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The Advanced Shipments
Streamlining Flipkart's Inbound Logistics
A strategic redesign of Flipkart's vendor delivery and inventory management processes to create more efficient supply chain operations. As Lead Product Designer on the Supply Fulfillment Enterprise Team, I spearheaded this initiative to transform how we handle inbound logistics across our vast network.
Timeline
Oct 2024 - Mar 2025 (Under UAT)
Core Team
1 GPM, 1 Lead Product Designer (me), 1 Engg. Manager, 3 UI Devs, 1 Backend Dev, 1 Program Manager.
Business Units
Retail, FSG, ACT & Planning
Challenge : Untangling Supply Chain
  • Our receiving process is tied to daily purchase orders rather than actual deliveries, causing mismatched inventory records.
  • Consignments function only as soft expectations with no binding SLAs, creating critical disconnects between our 1000+ vendors and 30+ fulfillment centers.
  • Invoice receipt notes generate 4-6 hours of daily friction between delivery teams, inwarding staff, and finance, delaying payment reconciliation up to 15 days.
Research Insights
Vendors
Schedule deliveries and provide shipment information through POs
  • Administrative Overload: Separate appointments needed for each PO (up to 10 CN/day)
  • Delivery Issues: Pre/push deliveries disrupt warehouse capacity planning
  • Financial Impact: Irrelevant debit notes from excess-short calculations
  • Payment Delays: Lack of invoice-level FFN clarity slows reconciliation
Warehouse Operations
Receive and manage inventory
  • Manual Processing: Handwritten invoice transcription introduces errors
  • Mapping Problems: No system to link FSNs to correct invoices
  • Documentation Complexity: Single consignments create multiple IRNs/Doc IDs
  • Limited Verification: No product-level validation capability
  • Unpredictable Receiving: ~60% of deliveries occur outside scheduled time/quantities
Finance/Accounting
Process invoices and handle reconciliation
  • Extended Cycles: Manual errors delay vendor payments up to 15 days
  • Debit Note Issues: Cross-invoice FSNs generate conflicting debit notes
  • Reconciliation Challenges: Invoice-receipt discrepancies reduce efficiency
  • Financial Waste: Disputed debit notes face forced reversal after contestation
Retail Operations/Business Units
Manage inventory planning, capacity, and business outcomes
  • Poor Inventory Mix: Vendors prioritize SMNM FSNs with no advance visibility
  • Capacity Underutilization: Slot booking treated as notifications, limiting utilization to 85-88%
  • Inaccurate Planning: Lack of enforcement compromises planning cycles
  • Capital Constraints: Poor receiving adherence blocks working capital
Competitive Analysis
Industry leaders have already embraced Advanced Shipment Notification systems. Our analysis of key players reveals consistent adoption patterns and feature priorities.
Market leaders consistently implement full ASN capabilities. Our solution must match or exceed these standards to remain competitive.
Problem Definition
Fractured Planning vs. Execution
Unenforceable consignments create critical disconnects between planning and actual deliveries.
  • Frequent inventory discrepancies from over/under shipments
  • Persistent delivery timeline misalignments
  • Unreliable transit data undermining forecasting
Error-Prone Manual Workflows
Warehouse operations bog down with inefficient, error-filled documentation processes.
  • Six-hour processing delays affecting daily operations
  • Only 23% of packing slips contain accurate information
  • Resource-intensive manual FSN-IRN matching
Escalating Financial Disputes
Partner relationships deteriorate as reconciliation challenges create mounting financial pressure.
  • 3/4 debit notes prove irrelevant or incorrect
  • ₹450 Cr in annual forced debit note reversals
  • ₹76 Cr negative impact on yearly bottom-line performance
Objective
"Establish robust shipment + receiving workflows to enhance efficient vendor delivery, hygienic inventory inward and accurate capacity planning"
Streamlined Planning & Execution
Real-time shipment tracking revolutionizes visibility. Like delivery apps, operations teams monitor every package's journey.
Automatic & Error-Free Processes
Simple FSN scanning against ASN eliminates reconciliation work. Receiving becomes faster with fewer mistakes.
Financial Clarity
Expectation-based workflows replace manual reconciliation. This creates transparency and eliminates disputed transactions.
How Might We...
When approaching complex supply chain challenges, we translated each pain point into actionable "How Might We" questions. These design thinking frameworks helped us ideate solutions with clear purpose and direction, focusing our innovation efforts where they would create maximum impact.
HMW Empower Vendor Communication
How might we simplify notifications for vendors struggling with cumbersome processes?
Empower vendors with our solution's intuitive interfaces offering diverse pathways: manual uploads, seamless EDI integration, and personalized Vendor Hub creation—all tailored to meet vendors at their convenience.
HMW Build End-to-End Transparency
How might we solve the frustrating mystery of "where's my shipment?"
Enable vendors to share detailed dispatch information—including PO data, FSN, quantities, and invoice specifics—creating transparent visibility throughout the entire process.
HMW Create Warehouse Confidence
How might we eliminate surprises that undermine efficiency?
Unleash the potential of our Warehouse Management Systems fortified with fail-safe measures, ensuring accurate quantities and timely schedules, reshaping uncertain arrivals into steadfast operations.
HMW Break Down Digital Barriers
How might we overcome bottlenecks from paper-based processes?
Unite invoice data seamlessly with the ASN to eradicate barriers, paving the way for automated reconciliation. Empower your teams with freedom from manual tasks and foster interconnected digital pathways.
