Any company, especially an ecommerce oriented business, regardless if it is large- or small-scale, should have a proper, efficient and smooth order fulfillment process in place. Order fulfillment is one of the most essential parts of your business because the quality of service you provide through this process will determine whether or not your customers are happy with your products.

In the perspective of a consumer, if a company lacks the capabilities to provide an organized, efficient and fast order process, then it wouldn’t be surprising for the customer to not continue doing business with them, making the company lose out on sales.

Not only will a company with a disorganized order fulfillment process have a declining effect on their overall profit, they will also have to spend more time, money and effort into acquiring new customers.

Since selling to newer consumers costs a lot more than selling to loyal, already existing customers, it is highly recommended that businesses implement a stable order fulfillment service from the get-go in order to build a strong relationship with their respective clients.

Some of the key elements needed for a successful fulfillment process are:

Clear communication and transparency.

It can be said that communication alone cannot improve your situation, but without it, the order fulfillment process will fail to deliver. When a company fails to communicate regularly and thoroughly about their fulfillment process, then customers will more likely than not worry about their product as well as the professionalism and legitimacy of that ecommerce company. Proper communication ensures that both the customer and staff know what they should be expecting, thus giving them the reassurance they need to trust in your service.

Organized inventory/warehouse management.

Any aspiring ecommerce business should make sure that their employees and staff knows the layout of their warehouse as if it was their own home, so that movement and transit between areas will be as smooth and seamless as possible. Proper placement, storage and division of the warehouse space are important in speeding up the order fulfillment process because it will take less time for staff to locate and retrieve corresponding items when an order arrives.

Hassle-free product return process and refund policies.

With an estimated 30% of online purchases and orders resulting in returns, it is important that a business implements an efficient returns process in order to handle the payment refunds and replacements. This implementation will ensure that both the company and the consumer will save valuable time and get products to where they need to be.

With the steady increase of ways that customers can make orders online, some ecommerce companies may find it difficult to keep up with the times and fully commit to their order fulfillment service, which is important in keeping customers happy.

Here are some tips to ensure that your ecommerce business has a smooth order fulfillment process…

Have a clear, easily understandable and straightforward checkout process.

When a consumer makes an order, with a choice from a variety of platforms, they expect to have an easy checkout process that provides all the necessary details about the corresponding order. Important information such as the full description of the product the customer ordered to the estimated time of arrival should be made clear in the checkout process. If the consumer’s expectations about their order are met through their initial checkout process, then this will result in an improved experience for both the customer and business.

Accurately determine time of delivery.

If there’s one thing that customers want, it’s when their order will arrive. This is why it’s essential to clarify the estimated time of arrival for every package. Every consumer expects and appreciates it if their order is delivered on or before the time period, however, the opposite happens if it arrives late. In order to efficiently estimate delivery times, companies should pay close attention to their order fulfillment process and see how long it takes for their couriers to transport goods to their corresponding areas. When in doubt, it is always best to say that a customer’s order will take more time to deliver than it actually will. Better for the package to arrive early than late.

Think more about your packaging.

Regardless of your business and the products you sell, all items, especially ones of fragile nature, that are sent should be handled and shipped with care so that it arrives at its destination in good shape. Putting extra care and effort into ensuring that each order’s packaging is safe and efficient will not only prevent it from being damaged, but in turn also limit the amount of returns on sold products.

Stock your inventory accordingly.

Keep track of what sells and what doesn’t. If a business fails to supply the right inventory, then they are losing out on profit and potential sales. Proper inventory management using implemented software that keeps track of sold products will help a business understand what customers want and what items they should prioritize in stocking up on.

Let a trustworthy fulfillment service do the work.

One of the easiest and most efficient ways of improving your company’s order fulfillment process is to hire a professional fulfillment company such as Fulex.

We here at Fulex, an Ecommerce fulfillment company based in Detroit, are proud to provide reliable, fast and efficient fulfillment services at reasonable prices. Not only do we promise to improve your overall business success with our seamless integration and expert logistical management, you can also count on our commitment in providing you the personalized care your business needs to grow. Using our technology, tools, services and expertise we can definitely boost your business to newer heights.