Lowe's - 1-Click Receiving

Company

Lowe's Associate Mobility

Role(s)

UX Designer
Prototype Building
Design Strategy
App Flow Design
Workshop Facilitator
Product Design

Summary

Lowe’s relies on Good Faith vendors to accurately ship the items they’ve ordered and to properly document any missing or delayed products. This trusted partnership allows the receiving process to move quickly and efficiently, minimizing manual checks and helping associates get merchandise onto the sales floor faster.

Background

1-Click Receiving: Reduced receiving to < 1 minute.

The modernized Lowe’s Detailed Receiving Process reduced receiving time from 45 minutes to just 10 minutes per shipment. By streamlining the app to allow a single scan and quick quantity entry, associates could process deliveries faster and boost productivity. However, we knew this process could be simplified even further, and with additional work, we could make most of it disappear entirely for trusted supplier shipments.

Building on that success, we created 1-Click Receiving to remove counts entirely for trusted suppliers. Working with associates, managers, and cross-functional teams, we streamlined workflows and designed a faster, more intuitive experience that reduced the process to under one minute.

Problem Statement

Lowe’s needed to modernize its receiving process to facilitate faster, more efficient receiving.

In Good Faith Receiving, Lowe’s trusted many suppliers to ship exactly what was ordered. Or, at least to have our bill of lading accurately report what was shipped.

Instead of scanning every case or item, associates could scan the bill of lading and accept the shipment as fulfilled based on the manifest. While periodic audits confirmed accuracy, the goal was to make receiving a truck feel more like a handshake—fast, simple, and built on trust. Lowe’s needed to streamline this process without disrupting store operations, reduce manual effort, and improve overall receiving efficiency across trusted supplier relationships.

Mapping the Decisions

Most trucks received are held up by validating the bill of lading from our trusted suppliers.

Removing validations and accepting the bill of lading allowed us to later amend receipts digitally against scanned inventory stocking.

Simplified Journey

Auditing bills of lading against purchase orders can now be performed when stocking the contents of a pallet into inventory. The simplified journey now represents only the steps needed to receive the truck from our trusted, good-faith vendors.

Testing our Solution

Once ready, the solution was released to 5 stores where it went through live user testing receiving real shipments at real stores.

User Feedback

"Wow! I have NEVER received a truck that fast!"
~Alan N. - Receiving Associate

"You saw the last truck, the one we detail received with 11 pallets. That took over an hour! Well, I just received this good faith shipment with 8 pallets in less than a minute."
~Carson S. - Receiving Associate

Results

Required no additional training
All 15 associates who tested the app were able to use the app and complete tasks without asking for assistance or direction.
Exceeded our expectations
Receiving 10 pallets could take up to 45 minutes to complete was able to be done within 23 seconds.
Reduction of waiting shipments
Trucks were cleared out of the receiving lot far faster allowing associates to work received stock.
More good faith vendors relationships
Lowe's set a goal to build more good faith vendor relationships across their market.

Time on Task

Before Pilot

Before implementation, associates spend much of their shift receiving trucks and breaking down pallets, leaving less time for other in store work.

After Pilot

After implementation, pallets are stowed much more quickly, clearing space for the next shipment with far less effort. Inventory adjustments now are able to take place during stocking of individual pallets. Excess adjustments due to missed inventory will trigger detailed receiving of good faith vendors who exceed missed items tolerances.

1-Click Receiving