Lives are busy enough, juggling family time with work, without having to find a few hours to go shopping. As we move away from the high street, more of us are shopping online. Buying anything online is mostly hassle-free – for a start, there’s no need drive into a city centre, find somewhere to park and then brave inclement weather and other shoppers! Not to mention forking out huge sums for parking.
As more people turn to the internet for their purchases – both big and small – large retailers, online stores, and direct mail businesses need to find an efficient, reliable and timely delivery system that keeps their customers happy.
With one phone call or a couple of clicks on a screen, it is possible to order almost anything and have it sent to anywhere in the world. Businesses therefore need to consider order fulfilment as important as the selection of products they sell.
What is an order fulfilment service?
In a nutshell, an order fulfilment service will receive, pick, pack and despatch orders on behalf of the retailer. Specialist fulfilment houses will safely store a company’s products in their own warehouse facility and will be responsible for stock control. Using sophisticated software, the fulfilment house will be able to integrate with a company’s own website and online sales channels and download any orders received. The fulfilment team will then be tasked with picking the products from the warehouse and to then pack and despatch them to the customer.Who is a fulfilment service aimed at?
An outsourced order fulfilment service is perfect for any trade or retail business or agency that sends goods or direct mail to its customers anywhere in the world. An order fulfilment service can help businesses:- Reduce the time between the order being received and despatched.
- Streamline ordering and despatching processes.
- Handle a sudden increase in order volume – for example, during seasonal peaks such as Black Friday or Christmas.
- Reduce costs.
- Manage stock.
- Increase online sales by improving customer experience and reducing lead times.
- Handle returns in a professional and timely manner.