Thinking Differently About the “Package Journey”
Designed for retail leaders and lovers alike, Retail Refined explores the in-store technology of the future, challenges the industry’s preconceived notions, and brings together retail’s biggest names to understand the brand strategies that will define the next decade in retail. In an increasingly contactless world where eCommerce and fulfillment have become crucial to a…
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Designed for retail leaders and lovers alike, Retail Refined explores the in-store technology of the future, challenges the industry’s preconceived notions, and brings together retail’s biggest names to understand the brand strategies that will define the next decade in retail.
In an increasingly contactless world where eCommerce and fulfillment have become crucial to a product company’s operation—from warehouses and manufacturers, to boutique and big box retail stores, to multi-residential and business properties—enterprises of all sizes need a clear-cut, accurate approach to making, moving and delivering goods with real-time visibility throughout the logistics chain. Enabling a new age of logistics process efficiency while redefining e-commerce fulfillment, Position Imaging leverages advanced tracking technology that empowers businesses with a significant advantage in the making, movement and delivery of their goods and packages.
Piloted by CEO Ned Hill, Position Imaging is a “‘quote-unquote’ 14-year-old startup”, utilizing computer vision, laser guidance and unique AI-based technologies to simplify item delivery—improving logistics efficiency by providing continuous visibility to product location at any stage in the process. Further, as an industry-leading tracking solution pioneer, Hill has also raised close to $20 million in funding, driven strategic product and application development, and created an unparalleled partner ecosystem that includes industry leaders in hardware (Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Intel), software (Microsoft, Salesforce), solution vendors (Zebra, Lozier), and service providers (Bell and Howell).
Today, Hill joins Melissa Gonzalez on MarketScale’s Retail Refined to discuss Position Imaging’s three proprietary logistics solutions (iPickup, Smart Package Room and RTLS), why the pandemic has changed customer expectations regarding contactless fulfillment, how the company helps their clients think differently about the “package journey”, the potentials for flexible fulfillment and computer vision moving into the future, and more.
“We have a long history of developing advanced tracking technologies—we’ve made a couple of pivots along the way—but the core was to create a platform that could provide either packaged product or purchase visibility along the logistics chain—from ‘A’ all the way to ‘Z’—so that we could improve the various pain points along the way by increasing efficiency, speed, and preventing some delays,” said Hill. “We’ve been very focused, and I think we took the right approach by focusing on tech first and then applying that tech to various and costly problems along logistics.”
To hear more about why Position Imaging is the leader in package logistics & asset location, tune into the podcast now.
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About the author
Ned Hill founded Position Imaging in 2006 after an earlier venture in wireless dog-fence technology. His interest in tracking began with a dog that kept escaping; it later led to Smart Package Room and iPickup, systems that help people collect deliveries in residential buildings and retail settings. An economics graduate, Ned says he had to stop leaving the technical discussions to others and learn more of how his products worked. In his interviews, Ned connects product decisions with the realities of building a company. Discussing package collection, he explains why rising online sales required a different approach to fulfillment. In a financing conversation with David Byrne, he gets into the limits of venture debt and the role of intellectual property and future cash flow. His 2023 award appearance recognizes Position Imaging’s team and its move into multifamily package management. Ned is willing to revisit his own assumptions. Recalling a Tractor Supply pilot, he says he expected pickup at the back of the store to prompt more shopping. The retailer chose the front; customers valued the easier collection, and some used the time they saved to browse. It is a concrete example of the customer behavior he looks for when testing a product.
