-Demand Warehousing
Share and Share Alike: On-Demand Warehousing to Become the AirBnB of Manufacturing and Retail Industries
On-Demand Warehousing
Share and Share Alike: On-Demand Warehousing to Become the AirBnB of Manufacturing and Retail Industries
February 19, 2019

T
hirteen years marketing in the logistics technology space has taught me nothing if not one thing – customer convenience is not a trend, but a necessity. The days of window shopping and trips to the local department store are largely a thing of the past, replaced by convenient online shopping with ever increasing speed of delivery and constant addition of new industries. 

The Uberization of everything has proven to be more than just a trend, it has become a constant in our society. But what does that mean for manufacturers and retailers? In many ways it has meant uncertainty and difficulty, especially for start-ups and smaller companies. How can we anticipate the waxing and waning of consumer demand, and how do we soften the blow when demand is down? Is there way to anticipate, and actually benefit from customer control?

Enter on-demand warehousing. As explained in a recent article by Amitabh Sinha,


Dynamic on-demand warehousing involves buying warehousing services on a pay-per-use basis, and just as with Uber and AirBnB, exemplars of today's "on-demand" economy, users and providers meet and transact with each other via an online marketplace. Dynamic on-demand warehousing is emerging as a viable way of purchasing warehousing services on demand - paying only for what is used instead of owning distribution centers or signing contracts with third-party logistics providers (3PLs).


This concept has the potential to become the next big thing in our space. On-demand warehousing is a concept similar to many other successful on-demand businesses that take advantage of one person’s surplus or availability of resources and another person’s deficit, or need. 

I believe manufacturers will begin to take advantage of this system to turn a profit when demand is down and they have available warehouse space, or to rent additional warehouse space themselves when demand is up, removing the need to invest in additional facilities. 

This concept empowers both small and large businesses alike and enables them to remain profitable throughout the highs and lows of the sales cycle.

Additional Resources:
http://www.supplychain247.com/article/the_uberization_of_dynamic_ondemand_warehousing
http://www.supplychain247.com/article/the_uberization_of_dynamic_ondemand_warehousing/zebra_technologies
https://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/on_demand_warehousing_ready_to_be_a_game_changer
Krista Barnes
Marketing Analyst ~ ConnectShip
 Krista Barnes joined ConnectShip as a web development specialist in the Marketing department in 2007 . During her time marketing ConnectShip solutions, Krista has been instrumental in the current and future direction of the company website, product marketing, communications, and event production. A graphic designer by trade, she has helped to evolve and then rebrand the company’s identity into what it is today. Krista earned her Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Art History from Oklahoma State University.