As more and more shoppers battle the tendency to default to online shopping, the order fulfillment processes of these businesses are struggling to match demand. Without the shipping capabilities necessary to meet this demand, smaller retailers are losing out on sales. Just think about the number of orders Amazon processes per day because shoppers know they’d receive their order in two days. Imagine how this impacts the smaller businesses incapable of offering such expedited shipping options. While it’s clear that order fulfillment is not an easy process to perfect, it’s still a necessary element to success. Throughout this post, the importance of order fulfillment processes for retailers will be broken down and detailed.
Keeping up with the industry titans is the name of the game. As order fulfillment processes of each organization will likely differ, their needs are going to be unique. However, the phase that all organizations share is known as last mile delivery. This phase is where a product moves from the fulfillment center that was holding it to its final point of sale. While many customers see this phase as the end of their purchase’s journey, retailers see it as the most challenging. Without a proper last mile delivery strategy, each customers’ experience is put in jeopardy.
While the last mile delivery phase of order fulfillment is somewhat new, it certainly hasn’t missed a beat in terms of its importance. Prior to its emergence, online orders of the past would lack the sophisticated tracking information they receive today. Instead, online shoppers were told to expect a product within a range of dates, nothing more and nothing less. Any issues the businesses would run into would be communicated to the customer, but they were often left in the dark otherwise. Shipment expectations were certainly less demanding in the days of old compared to today.
Smaller businesses have found ways to adapt to the struggles of today. In fact, their delivery processes are only a small part of a larger problem. Prior to the pandemic, these smaller retailers were likely seeing less order volume. However, as more and more shoppers were forced to online channels, their order volume increased. If these retailers were struggling to deal with all of their orders before the pandemic, how are they meant to address these additional orders? Countless organizations were required to invest into inventory management systems and more warehouse space throughout the country. With the help of these facilities, more companies are able to securely store their products and be more prepared for the shipments that follow.
Have you noticed a decrease in your organization’s online sales since the pandemic? If you believe your organization’s order fulfillment process is lacking, it might be worth researching how an inventory management system can help. For more information on these systems and their providers, take a minute to investigate the infographic featured alongside this post. Courtesy of WAREHOWZ