'Monday blues' are real: It may take longer for your online orders to arrive after a weekend
The researchers believe that the most effective way to reduce performance gap is by integrating tech solutions.
By PTI |
iStock
Blame the 'Monday effect' for more errors in order fulfilment.
WASHINGTON: The 'Monday effect' - that letdown of returning to work after a weekend - along with other factors may lead to longer times between ordering and shipping, and more errors in order fulfilment, according to a study.
Researchers, including those from Lehigh University in the US, found that process interruptions that occur when operations are shut down over the weekend, along with human factors like the "Monday blues," hurt supply chain performance on Mondays.
The study, published in the journal Information Systems Research, is the first to look at the impact of the "Monday Effect" on supply chains, the sequence of processes that move a product or service from creation to customer.
The researchers used a dataset of more than 800,000 transaction records gathered during a 12-month period from the US General Services Administration to look at variations in operations performance by days of the week.
They also analysed order and fulfilment data from one of the largest supermarket chains in China.
The team, including researchers from the University of Maryland and University of California, San Diego in the US, found the "Monday Effect" was prevalent and significant.
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Mondays, it turns out, are subject to both process- and human-related impacts. For example, time between receipt of a purchase order and shipping is 9.68 per cent longer on Mondays than other weekdays, on average, said Oliver Yao, a professor at Lehigh University.
Mondays, it turns out, are subject to both process- and human-related impacts, said Yao.
The researchers noted that weekends create bottlenecks at distribution centres that are tackled on Mondays as orders are processed, picked, staged and shipped to customers.
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Humans completing processing activities are impacted by adjusting to returning to work, more prone to errors and less efficient, they said.
Most supply chain managers are unaware of this impact, but they can take steps to counteract the "Monday Effect", Yao said.
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The most effective way to reduce the Monday performance gap, the researchers explained, is integrating technology solutions, such as automated order processing systems.
6 Online Services Which Make Renting A Better Deal Than Buying
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Is it cheaper to rent or to buy? One can argue this for hours but the truth is, there can be multiple reasons for which you would find renting proves to be better than purchasing. India has a number of online services available today that you can use to rent everything you want.
Is it cheaper to rent or to buy? One can argue this for hours but the truth is, there can be multiple reasons for which you would find renting proves to be better than purchasing. India has a number ..
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Currently serving 8 cities, Rentomojo offers rentals for furniture, motorbikes and electronics. The website is regularly updated with new products and though the selection is limited, there are a lot of details available for each product to make an informed decision.
Personal gadgets (phones, laptops) can be rented for up to 18 months while other electronic products, motorbikes and furniture can be rented for up to 36 months.
They also offer a ‘rent-to-own’ option — if you’ve been renting something for 12 months, you can buy and keep the product by paying the balance. Note that home appliances and furniture have to be rented for a minimum of 3 months.
(Image: www.rentomojo.com)
Currently serving 8 cities, Rentomojo offers rentals for furniture, motorbikes and electronics. The website is regularly updated with new products and though the selection is limited, there are a lot..
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Available in 5 cities, Rentickle offers rentals of DSLR cameras, home appliances and furniture. Like Rentomojo, this one also offers a rental period of up to 36 months for home appliances and furniture.
However, DSLRs can be rented for a maximum of 7 days only. The website supports user reviews — you can see reviews for each product before renting.
The minimum rental period of home appliances and furniture is 1 month. Another useful feature of the service is that they offer the option of one free relocation of the item during the rental period.
(Image: www.rentickle.com)
Available in 5 cities, Rentickle offers rentals of DSLR cameras, home appliances and furniture. Like Rentomojo, this one also offers a rental period of up to 36 months for home appliances and furnitu..
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This one is a recent entrant in the space but already offers services in seven major cities. Unlike the others, RentSher does not offer home furniture or appliances. It has different categories including party supplies (bouncy for children, lighting, decorations), audio/video (projectors, LED walls, public address systems), fancy dresses, computers, DSLR cameras and even medical supplies such as wheelchairs and medical beds.
Rental for most products is available on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. RentSher will also charge delivery and pickup charges depending on location.
(Image: www.rentsher.com)
This one is a recent entrant in the space but already offers services in seven major cities. Unlike the others, RentSher does not offer home furniture or appliances. It has different categories inclu..
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Getitrent has been around for 7 years and deals mainly in IT equipment rentals. They have offices in eight cities but can provide rental services pan India.
You can rent laptops, desktops, CCTV cameras, tablets, servers, printers, scanners, projectors and even walkie-talkies. Most products can be hired on a weekly or monthly basis and they also offer a purchase option on a case-by-case basis.
One downside to Getitrent is that they require you to either call them or request a callback from their executive to finalise a deal.
(Image: www.getitrent.com)
Getitrent has been around for 7 years and deals mainly in IT equipment rentals. They have offices in eight cities but can provide rental services pan India. You can rent laptops, desktops, CCTV camer..
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Rentx uses a classifieds model for renting instead of being a standalone entity. This means anyone can register and list their own items for rent in their area.
Rentx plays no role in the quality check of the product so you will have to check the product for any defect/damage yourself before finalizing the deal. There are rentals in multiple categories (electronics, vehicles, furniture, clothes, books, sports facilities, medical facilities etc.).
Each listing has details regarding rental charges, deposit charges, duration and product details. Note that the website does not have many active users currently and thus the listings are not regularly added/updated.
(Image: rentx.in)
Rentx uses a classifieds model for renting instead of being a standalone entity. This means anyone can register and list their own items for rent in their area. Rentx plays no role in the quality che..
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Furlenco is one of our favourite services for furniture rentals. The service caters to 8 cities, offers individual products for your entire home and even lets you create packages according to your needs.
For a majority of products, minimum rental tenure is 3 months and the amount you pay includes delivery and setup. They also offer long term rental plans with additional savings but you will need to speak to customer care to fix that up.
Other things we love about Furlenco include free relocations, damage waiver up to `10,000, cancellation of subscription up to 7 days without any fee and the option to pause your subscription if you are away for long durations.
(Image: www.furlenco.com)
Furlenco is one of our favourite services for furniture rentals. The service caters to 8 cities, offers individual products for your entire home and even lets you create packages according to your ne..
Yao found using electronic markets can improve Monday performance by as much as 90 per cent.
For example, technology reduces the Monday performance gap by 94 per cent in order-to-shipping time, 71 per cent in complete orders fulfilled, and 80 per cent in the portion of shipments that have incorrect numbers of products, he said.
