Reasons to Invest in Excellent Customer Service for Your Online Store

Online businesses are booming. It has become second nature for increasing numbers of consumers to buy online, whether they are shopping for new shoes or a new car. That’s not to say, however, that online businesses can afford to grow complacent when it comes to providing excellent customer service.

Discover why creating a seamless customer experience is essential for your brand, below. 

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Why Have So Many Businesses Moved Online?

Over the last few years, there has been a huge boom in online business, which has seen so many business moved online both for cost and convenience reasons. It might not come as too much of a surprise to see that many companies have continued to flourish as a result.

This could be for any number of reasons, but one of them is customer satisfaction. 

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Warehousing: Optimize Storage Locations!

“We just spent several millions of dollars on a new Warehouse Management System for our E-Commerce Online Distribution Centre.  We do not need to spend any more money on our Supply Chain.” That sounded very intriguing to say the least.  At a minimize we needed to optimize storage.

The E-Commerce business anticipated 20-30% year to year growth. I could only interpret, having just joined the company, that all of the steps and planning needed had been taken.  We had to ensure that the Distribution Centre could handle Holiday volumes, especially over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period.

However imagine my surprise when I went to the Online Distribution Centre.  All I saw was a very large warehouse with nothing but racks and shelving as far as the eye could see.  Employees were pushing carts up and down aisles, across the entire warehouse.  They were trying to find each of the products required to fill a particular customer order. The company had just invested in an expensive Warehouse Management System.

Yet  no time or money had been spent on process optimization, order fulfillment cycle time reduction,  cost reduction, or peak capacity load management.

We were in for a hectic Holiday season, at best!

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Transform Your eCommerce Business with Supply Chain Excellence!

While offering access to global markets, eCommerce has also created a new set of challenges for businesses, particularly when it comes to supply chain management. Consumers expect fast and personalized delivery options, and a well-designed supply chain network can help them meet these expectations and enhance the overall customer experience.

Let’s explore the changing eCommerce landscape, the challenges faced by businesses, and how they can be addressed through intelligent eCommerce supply chain excellence.

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The 5 Point Last Minute Black Friday Supply Chain Checklist!

Black Friday is almost here!  The Last Minute Black Friday Supply Chain checklist is here too!

It marks the tipping point demarcating the less busy, preparation focussed pre-Black Friday period from the frantically busy, execution focussed post-Black Friday period.

Record sales are expected from the online retail channel in particular, as is the case year after year.

For Supply Chain teams this means that time is running out to ensure that all of the planning, preparation, contingencies, resources, systems, processes and goods are in place.  

Here is our Last Minute Black Friday checklist.

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5 Things to Know About Publishing a Book Online!

If you’ve ever dreamt of becoming a published author, now may be the perfect time to get your book out into the world. With the rise of digital publishing, it’s become easier and more accessible than ever to publish a book online

However, if you’re new to the process, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. This article will cover some important things to know before publishing a book online.

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Get Ready for Holiday Now: Make It Boring (From A Supply Chain Perspective)!

The Holiday season finished recently.  And the next Holiday season may seem far away.  But in the area of E-Commerce Fulfillment it will be here before you know it.  Now is the time to begin implementing the improvements and strategies you need to make this coming Holiday season more successful than last year.

Having gone through the ups and downs and stresses of several Retail Holiday seasons myself, one January I gave this direction to my team.  For the upcoming Holiday our theme was that we were going to have a BORING Holiday season … from a Supply Chain perspective.

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Micro Fulfillment in Store!

Decades ago a customer could call their local grocery store and order the goods they wanted, for either pick up at the store or for home delivery. This option for order fulfillment had been adopted by some in the intervening decades. However this Micro Fulfillment has only become a more pervasive and dominant option due to the pandemic, which has shut down or restricted traditional retail in store selling.

Ship from store and Pick up in store last mile delivery options have been understood for some time but there have been reasons, pre-pandemic, which have inhibited their adoption.

Let’s explore in store Micro Fulfillment in more depth.

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Manage Your E-Commerce Store With No Inventory!

A successful new business model has come to the forefront, and it doesn’t require you to have an inventory. E-commerce stores are now trendy, and their online sales are projected to make up to 18.1% of global retail sales. It is easy to learn how to manage your e-commerce store without the extra work required to stock and ship goods.

Read on to learn more about the methods you can apply to manage your e-commerce store and business venture. 

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How to Choose the Right Packaging for Your E-Commerce Store!

To choose the right packaging for e-commerce products is extremely important. It is one of the most important parts of branding, and if you’re operating a single product store, the packaging could end up being a major element in your website’s design. Picking packaging that stands out will make your product more attractive and increase conversions.

But packaging is about more than aesthetics, and there are many factors that you’ll have to consider.

Let’s take a look at a few things you’ll have to think about when choosing the packaging for an e-commerce store.

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10 Reasons Why Buying Power Tools Online is a Game Changer!

In the dynamic landscape of consumerism, the shift from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online platforms has revolutionized the way we acquire goods. This transformation is particularly evident in the domain of power tools, where the efficiency and convenience of online shopping have become increasingly apparent. 

In this exploration, we delve into ten robust reasons why choosing to buy power tools online is a judicious and pragmatic choice.

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What is Click and Collect? (Infographic)

According to Stephan Serrano at Barilliance, click & collect is an “omnichannel retail strategy where shoppers order their items online and pick them up in store.”

This hybrid model marries the digital and brick-and-mortar retail experience for a seamless and streamlined customer transaction.

It is also sometimes known as “buy online, pick up in store”, or BOPUS for short. 

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Innovations in Offline Retail! (Infographic)

There is no escaping the fact that offline retail has changed over the last number of years. The predominant reason for this is advancement in technology but specifically with the emergence of the Internet and associated devices which allow consumers to literally shop from the comfort of their couch.

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Warehouse Fulfillment – Move Material to the People, Not Vice Versa!

“Here Come The Bots!”

Wow!  This was the headline caption on the presentation I was about to see.  I had just joined the company.  I had just spent the last few years in Retail.  I had done a lot of research on how to improve efficiencies and productivity in Online/E-Commerce Fulfillment Distribution Centres.  And I had lived through the agonizing process and resource challenges of fulfilling E-Commerce orders during the Holiday season, which is far and away the busiest time of the year in Retail.

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Competing against Amazon? You Need A Blue Ocean Strategy!

Amazon is far and away the leader in the E-C0mmerce space.  Their growth continues at an exceptional pace.  And they continue to expand their products, services, and capabilities.  In short they continue to press their advantage and make it difficult for anyone else to compete with them.  You need a Blue Ocean strategy!

But if you are in the E-Commerce space that is your reality.  Amazon is the biggest shark in the room.  So how do you compete in the face of such an overwhelming adversary?

One technique is to consider creating your own Blue Ocean Strategy to create competitive advantage!  If you can define dramatically different space in which to do business you may be able to keep this shark, and others, at bay (at least for a period of time).

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