Solution : Untangled Supply Chain
  • The solution centers around the implementation of an Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN) system aimed at creating robust shipment and receiving workflows.
  • The core objective is to shift the receiving process from being primarily tied to Purchase Orders (POs) and Invoice Receipt Notes (IRNs) to one that is based on actual shipments or consignments.
  • This expectation-based inwarding intends to ensure efficient vendor delivery, hygienic inventory inward, and accurate capacity management and planning.
Product Definition
Our proposed ASN system tackles core inefficiencies with five key innovations:
1
Aggregated Scheduling
Multiple POs consolidated into single consignments, eliminating redundant slot booking across 1000+ vendors
2
Pre-Dispatch Visibility
ASN details and invoice expectations uploaded at dispatch, creating predictability for 30+ fulfillment centers
3
Consignment Guardrails
Receiving aligned with expected shipments rather than POs, deprecating problematic RT sync API
4
Invoice-Level Reconciliation
Post-receiving closure reconciliation via RAP System distribution of FSNs at PO×Invoice level
5
Digital Documentation
Automated invoice capture eliminates manual transcription errors and speeds payment cycles
UX Flows - [ Confedential]
Shipment Expectation Based Inwarding- Vendor Hub, Retailer Hub
The Advance Shipments : Seamless Experiences
The Advanced Shipping Note (ASN) – a game-changing approach that transforms the scattered consignment puzzle into a coherent, unified delivery story.
From Multiple Deliveries to One
Like chapters in a book, multiple Purchase Orders now come together in a single consignment, dramatically cutting administrative burden and giving vendors back precious time they once spent managing fragmented deliveries. Unified Journey ensures Robust supply chain.
Transparency Before the Truck Even Departs
The plot twist: vendors now provide comprehensive shipment and invoice details at dispatch time, not upon arrival. This Efficient proactive approach sets clear expectations and eliminates the surprise endings that once plagued our receiving docks.
Expectations Meet Reality at the Loading Dock
Our digital guardrails ensure what's received perfectly matches what was promised. This dramatically reduces those nail-biting moments when actual deliveries deviate from expectations, virtually eliminating manual errors and creating an Accurate process.
The Happy Ending: Financial Clarity
The finale delivers a streamlined reconciliation process at the vendor invoice level, bringing harmony to the previously discordant relationship between what was shipped, received, and billed – a Hygienic conclusion that leaves everyone satisfied.
Design Process
Discovering the Problem
I immersed myself in warehouse operations, shadowing teams and mapping pain points. This hands-on research revealed critical inefficiencies in how we received and processed vendor shipments.
Crafting the Vision
With insights in hand, I sketched user flows that reimagined the vendor-warehouse relationship. My whiteboard sessions with stakeholders helped translate complex logistics challenges into intuitive digital interactions.
Building Partnerships
I championed collaboration between product, engineering, and operations teams through interactive workshops. These sessions transformed technical requirements into shared vision that everyone felt invested in.
Creating the Framework
I developed design patterns that balanced immediate needs with future growth, ensuring our ASN system could scale alongside Flipkart's expanding logistics network while maintaining consistency.
This journey transformed not just our logistics processes, but also how cross-functional teams collaborated on enterprise-scale challenges at Flipkart.
The ASN Success Story
Our journey began with a critical challenge: how could we revolutionize Flipkart's inbound logistics while delivering measurable business value? The Advanced Shipping Notice system emerged as our answer, creating a ripple effect of improvements across the entire supply chain ecosystem.
₹131Cr
Annual Savings
From inventory chaos to optimized flow, unlocking substantial bottom-line impact
4%
Capacity Breakthrough
Warehouses now breathe easier with streamlined planning and predictable arrivals
₹50Cr
Shrinking Losses
Tracking visibility eliminated the "black holes" where shipments once disappeared
60%
Compliance Leap
From inconsistent deliveries to a disciplined, reliable inbound process
Beyond the numbers lies a human story: warehouse teams now work with confidence instead of chaos, vendors enjoy transparent communication rather than frustration, and Flipkart has joined global leaders like Amazon and Walmart in logistics excellence. The ASN system didn't just change our processes—it transformed how our entire ecosystem works together.
From Concept to Reality
Every great solution begins with understanding a problem. Our journey started with chaotic inbound logistics and ended with a streamlined system that transformed how Flipkart handles shipments. Let me walk you through how these key interfaces evolved from pain points to powerful solutions:
Each screen represents a chapter in our story—from empowering vendors with intuitive scheduling tools, to equipping warehouse teams with verification workflows that cut processing time in half. The information architecture bridges the complex relationships between Purchase Orders, Consignments, and Invoices, turning what was once a logistical nightmare into a seamless end-to-end experience.
Journey Continues
What began as a challenging puzzle has transformed into a breakthrough solution. The Advanced Shipping Note (ASN) system isn't just a technical achievement—it represents countless hours spent with frustrated vendors and warehouse teams, understanding their daily struggles and transforming those insights into meaningful change.
Through collaborative design workshops, rapid prototyping, and rigorous testing, we've created more than just a system—we've built a bridge between vendors and warehouses that will save millions in operational costs while making work more efficient and predictable for everyone involved.

Box-Level Identification
Enhanced tracking capabilities at the box level
Advanced Automation
Further automation of reconciliation processes
Vendor Integration
Deeper system integration with vendor platforms
Predictive Analytics
AI-powered forecasting for inbound logistics
As we move forward, these next chapters in our story will build upon the foundation we've created, further transforming Flipkart's logistics ecosystem into an industry-leading example of efficiency and innovation.
Thank You