Running an e-commerce business can be a rewarding and flexible career. It's estimated that by the year 2025, retail e-commerce sales will grow by 50%, reaching about $7.4 trillion, according to Statista. The number one priority in e-commerce is order fulfillment and shipping. Let's look at what is involved in order fulfillment.
Before you can fulfill any orders, you'll need to order your own inventory that you will provide to your customers. As orders go out and inventory drops, it's very important that you keep track of inventory so that new supplies can be ordered quickly. This can help you to avoid out-of-stock items. When customers know they can depend on your business to have the items they want in stock, you start to build your reputation as a retailer they can trust.
If you keep inventory in stock, you'll need to have practical warehousing strategies in place. Warehousing is more involved than simply sticking inventory in a storage space. Warehousing also requires a strategy to ensure that orders can be picked quickly and efficiently and that inventory can be easily tracked and restocked. Warehousing also needs to be secure so that your inventory isn't damaged or stolen.
As orders come in, you need a system established to get items collected off the shelf quickly and accurately. Item collecting is the step in the order fulfillment process where critical mistakes can be made. When customers receive the wrong item, the wrong color, or a wrong-sized item, it can really make a bad impression on them. You must ensure that orders are collected correctly but also quickly.
Once the correct order has been picked, it's essential that the order is packed properly. Not only does packing need to be up to the standards of the shipping company you are using, but it should also ensure that orders will not be damaged. You also want to keep in mind sustainability practices to keep your business environmentally friendly.
Who you partner with for shipping will have a huge influence on your overall success. You need reliable shipping services that service the areas you want to provide retail to. Business to business fulfillment will only be as good as the shipping company you use.
If you're looking for reliable business to business fulfillment, please contact us at FulfillPlus today. We are here for all your fulfillment needs.
We offer a wide range of Fulfillment, Warehousing, Order Processing, Kitting, Assembly and Shipping services tailored to meet your marketing needs.