E-Commerce Mastery: Boozt's Successful Journey with AutoStore

Watch Site Visit Video: Tobias Sjölin, CTO in Boozt on AutoStore

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About Boozt

Boozt first appeared on the e-commerce scene in 2007 as a small startup, BZT Fashion AB. The following year, the company was refounded, by which time it had 35 employees working out of an apartment building in Malmö.

Today, Boozt serves customers in 14 European countries from their fulfillment center in Ängelholm, Sweden, offering over 900,000 items from 700 fashion and lifestyle brands, 250 home brands, and 260 beauty brands. Constant technological improvements and a fully online shop designed to rival the in-store customer experience led to Boozt’s listing on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 2017. By 2020, they were recording global net sales of over $60 million.

Helping them get to that stage was the efficiency-enhancing automated warehouse system AutoStore empowered by Element Logic. Expansion and reinvention helped Boozt build up an impressive market share, but to keep up with increasing customer demand, they needed to streamline the logistical side of their business for maximum efficiency.

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The challenge

Streamline, speed up, experiment

Like many other e-commerce companies, Boozt saw demand increase dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading them to search for a solution that could sustain demand during peak periods while making the most efficient use of their space, resources, and staff.

Boozt needed an automated warehouse solution that offered flexibility, scalability, and the option to integrate technological solutions and features from a wide array of sources. Most importantly, to maintain the increase in market share, they had to make every purchase as cost-effective as possible. “AutoStore has many advantages, such as speed, reliability, and the utilization of the warehouse footprint,” says Tobias Sjölin, CTO at Boozt Fulfillment & Logistics. “At the end of the day, it’s all about cost per transaction.”

The benefits of the AutoStore system

Increased productivity, shortened fulfillment times, and peak-period scalability

Combining a peerless commitment to customer satisfaction with the latest logistics-enhancing technology allowed Boozt to establish one of the world’s largest AutoStore systems. The resulting automated warehouse system has been expanded several times, enabling the company to rapidly fulfill orders, efficiently allocate staff and resources, and keep up with customer demand around Black Friday and other critical peak periods.

Furthermore, the AutoStore solution’s exceptional space-saving qualities have streamlined costs.

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Record-Breaking Fulfillment Speed

Boozt's integration of the AutoStore system has dramatically transformed its order processing capabilities. The company now boasts the ability to efficiently handle 140 items per hour per operator, through their single-touch pick and pack process. This level of operational efficiency ensures streamlined workflows, significantly reducing the time and effort required to fulfill orders, thereby enhancing overall productivity.

Building on this efficiency, Boozt has set a remarkable record with a 63-second order fulfillment time. Coupled with the capability to handle a staggering 190,000 items daily, the company has not only set new benchmarks in the industry but also solidified its position as a frontrunner in efficient e-commerce logistics.

Space Optimization and Cost Savings

By adopting AutoStore, Boozt has reduced its warehouse space requirements by 75%. This efficient use of space not only lowers operational expenses but also aligns with Boozt’s strategic goals for sustainable and cost-effective business practices.

Scalability During Peak Periods

The flexibility and scalability of the AutoStore system has enabled the company to efficiently manage surges in customer demand without compromising service quality or operational continuity. This capability ensures that Boozt remains agile and responsive, even under the most demanding e-commerce conditions.

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction

The efficiency and reliability of AutoStore’s system have played a key role in enhancing customer satisfaction, with Boozt’s ability to meet and exceed customer expectations.

High System Reliability

Boozt benefits of a high system uptime of 99.7% with AutoStore, a factor that has contributed to the company's reliable service delivery. This dependable operational uptime ensures that Boozt can maintain consistent service standards, essential for building customer confidence and maintaining a competitive edge in the e-commerce industry.

Employee Satisfaction and Performance

The transition to an automated warehouse system has fostered a more engaging and dynamic work environment at Boozt. This modern, high-tech setting has led to increased employee satisfaction, with staff enjoying the benefits of working in a more efficient and less physically demanding environment. The result is a happier workforce with longer tenure.

The introduction of AutoStore has also significantly boosted performance efficiency. This enhancement in workflow has contributed to a positive work culture and higher overall job satisfaction.

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How the system works ‍

A fully scalable, fully flexible automated warehouse solution

At launch in 2017, Boozt’s AutoStore system included 50,000 Bins and just 21 Robots. Following a series of annual expansions and improvements, the system has come to consist of 1.2 million Bins, 256 CarouselPorts, 42 ConveyorPorts, and 2 RelayPorts, and 1,150 R5 Robots. Operators working at these Ports, supported by AutoStore technology, can now process up to 140 items per hour for single-touch pick and pack, while a team of in-house developers constantly seek out ways to increase efficiency even more.

In each of the three Grids, AutoStore Router software directs Robots to pick, sort, and retrieve any of over 900,000 items, with impressive results for order fulfillment speed. “The best day we had in terms of performance was 190,000 items per day… We’re tweaking down to milliseconds here and trying to make it as efficient as possible,” says Sjölin.

The latest expansion to Boozt’s AutoStore system in 2022 with our partner Element Logic once again confirmed the Ängelholm facility as one of the world’s biggest. What’s more, it offers exceptional processing and order fulfillment speeds, as Sjölin explains: “The fastest order that we ever had, from checkout to it being ready to go out, is 63 seconds. To be able to pick from all those items and to get that out in 63 seconds is something we’re very proud of.”

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Project Specifications

Installation type: Brownfield (Existing site)
WMS: eManager
Robots: 1,150 Robots
Workstations (Ports): 256 CarouselPorts, 42 ConveyorPorts, 2 RelayPorts
Bins: 1.2 million Bins
SKUs: 900,000
Units: 9+ million
Partner: Element Logic