The success of your online operations relies on your eCommerce fulfillment process, so it’s essential to enhance this experience for your customers.
Improving your order fulfillment processes can turn this cost center into a revenue driver for your company. Customers highly value order accuracy, fast shipping speeds, and consistent communication, so faltering in this area can be detrimental. To avoid endless refunds and fewer return visits, it’s time to streamline your order fulfillment process and keep your customers happy.
Keep reading to learn seven valuable tips for improving your eCommerce fulfillment strategy.
1. Improve Order Accuracy
Customers have high standards for order accuracy and shipping speeds. Turning around more correct orders can reduce returns, protect revenue, and minimize your workload. In turn, you’ll generate more recurring customers and income.
If you want to improve order accuracy, introduce another inventory check. Your team probably already does plenty of visual checks and product counting, but incorporating a digital check is a simple way to streamline accuracy.
Barcode scanners can quickly move around a warehouse and can be used on your smartphone as an app or as a separate device. Use these devices to scan products as they’re packed and sync this with your order management system. This will help ensure that orders are filled accurately with the correct items and quantities.
2. Automate Ordering Procedures
Automation is the crux of an efficient and reliable order fulfillment system. Many businesses enter data manually into each system, wasting loads of valuable time on repetitive tasks.
With an automatic order and inventory management system, you only need to input data once. This heightens your employees’ quality of work, reduces the risk of human error, decreases operational expenses, and creates more sales opportunities. Automating your ordering procedures also allows you to collect consumer data that will help you improve the customer experience.
3. Understand Your Order Fulfillment Cycle Time
Online shoppers have increasingly high demands when it comes to the fulfillment process. To build your customers’ trust and be a dependable seller, you need to evaluate your order fulfillment cycle time (OFCT).
OFCT encompasses many steps from the time you receive an order until its completed delivery, including:
- The customer places an order.
- You receive the order on your orders page.
- You place a manufacturing order for the requested items.
- You receive the goods and start the manufacturing process.
- You or your team assembles, packs, and ships the order.
- The order is delivered to the customer.
Measuring your OFCT involves evaluating your production and delivery time. Calculate each cycle variable to get your warehouse running as efficiently as possible.
4. Organize Your Inventory
Organizing your warehouse is another way to improve your eCommerce fulfillment process. Classifying your inventory will help you facilitate faster identification of the stocks within your warehouse and maintain sufficient stock levels at all times.
One effective way to categorize your inventory is based on profitability. This is called “ABC Classification of Inventory.” This method divides goods into three categories, as follows:
- A items represent 10% of total inventory but are 70% of the total annual value
- B items represent 20% of total inventory but are 20% of the total annual value
- C items represent 70% of total inventory but are only 10% of the total annual value
This approach will give you greater control over high-value inventory availability and reduce losses and costs.
5. Increase Communication With Your Customers
Shoppers value communication when it comes to their eCommerce purchases. The more you reach out to your customers, the greater chance you’ll build trust with them.
Automate message delivery by integrating inventory tools with your CRM (customer relationship management) to make eCommerce communication more simple. Your customers should receive the following notifications:
- When a transaction is processed
- When an order has shipped
- When there is a delay
- Upon delivery
Additionally, follow up with your customers to see if they have any questions or concerns about their orders. You can also ask them to write a review at this point in the process.
To summarize, more communication is always better. Transparency will make your customers feel confident in their trust in your business and keep them coming back in the future.
6. Simplify Your Returns Policy
It’s essential to cultivate the right attitude about returns and refunds. Returns happen and when they do, always try to be efficient. Aim to work with suppliers that accept returns, don’t charge restocking fees, and can promptly process refunds and replacements.
As a retailer, it’s your job to keep your customers happy throughout each step of the order process, including returns and refunds. Be transparent about your return policy and develop a smooth process to handle these logistics.
7. Outsource eCommerce Fulfillment
One of the best ways to improve eCommerce fulfillment is outsourcing these duties to a trusted fulfillment company. Using a fulfillment center allows you to offer your customers a high level of service while reducing order processing costs.
Here are a few more reasons why you should consider using a fulfillment company:
- They are experts in fulfillment.
- You can extend your reach to an international network.
- You’ll free up valuable storage space.
- Your shipping speeds will soar, leading to happier customers.
- You can focus on the core of your business rather than spending weekends and nights fulfilling orders.
- You’ll improve your scalability and be able to handle an increase in orders.
- You won’t need to worry about processing the seasonal influx of orders.
- You will save money by lowering your shipping and operating costs.
Improve Your Order Fulfillment Process with MintFulfill
If you’re looking for the best way to improve your eCommerce fulfillment, it’s time to partner with Mintfulfill! We’re a fulfillment company emphasizing intense customer satisfaction and cutting-edge processes for order fulfillment. We take over the expensive hassles of shipping and fulfillment, so our clients can increase sales and improve customer satisfaction.
Reach out today to take your shipping services to the next level!