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An e-Commerce online shopping site is just the first step to the success of e-commerce retails. On the front end, successful e-Commerce businesses pay close attention to the user experience. E-commerce retail businesses tend to spend many hours on the packaging, online shopping cart, and other features that help their customers locate what they want and pay quickly, as well as receive customer service and technical support when they need it. That’s the e-Commerce site’s front-end that how customers will see, but what happens behind the scenes is equally important to the success of e-commerce retailers.
That’s where e-Commerce fulfilment services come in and excel. Once a customer has made a purchase, the order must be processed and delivered to the customer quickly and efficiently. On the back end, e-Commerce fulfilment is equally important to the user experience. The order must be fulfilled quickly and precisely, then dispatched to the customer. E-commerce fulfilment services can assist e-Commerce businesses to manage inventory availability, packing, shipping, and handling returns and refunds.
For an e-Commerce business, eCommerce fulfilment is critical to its success. Consumers anticipate prompt service and fast delivery. Even if your products are great, the eCommerce fulfilment provider you choose will have a large impact on your user’s experience.
Choosing the right e-commerce fulfilment provider for your business could be overwhelming if you’ve never done it before. Keep read on this blog to check out how to choose the best e-commerce fulfilment service for your business.
E-Commerce Fulfillment Pricing
The cost of shipping is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing an e-Commerce fulfilment provider. However, while it can just go with the price tag and choose a fulfilment services provider solely on that, you need to think about more than that. You should always compare rates and evaluate multiple possibilities to find a good fit, as customers that are dissatisfied may end up costing you more in the long term.
Inquire about the billing procedures from e-Commerce fulfilment providers and compare since the price is crucial. Additionally, you need to take your order volume as one of the important factors when you do the pricing comparison and see if the e-Commerce fulfilment provider can offer the flexibilities that you need. For example, if the sales of your e-Commerce business fluctuate by the seasons, avoid paying fixed monthly or annual fees for storage and inventory management. Instead, look for a low-cost, flat-rate pricing structure that won’t skyrocket your bills. While on the opposite, if your business handles high volume sales each month equally, you may look for a fixed fee and agree upon with your e-Commerce fulfilment provider an amount to avoid extra billings. If you find an e-Commerce fulfilment provider with conventional pricing, keep an eye out for hidden or additional fees included in the small print of your contract. Is there a payment for dunnage (the small packing peanuts that protect your items) from the service provider? Is there a fee for packing slips? Do you have to pay for technology if you need to talk to developers? Do you have to pay a fee every time you phone the helpdesk? These hidden (or fine print) costs can pile up quickly, especially as your company grows, so be sure you’re aware of them upfront.
Integrations and technology
Your e-Commerce fulfilment provider should have the system and technology that should be integrated well with your tech stack. Many eCommerce businesses use a full tech stack, and if your eCommerce business runs on numerous eCommerce platforms, those linkages are critical for seamless logistics across all channels.
In terms of technology, the e-Commerce fulfilment provider you choose should have a well-designed system and the infrastructure support that can help you on inventory management, order trackings and returns, and fulfilment centres that can keep your goods close to customers in order to save time and money on delivery. Based on your sales, inventory on hand, and seasonal trends, your e-Commerce fulfilment provider should have a smart replenishment system that can tell you which SKUs to resupply at which fulfilment location.
Analytics and data
In the world of eCommerce, data is a powerful tool, and your e-Commerce fulfilment service provider is another data point that can reveal more about your company. Reliable e-commerce fulfilment services allow you to automatically deliver product orders from your e-commerce platform to your e-commerce fulfilment provider for distribution, without requiring any extra input from you or your team. Order statuses and inventory should be updated automatically by the software, both at the warehouse and on your e-commerce website. These automation allowing your business to work on a real-time basis and have a clear picture of your supply chain. Look for a solution that allows you to track real-time data so you can make better decisions regarding inventory allocation, distribution, purchasing, and more.
Capability
As an eCommerce business, you may encounter a variety of supply chain difficulties. Not only do you get warehouse space when you outsource fulfilment services to a third party logistics, but you also get support in handling your order fulfilment.
Your e-commerce fulfilment provider will need to expand to keep up with your business. Is its physical warehouse capable of handling the amount you may develop in the future? Is their technology up to the task of managing the increased stock? Are there enough people at the fulfilment centre to handle your prospective needs if your product becomes popular? Although these concerns may seem distant, switching e-commerce fulfilment services in the midst of a boom period could harm your business. Make sure your e-commerce fulfilment service can help you achieve your goals and has the capability in scaling with the growth of your business.
There should be no lock-in
Many logistic businesses provide pricing flexibility. This implies they’ll be able to adapt to your needs and change costs as you grow or go through quiet periods. Long-term leases normally need more commitment when renting your own warehouse space.
If you think you’re ready to choose an e-commerce fulfilment service provider, make sure you can test the system in operation as well as the integration with your e-commerce platform to ensure that everything goes as planned.
For e-commerce businesses that are growing, with unpredictable sales, and not enough time to handle things in-house, outsourced eCommerce order fulfilment services make sense and will help them achieve their big goals. It’s a terrific approach to free up your time while also engaging the expertise of a niche specialist who can help you improve order fulfilment and overcome logistical issues.
Work with fulfilment experts to manage from purchasing to order fulfilment so that you can concentrate on building your online business. SPExpress provides e-commerce fulfilment service to Canadian eCommerce businesses looking to scale up their growth. We pick, pack, ship and deliver with industry-leading accuracy, get your QUOTE today!