Order Fulfilment
When someone buys a product on an online store, when do we consider the order fulfilled? Is it after the customer completes their payment or is it once the business sends out the order for delivery?
The answer is none of the above. An order is not fulfilled until the customer receives it with the correct specifications as they requested. It can’t be, because so much can happen between the time the order is made and the time it arrives at its destination. For instance, an order can get damaged during the shipment process, or the wrong order may arrive by mistake. In such cases, the store needs to deal with the issue and correct it, meaning their job is not done.
A business can choose not to deal with customers’ dissatisfaction or their return/exchange requests, but that will only lead to:
- Negative/declining brand image
- Increase in unhappy customers
- Decreasing customer loyalty
- Loss of customers
- Decreasing conversion rates
To avoid this happening to your business, you need to better understand order fulfilment, and then implement the good practices. This is a great place to start.
Defining Order Fulfilment
If we were to define order fulfilment in its simplest form, we would say that it is the way a company processes its sales orders. This, however, does not give you an accurate depiction of how important and intricate it truly is. When a customer makes a purchase on your online store, this begins a series of steps you need to follow to successfully deliver the order to the customer. These steps include:
- Receiving inventory from suppliers
- Storing inventory
- Processing orders
- Picking inventory ordered
- Packing orders
- Shipping orders
- Delivering orders
- Returning/exchanging orders
All these steps makeup Order Fulfilment. Some steps, such as returning or exchanging orders, are not applicable to all brands. Regardless, each step feeds into the next and plays an important role in the process. So, with so many steps to manage for every order, how can you ensure you consistently deliver a great ordering experience for your customers?
Order Fulfillment Solutions
There will always be challenges when it comes to managing large, all-encompassing processes like Order Fulfillment. However, you need a strategy that can deal with all the steps, from stock management to deliveries. One strategy a company can use is to manage the whole process in-house, which is simple if you have all the skills and tools required to do so efficiently. For companies who don’t, outsourcing becomes the better option. However, another option is to mix a bit of in-house with some outsourcing.
For any of the above, you can seek the assistance of a cloud-based solution that helps with order fulfillment, like Digitrade. Digitrade is an eCommerce solution with a tool that assists businesses enhance their processes, including their order fulfillment strategy. The tool that helps with that on Digitrade’s platform is named the Order Management System and this is how it can help your business.
Digitrade’s Order Management System
The Order Management System (OMS) is a tool you can use to create seamless experiences for customers, plus manage and fulfill orders from various channels. Digitrade’s OMS has some functions specifically made to improve your Order Fulfillment. To list these functions, they are:
- Orders: Find lists of current orders, plus tools to manage existing orders,
and create new orders here.
- Invoices: Using an Invoice grid, Digitrade lets you see invoices at various
stages of the process.
- Shipments: View shipment records and generate shipment orders using
the Shipments grid.
Within Digitrade’s OMS, you have other functions you can use to your advantage for your online sales. These help you with managing some of the financial processes that must take place when a customer makes an online purchase. These functions include:
- Credit Memos: View the amounts and details of customers who owe you
using this function.
- Billing Agreements: You can access all your billing agreements between
your store and its customer on a Billing Agreements grid.
- Transactions: The Transactions grid displays all your company’s
payment activities.
Enhance your Order Fulfilment process or any other eCommerce process within your business today simply by reaching out to Digitrade. They have a team of experts ready to help you achieve your online sales goals through efficient and effective solutions. Click here to see for yourself.