There’s no denying that ecommerce is a big deal in today’s world and in fact, online shopping makes up a large majority of consumer purchasing habits and will only continue to rise. Big box retailers have the wherewithal to develop and implement creative solutions in the online space and while ecommerce companies sometimes struggle to keep up, all merchants must address the impact of online shopping and how strategic order fulfillment can play a key role in business success.
Let’s look at some of the most common reasons people shop online and the impact order fulfillment has purchases.
Speedy delivery
In the order fulfillment world, “time to home” is the time it takes for a customer to receive an item from the moment they click the buy button to its arrival their doorstep. But in a customer’s eyes, it’s all about how fast they can get their hands that fancy new gadget and today’s consumers demand and are accustomed to near instant gratification. Two-day delivery is all the rage and in fact can be even faster in some cases. Delivery speed alone is a big driver in ecommerce and efficient order fulfillment is critical to its success.
Physical challenges
Some people shop online because they simply don’t have time to physically travel to a store, the store is too far away, or they don’t have transportation. This is where ecommerce comes in, making it easy for a customer to purchase product without leaving home. This means stores must have easy to access websites and seamless integration to a fulfillment center.
Attractive price point
With computers in their back pockets, consumers can easily hunt for the best price, often within minutes. That said, a company can sell competitively priced products while still earning a profit. This is a critical way for e-commerce business owners cut costs and not quality. One effective way to leverage cash flow is to team up with an order fulfillment partner. By managing inventory and shipping products at very low rates, fulfillment centers e-commerce owners can allocate money saved back to customers without negatively effecting profits .
Cost of delivery
Shipping products to online shoppers is the core of many businesses, and shipping rates should be top of mind for all e-commerce business owners. Businesses fulfilling online shopping orders from home or a private warehouse can mean missed discounted shipping rates. Third-party supply chain management partner companies leverage their bulk shipping discounts. Order fulfillment partners with multiple locations can ship for even less, allowing ecommerce businesses to offer free or very low shipping costs to customers.
Keep in mind that when it comes to a consumer’s decision to shop online, an e-commerce store must meet all these factors if they want to remain competitive. Indeed, partnering with a fulfillment center can greatly benefit online businesses in boosting their end profits and ensuring a loyal and active customer base.
Item availability
This is arguably the most critical element of online purchasing. Backordered products almost always inspire a customer to shop somewhere else. There are thousands of options; professional order fulfillment ensures customers choose yours.
For more information, contact the team at Overflo Warehouse at (800) 626-061600 or overflo.com for a free quote.