From footwear to faster fulfillment: How DSW stayed steps ahead
Thursday, February 26, 2026
2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
30 minutes
Peak season exposes every weakness in a fulfillment operation—from labor availability to throughput and training speed—often driving up overtime, temporary labor costs, and unplanned operational spend. As labor constraints and fluctuating demand continue to challenge retail distribution, Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) set out to modernize picking operations without adopting a rigid, non-flexible automation solution—one that performs reliably day to day, scales confidently when peak hits, and helps control operating costs.
Patrick O’Keefe, Director of Distribution at DSW will share how DSW deployed Chuck AMR, part of Ocado’s Mobile Robot System, across both wholesale and ecommerce fulfillment to deliver consistent daily productivity, accelerate onboarding, and flex capacity during peak demand—without adding fixed labor or expanding footprint.
We’ll highlight how DSW addressed labor shortages, resolved facility capacity constraints, and avoided costly expansion by leveraging Chuck’s system-directed picking, multi-SKU location support, and intuitive associate interface across both routine and peak operations.
Attendees will learn:
- How system-directed picking improves daily consistency while reducing peak-driven labor and overtime costs
- Why Chuck’s flexible, mobile design enables quick efficient scaling for peak without disrupting day-to-day workflows
- The operational value of real-time insights and LMS-lite capabilities for managing labor spend and performance year-round
- Lessons learned from deploying AMRs to support wholesale and ecommerce workflows under peak-season pressure
Join this session to learn how DSW built a fulfillment operation that runs smoothly every day—and limits cost escalation when peak season puts it to the test.
Speakers:
Moderator: Royanna Chappell
VP of Strategic Accounts, Ocado Intelligent Automation
Patrick O’Keefe
Director of Distribution, Designer Shoe Warehouse
Patrick is the Director of Distributionat Designer Brands, where he oversees high-volume, multi-shift operations across retail, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer channels. With over 15 years of experience in the cosmetics and footwear industries including nearly a decade at The Estée Lauder Companies and at DSW since Fall of 2019.
He is proficient in leveraging fulfillment automation technologies and Six Sigma methodologies to drive operational excellence. Patrick holds a degree from Ashland University in Ohio and is recognized for his ability to lead large-scale teams and complex supply chain integrations with multiple WES and automation deployments.
