In the near future, order picking will be carried out by robots and delivery will be made by drones. The costs will drop very significantly for online retailers then.
But "wastage" will go up as drones crash or are hijacked by the criminals after hacking their electronic systems, with also customers denying they have received the drop in their garden. In addition, how big will these drones be to deliver a month's worth of shopping or the latest 90" television? Cannot get my head around that.
As for the CDC's, they are great for distributing bulk items by lorry after being picked electronically. Amazon do their warehouse bit very well. But their goods are far from being so fiddly and different like Sainsbury's or Tesco, and having a warehouse fitted out to hold the ranges the big supermarkets have is a real hurdle for retailers wanting to go the "robot" root. It is why the current supermarket online business, with at least the main supermarkets, is picked by staff from the stock laid out in their main line stores, then shippers out by vans with drivers.
Indeed, I have made enquiries with Sainsbury's on a professional level about all the Pickens you now see going around the local store. They confirmed that they have seen a dramatic rise in the online business and keep on employing extra staff to meet the demand. To me that means extra costs, on lower margins; not a good long term recipe for any retail business. How that operation can be taken over by robots and drones (all extra costs, with "wastage" as I stated) I cannot see.
On taking