0:00 / 0:00
Success Story
Sheng Siong improves retail operations with 10–15% faster order fulfilment using Zebra
Sheng Siong looked to equip retail store pickers and warehouse staff with faster, more ergonomic technology to improve operational efficiency across e-commerce fulfilment and product data capture.
Zebra Success Story: Sheng Siong
Overview: Retail Challenge
To maintain its promise of quality, value, and speed for thousands of online shoppers, the company needed to solve a critical challenge: empowering its frontline workers to be faster, smarter, and more efficient.
Benefits / Outcomes
- 10–15% faster picking speed per person
- Hands-free scanning across retail stores
- 4x faster product dimensioning
- 10% Fewer delivery trips through volumetric cage optimisation
- Near-zero device maintenance issues
- Happier, more satisfied staff
About Sheng Siong
For Sheng Siong, one of Singapore’s largest and most beloved supermarket chains, every second in the aisle counts. To maintain its promise of quality, value, and speed for thousands of online shoppers, the company needed to solve a critical challenge: empowering its frontline workers to be faster, smarter, and more efficient. It’s a challenge felt across the industry; Zebra's 17th Annual Shopper Study found that while 79% of retail associates feel stressed by the complexity of their roles, 87% feel more valued when equipped with the right technology.
That’s why Sheng Siong takes this matter seriously, as a company operating 89 stores across the country with a central warehouse consisting of around 700 staff, and a total workforce of more than 4,000. Since launching its online grocery platform in 2013, the company has built a digital operation offering everything from fresh produce to international specialities. “Our core mission is to provide quality products at value prices and good customer service,” says Lin Zikai, Customer and Operations Director at Sheng Siong.
The Challenge
A key part of delivering on that promise is fast, reliable order fulfilment, which is why Sheng Siong turned to Zebra Technologies. Previously, staff in stores were using handheld scanners from another vendor, which occupied one hand. With many of Sheng Siong's promotions built around multi-buy deals, pickers frequently needed to grab multiple items of the same type at once. “We had to set the scanner down, use both hands to grab the products, then pick the device back up again,” says Lin. Repeated dozens of times per shift, those small interruptions added up.
Lin and his team began searching for technology that could improve the picking process and that led to Zebra. “We know Zebra devices are reliable and durable,” says Lin. “The scanning speed is also very fast compared to other brands.”
We’re about 10 to 15% faster when picking orders. That means each person can pick 10 to 15% more orders per day. It significantly reduces our operating cost and helps us keep prices low for our customers.
The Solution
Staff now use the Zebra RS2100 Bluetooth Wearable Scanner to pick online orders, a hands-free device that allows operators to work with both hands when moving items. The scanner pairs instantly via near-field communication (NFC) with a Zebra TC2 Series Mobile Computer running Sheng Siong's internal picking application, with no manual Bluetooth™ connection needed.
The shift translated directly into higher throughput. “We’re about 10 to 15% faster when picking orders,” explains Lin. “That means each person can pick 10 to 15% more orders per day. This significantly reduces our operating cost and helps us keep prices low for our customers.”
Sheng Siong also introduced Zebra ZQ500 Series Mobile Printers for its packing operations. Previously, staff had to return to fixed printing stations whenever they needed to print an additional label. When e-commerce orders spiked, there were not enough stations to go round, creating bottlenecks. Large orders added complexity: when an order filled more than one tote, staff had to return to the station to print each additional label. Now, they carry the printer with them, allowing them to pack orders wherever space is available.
The Zebra Difference: Outcome and Benefits
With picking now running more efficiently in stores, Sheng Siong turned its attention to the warehouse that supplies all 87 of them. Staff were measuring the dimensions of every product carton with a tape measure, then entering the figures into a spreadsheet by hand. With over 20,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) in circulation and suppliers regularly changing packaging sizes, the hours spent measuring and recording added up quickly.
The team deployed the Zebra TC5 Series Mobile Computer running Zebra's Dimensioning™ software. “Instead of measuring each product with a tape measure, I place the box on the floor, hold the device over it, and the dimensions appear on screen and automatically update on our system," notes Lin. “Instead of a long, multi-step process, now it all just takes 15 seconds. That saves us considerable time, which can be directed to higher-value tasks.” Both the device and the software proved just as easy to learn as they are to use: one new staff member picked the TC5 up for the first time and was measuring independently within 40 seconds.
The dimensioning software also runs volumetric calculations to identify how many roller cages will be needed to transport the goods scanned. “Each carton is a different size, so it’s much more efficient to make full use of each roller cage and know how many cages we actually need,” says Lin. “Our truck has a capacity for around 24 roller cages, so being able to maximise the space we have allows us to optimize our resources for deliveries and lower our operational costs.”
With a camera replacing tape measures, portable printers eliminating trips to the workstation, and both hands free for picking, staff satisfaction has improved. “Our store employees can work faster and more smoothly. That makes them happier at work, and they are ready to put their measuring tape days behind them,” Lin adds.
The dimensioning work has also laid the necessary foundation for a bigger shift: a planned highly-automated warehouse built around an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS), where goods are stored and retrieved by machines. Accurate, digitised product dimensions are essential for items to be placed and retrieved correctly, and Sheng Siong now has that data in place.
From store fulfilment to warehouse logistics, Zebra has helped Sheng Siong equip its associates with better tools, reduce the friction in daily workflows, and build an operation that can scale alongside demand. For Lin, what started as a push for efficiency has become a collaboration that continues to evolve. “Zebra is always keen to introduce new devices and solutions to us,” he says. “The working relationship has been outstanding.” Now, Sheng Siong can rest assured that it is well-equipped to navigate the evolving retail landscape with confidence, delivering faster, smarter operations while staying true to its mission of quality, value, and customer service.
Featured Products and Solutions
