E-commerce is a significant term now. As people are rapidly adopting the internet, many digital buyers are mushrooming every year. According to a study, eCommerce sales will account for around 17% of global retail sales by 2021. However, with the increase in demand, there comes the challenge of fulfilling the customer demands efficiently. Therefore, eCommerce business owners need to take care of eCommerce order fulfilment on time.

 

The eCommerce order fulfilment process plays an essential role in the success of your online business. Also, it can hamper customer experience and your own business’s effectiveness. Nevertheless, you can improve your order fulfilment experience and turn it into a revenue driver for your business. There are many ways to do so. It is best to follow some easy and streamlined ways to improve your customer experience.

 

Before sharing the steps to improve the eCommerce fulfilment process, let us find out what exactly it is.

 

What Is Ecommerce Fulfilment?

E-commerce order fulfilment is the process that starts from the same and continues until the post-delivery experience of the consumer. The entire process includes maintaining stock, receiving orders, order packaging, processing, shipping, and delivering orders.

 

Everything goes well in your business if you take care of the entire process. You can either choose to conduct the process on your own or outsource some of the business operations. Both work well as long as your customers are happy with the services.

 

 

 

 

 

Steps To Improve Order Fulfilment:

Now, let us have a closer look at some essential steps that help improve your fulfilment functions.

 

Inventory Management

Although it is an ongoing process, keeping it in the first place is vital for fulfilling orders on time. As an eCommerce business owner, you should have a good idea of your stock. The updated inventory will help you to begin your order process with surety.
Moreover, auditing the stock regularly is another great way to make sure it’s a correct implementation. There must be a proper inventory management system to take care of your product management. It’s an excellent way to check if all the items are in perfect shape or not. If you find any defective or discarded products, it becomes easy to make arrangements to arrange for new ones.

 

 

Inventory Storage

This is a crucial step that has a significant role in deciding the speed of your fulfilment actions. If the storage and warehousing are not done correctly, you can waste time searching for products that will delay e-commerce order fulfilment.

Moreover, it would be best if you had a provision for arranging inventory on proper shelves along with correct labelling to prevent any hassle during picking. Use your warehouse storage space to organize all the products.

 

 

Set Preferences For Receiving Orders

This vital step goes parallel with inventory management. You need to set your preference for accepting orders as it can be done manually or with the help of software. After this, sort the orders according to their delivery dates. Give priority to the orders that are to be delivered within 24 hours.

Also, don’t forget to send your customers an email confirming their order and provide them with a timeframe for when they will be receiving it.

 

 

Picking

Picking includes going through the warehouse and looking for the products ordered by the customers. The order can be from one location or two different locations. So, to make the picking uncomplicated, a sorting warehouse is essential. It is possible with the help of dedicated staff for the warehouse department. It will improve the fulfilment process, and you will save overall cost by doing everything step by step.

You can choose a batch picking method in which several orders are grouped into smaller batches. It accelerates the efficiency of your orders.

 

 

Packaging

Invest in sturdy and plain packaging because if your customers receive unpacked or unlabeled products, you can lose your business reputation. Also, no single packing can work right for all types of products, so focus on customizing packing in your budget. This way, you can not only attract your customers but also ensure the safety of the product.

However, the key focus should be on packing things adequately matching the standards set by different courier companies. Use the finest quality packaging material so that it can bear the friction caused during transportation. You can choose corrugated boxes for improving your packaging experience.

 

 

Look For A Right Shipper

Once you have gone through your side of operations, the next important thing you need to keep in mind is looking for the correct shipping process.

Shipping is one of the most vital aspects of the eCommerce fulfilment process. Delivery delays will disappoint customers, and even your smooth business operations will not save you.

Therefore, give proper time to search for a reputable and reliable shipper with an excellent record. Also, consider the best eCommerce shipping practices so that you don’t disappoint anyone connected to you and your business.

 

 

Return Order Processing

Generally, the order fulfilment process ends with the delivery of the product. However, with changes, an addition has been made to this chain of fulfilment. You can expect return orders because of increasing competition, and handling them efficiently is significant.

 

You must choose a method that can help you return orders quickly. It is the best way to save on returns by a good margin.

 

 

 

 

Are You Ready With These Seven Steps?

A good order fulfilment process ensures smooth business operation. And following some simple yet effective steps will always keep you on top. Keep all the steps in mind and formulate your strategy accordingly. Make sure the method you use supports your business edgy. Also, you can always come up with innovative ideas to match that trend.

 

In simple words, it is retail therapy, and it helps you gain your customers’ confidence. So, it’s a kind of customer satisfaction fulfilment. You are responsible for keeping your online customers feeling good about you and therefore go through all the steps of the order processing thoroughly.

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