With the UK market set to be worth over £200 billion by 2023, eCommerce demand is putting pressure on logistics and transportation services. Anyone who operates an online retail business will know that eCommerce fulfillment is a crucial element of success. Moving orders from checkout to doorstep efficiently and cost-effectively, is now the single biggest challenge facing the sector.
Customer-facing service is a key differentiator for online retailers. The pursuit of convenience, choice, and reliability by customers is making it a zero sum game. If your business can’t harness eCommerce fulfillment to offer a first rate experience, customers will simply go elsewhere. The latest research indicates that 45% of online shoppers are unlikely to purchase from a store again having received an item late.
But here’s the thing, while fulfillment is the foundation that connects customers with products, it’s one of the most difficult aspects to get right. Read on to discover the critical success factors.
1. Convenience and reliability
Demand for convenience from online consumers is at an all time high. In shipping terms, that means offering them multiple delivery choices that encompass same and next-day options. Customers need to feel they are in control of the delivery experience, and want to be able to choose the perfect delivery option for each and every order.
To create better experiences that keep customers coming back, retailers should focus on building a logistics offering that reliably delivers orders, exactly when shoppers want them. Anything else, simply won’t cut it – if they can’t self-select a delivery time frame, 71% of UK buyers aren’t happy, according to SC Logistics.
2. Controlling delivery costs
One of the major barriers to providing superior customer delivery experiences is cost. In fact, delivery can be one of the most prohibitive costs of scaling an online retail business. While 24.7% of merchants agree their biggest supply chain challenge is delivery costs (Schliechtriem, 2021), excessive shipping costs are the main reason for cart abandonment for 69% online consumers.
Providing customers with flexible delivery options, and standing over them by ensuring that fulfillment operations are accurate and fast, is worth investing in. If you consider that just one late delivery can have a serious negative impact on your business, getting eCommerce fulfillment right will pay dividends.
The solution lies in connecting and optimising the various stages of eCommerce fulfillment and moving orders through each one as efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible.
Related: Build delivery cost control into your warehouse process
3. Scalability of process and systems
Innovation in the form of advanced automation is vital if you want to carry out smooth and efficient eCommerce fulfillment. To process larger order volumes, you need a warehouse process that is defined by operational ease.
Automation removes manual intervention, and identifies exceptions and issues early. By isolating blindspots and delivery bottlenecks, and taking them out of the warehouse, advanced capabilities vastly improve shipment creation speeds and reduce label booking resources. The Scurri platform puts you in control of a hands-free process that works seamlessly and is accurate for each and every delivery.
4. Perfecting your shipping strategy
Convenience and speed of delivery are hugely significant in the decision-making process when customers choose one retailer over another. The pursuit of shorter delivery times and better customer experiences is pushing buyers to expect more from delivery. To meet new expectations of eCommerce filfillment, retailers can maintain the advantage with a multi-carrier shipping strategy.
Adding new carriers and expanding the range of shipping services on offer has numerous benefits for retailers and customers alike. When reacting to unpredictable demand, dealing with delays, making contingency plans, being able to access multiple carriers helps retailers respond quicker. The same applies when expanding across borders, by quickly bringing new local last-mile carriers into your delivery mix.
By allowing you to switch between carriers instantly, and choose the optimal service for each package, the Scurri platform is a central point of delivery management control.
Control isn’t an option, it’s an essential. A superpower to take your business wherever you need it to go. That’s what Scurri really delivers. It’s what we were built around. Take control of your delivery management and take your business to the next level today.