EBOOK HERETechnological advancements have made our lives more convenient. Different sectors of the economy have benefited from novel innovations; however, businesses can be considered as the biggest winners and ECommerce fulfillment is critical.
From manufacturers to retailers, technology has greatly improved the efficiency and operations of these sectors. The emergence of ecommerce redefined how entities and their customers relate. Today, the ecommerce sector has made it easier for people to purchase their desired products hassle-free.
The introduction of ecommerce fulfillment centers has made it easier for traders to outsource warehouse facilities and shipping services, thus making their operations much more manageable. It relieves the pressure of operating and managing the physical storage spaces. All the seller needs to do is outsource fulfillment services and the chosen company will handle the shipping and returns.
Although inventory management is an essential part of ecommerce that helps an entity to operate efficiently, many online retailers often run into various problems while in their course of operation. Fulfillment companies have become very instrumental to many ecommerce operators since they do the heavy lifting tasks involve in operating online stores. Consequently, this leaves the ecommerce companies with plenty of time to focus on other essential parts of the business.
Common Challenges Facing Ecommerce Operators
One of the most common challenges that online retail operators have is overselling; it’s a scenario where a particular item has an overwhelming demand but the online store doesn’t have a sufficient quantity of that item.
What normally follows is the online stores notifying the clients via emails that the product is out of stock. In most cases, this normally attracts negative consumer sentiments as well as poor reviews. Both of these can negatively harm your business in the long run, something that could cause you to completely shut down.
Another problem that many small and medium-sized e-commerce stores face is picking and shipping. Mis-ships and mispicks are usually very common; mis-ship is a situation where a wrong item is sent to the customer whereas mispicks refers to a scenario where the store operators select the wrong product that has been ordered. Products that have been damaged are usually correct orders; however, they are unusable when they reach the buyer.
Online store owners normally handle numerous things to ensure the store runs perfectly. Still, shipping remains a very sensitive area; it’s because unsatisfied customers can easily write a wrong review which may end up hurting the company’s image.
How Fulfillment Centers Help Online Sellers
Online stores can outsource the services of fulfillment centers in two ways; they can either review the products upon which they will send them to fulfillment facilities or allow the products to be shipped directly from the manufacturer to the warehouse. Both avenues have their merits and demerits; therefore, you should go for the method that would work best for your store. What might work for one company might not be appropriate for a different entity; so ensure the model you have chosen isn’t a copy-paste from your competition.
Another good advantage that comes with using a fulfillment warehouse is it makes it easier to expand your business in the future. You won’t have to worry about expanding your storage space since the fulfillment facility has exponential storage capacity. Nevertheless, you should note that you’ll have to part with additional money when expanding.
Still, the cost of using a fulfillment warehouse is way more affordable than managing your storage. Additionally, sourcing fulfillment services can also speed up the expansion process and reduce the time your product will take to hit the market.
Handling returns can be very confusing especially during the festive season. Considering you’ll be using fulfillment services, the warehouse facilities will handle issues to do with to do returns. Your job as an online store owner would be to issue refunds where necessary. Before choosing a particular fulfillment warehouse, ensure the company can seamlessly integrate with your e-commerce platform.
Final Thoughts on Why ECommerce Fulfillment is Critical
The ecommerce sector has become extremely helpful especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. Customers have been able to shop for various products while countless people managed to retain their jobs due to the flexibility that comes with operating an e-commerce store.
If you have an online store and haven’t harnessed the services of a fulfillment warehouse company, you should consider outsourcing their service. The move would ultimately help your business to grow exponentially. ECommerce fulfillment is critical.