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Overwhelmed by demand data? How retailers can harness AI + execution systems
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The e-commerce fulfillment crunch: How AMRs are changing the math
Learn how Autonomous Mobile Robots are revolutionizing e-commerce fulfillment.
- Blog
E-commerce operators are emerging from another turbulent peak season marked by labor shortages, shifting demand and mounting fulfillment pressure. As warehouses grow larger and more complex, the cost of inefficiency keeps climbing. Autonomous mobile robots are quietly transforming that equation, giving teams the flexibility and speed legacy systems can’t. For those planning next year’s playbook, adaptable automation is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s the competitive baseline.
In this article:
- Did peak feel harder than it needed to?
- When “do more” becomes “do different.”
- Why AMRs fit e-commerce
- Proof in motion: How operators are winning
- Bringing it all together
E-commerce just endured another peak season, and for many operators, “survived” is the best descriptor. Another year, same challenges. Demand spiked unpredictably. Labor was tight. Delivery expectations didn’t budge. And when the dust settled, one question lingered across the warehouse floor:
Did peak feel harder than it needed to? It doesn’t have to next year.
If you’re reading this in December, you’re probably still digesting the highs of Q4 volume and anticipating the lows of returns season. The post-holiday reverse logistics wave is already pushing warehouses, still catching their breath.
For many, this is becoming an annual cycle: Scramble → Burnout → Reset → Repeat.
The core issue isn’t just demand volume. It’s that e-commerce operations are changing faster than traditional models can keep pace.
When “do more” becomes “do different”
Demand patterns shift weekly. SKU proliferation keeps expanding storage footprints. Larger facilities mean more footsteps and more cost, just to keep orders moving. Peak unpredictability forces teams into reactive mode, while labor availability keeps trending downward.
Orchestrating work is getting harder, not easier. Legacy systems and manual workflows aren’t built for this level of variability. Meanwhile, rigid automation can’t flex when order mixes or storage profiles change. Yesterday’s “future-proofing” is aging fast.
That’s why more operators have turned to Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), not as people replacements, but as flexible, scalable augmentation.
Why AMRs fit e-commerce
AMRs fill the gap between manual labor and fixed automation. They’re fast to deploy, easy to scale and designed to flex as the business evolves.
Top advantages include:
- Fast time to value: Deployments can go live in as little as 12 weeks.
- Scalability that actually scales: Add units to manage peak, scale back when volume normalizes.
- Workflow agility: Reroute tasks, adjust storage logic, or rezone pick areas without full-scale reconstruction.
- Purpose-built intelligence: Smart picking strategies designed for ecommerce realities, not theory.
- Better labor leverage: People focus on value-add work; AMRs take care of the miles in between.
It’s not automation for the sake of automation. It’s automation that reshapes cost curves and throughput in meaningful, measurable ways.
Proof in motion: How operators are winning
Consider a global e-commerce brand that used AMRs to streamline picking and replenishment. With shorter walks and smarter task assignment, teams increased pick volume by 5X without adding headcount.
Another example: a 3PL supporting footwear and apparel brands introduced smart batching via AMRs, cutting unproductive travel by 82% and increasing associate productivity by 100%.
Meanwhile, a specialty retailer relied on AMRs to double their throughput, sustain SLAs during high-volume surges and boost order fill rate to 98%.
These aren’t moonshots; these are straightforward deployments producing immediate operational relief.
Bringing it all together
As adoption rises, one trend is clear: AMRs aren’t replacing people. They’re enabling today’s workforce to keep pace with tomorrow’s fulfillment demands. The difference between a fleet that delivers real impact and one that stalls often comes down to the partner guiding the program. Successful operators rely on teams who can connect robotics, workflows and WMS logic into a unified operation rather than isolated assets. Effective AMR partners bring structured onboarding, disciplined ramp management and integration expertise that ties automation into real-world constraints. They help operators right-size deployments for fast payback, strengthen safety practices, reduce fatigue and build fleet maturity over time so automation can flex as the business evolves.
Infios supports this journey with a program-led AMR practice designed to accelerate deployment, integrate cleanly with warehouse systems and scale fleets in line with operational needs. The aim isn’t to rip and replace. It's to evolve the network with flexible automation that keeps pace with customer expectations and reduces the pressure of peak.
Peak will always carry intensity, but it doesn’t have to carry the same pain. With the right approach, AMRs shift the math in a meaningful way.
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