Online retailers put a lot of time and effort into perfecting their customer’s experience.
From approving professional product photography to designing the best website – and everything in between to knock the socks off of your customers, online retailers know what needs to be done.
The thing is, if one aspect of your e-commerce business is not tightened up, the whole thing can crash down into a spectacular scene of abandoned carts and sky-high bounce rates.
That aspect is the ever-feared order fulfillment process. This fear is unwarranted but very real for many online retailers.
For a quick boost to improve your e-commerce fulfillment process, follow these five steps:
1. Optimize Stock
Inventory management has lots of moving parts.
Selling products across multiple points can make a business vulnerable to miscalculations and those can cause endless stock issues.
Inventory management software can optimize stock levels and show quantities of each SKU across multiple storage locations.
Inventory systems can create reports to give granular data about your stock and the best and worst-performing items.
2. Real-Time Tracking
For a quick win in improving your e-commerce fulfillment process, implement real-time tracking for both inventory and orders with supply chain software.
Knowing exactly what stock you have and where it is at all times is one of the most effective ways to manage your inventory and improve your order fulfillment process.
As a bonus, and if your business model allows, let customers see your inventory. That can help them decide what to purchase or give them extra confidence to do so.
Real-time tracking for orders is a must; customers have come to expect it.
3. Shipping Options
For cost-effective e-commerce fulfillment, consider outsourcing your shipping.
To optimize shipping, prioritize minimizing packaging size and weight and use reliable shipping software for efficiency. Packing items into the smallest appropriate box can reduce shipping costs, a saving you can pass on to your customers.
Communicate shipping costs and options to your customers; they must understand your store’s unique shipping methods and charges.
4. Customer Communication
Customers appreciate transparency more than you realize.
Where possible, give your customers the power to make informed decisions about their purchases and stay in touch with them throughout their purchasing journey.
Communicate shipping times and possible delays upfront – that way, your customers can happily manage their expectations without constant involvement from your teams.
Make it easy for your customers to contact you with concerns or questions. Knowing that they can reach out if needed often helps to soothe minor issues.
5. Identify Issues
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be astounded by how many online retailers keep making the same mistakes.
While having a hassle-free returns policy may seem counterintuitive, it is the best thing you can do for your online business. Most online transactions are mandated by laws, so you do not have a legal choice anyway.
Use the data from returns to identify common issues with suppliers or products and address them proactively.
Final Thoughts
Order fulfillment does not have to be as complicated as some people make it out to be.
The premise is simple – have enough stock to meet demand and choose a shipping partner to get orders to customers safely and on time.
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