| dc.description.abstract | In this research, we are going to investigate the order picking and processing problems of an e-tailer company like HomeGrocer.com or Webvan.com under different order-picking area designs and different delivery-time slot selection modes. Different order picking and processing methods will be proposed. In recent years, due to the development of internet and computer technologies, a new way of doing business over internet has emerged. And, this also leads to the birth of E-Commerce. The first batch of internet companies includes those B2C e-tailers like Amazon.com and eToy.com. Unlike traditional retailers like Wal-Mart or K-Mark, e-tailers do not have physical retailer stores. As a result, e-tailers save a lot of money that has to do with the operations of physical stores. Despite of this advantage, e-tailers have their own unique problems. For example, an e-tailer has to maintain its web page and make sure the information on the web page is updated accurately. In addition, an e-tailer has to pick the merchant items in every order and ship them to customers. Many companies have joined the rank of e-commerce companies over the past few years. They might have done so for different reasons. But, one can all be sure that they expect to boost their competitive advantage through e-commerce. Recently, it seems that the enthusiasm for e-commerce has subsided because of the closure of many internet companies. Some people begin to doubt whether conducting business is really the way of the future. However, we believe these unsuccessful stories is part of the selection process in which the best, strongest, and the most competitive companies will survive and continue to grow. For e-tailers, there are many ways that they can do to increase their competitiveness. One of them is to cut down their operation costs. Researchers have showed that a large percentage of cost of an e-tailer is due to the order picking, processing, and shopping operations. Furthermore, many factors can cause the ordering picking and processing problem of an e-tailer to be different from that of another e-tailer. For example, HomeGrocer.com offers fresh meat and produce to its customers, but not Amazone.com. It is obvious that HomeGrocer.com has to ensure that the freshness of its products will not be sacrificed in its order picking, but not Amazone.com. | en_US |