Thanks to platforms like Shopify and programs like Amazon FBA, just about anyone can launch and start an eCommerce business very quickly. All it takes is having the right inventory and an advertising or marketing budget, and you could be delivering your products to consumers within 72 hours.
However, just because this business model has a low entry barrier doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its unique challenges. And one of the biggest challenges that most online store owners battle with on a daily basis is order fulfillment.
This is vital because it’s how you generate revenue, grow your brand, build a loyal customer base, and build a sustainable business with an upward trajectory. To ensure that you have a seamless order fulfillment operation, make sure to implement the tips below.
Have Proper and Accurate Shipping Estimates
Many new eCommerce store owners often make the mistake of just using one postal service for delivering their customers’ items.
While this might seem like a good idea at first –all your shipping needs being handled by one provider– the costs can become pretty steep depending on your packages, their weight, and the delivery’s destination.
Instead, compare shipping estimates from different providers like the USPS, FedEx, UPS, and even Amazon –yes, Amazon is now a player in the delivery space. Then choose the best provider that offers great short and long-term value, and open a business account with them. This way, you will end up saving more on shipping than you ordinarily would.
Use Great Packaging
Listen, Amazon can afford to have nondescript packaging for products ordered on their website. You cannot afford to do that. Sure, it’s easier, but you need all the free promotion you can get.
And what better way to advertise your online store for free than having distinctive packaging, preferably one made from biodegradable materials. Redi-bag flexible packaging producer firms are becoming the packaging material providers of choice particularly now that there’s a national mandate for reduced carbon emissions and environmentally friendly packaging materials.
The packages in which your wrap and pack your items should be eco-friendly or biodegradable at the very least. An eCommerce store that shows that it’s committed to a green and eco-friendly world by using biodegradable packaging materials will make a good impression.
Use Fulfilment Warehouses
If you’re using Amazon’s FBA program, you don’t need to worry about this as Amazon will take care of the fulfillment for you for a fee. All you have to do is ship them the inventory and they’ll take care of the rest.
But if you’re running your eCommerce store independently and can’t manage the inventory out of your home or garage, fulfillment warehouses like Fulfillrite and Shipwire can handle the fulfillment for you, while you focus on other parts of your business.
Use Efficient Inventory Management Solutions
How many units of an SKU do you have in your inventory? When is the next batch of inventory coming in?
Will the new inventory be on time so you don’t have to tell your customers that the products they ordered are out of stock? The only way to track and measure this is by using an efficient inventory management app or system that tracks everything.
