Achieving Profitable Product Fulfillment
Technology has done a lot to transform the workplace, from improving communication and connectivity, to incorporating new means of marketing, storage, and tracking systems. Of all that technology has brought to the workplace, one of its greatest downsides lies in what it has done to customer expectations. Increased Demand and Expectations Customers now demand near flawless products within their price range. They also expect more value for what they are purchasing, and if they don’t get that with your company, they’ll move on to the next. This is true for product fulfillment services, as well. Businesses—whether local, small, or large—who...
How 3PL Supports Your Order Fulfillment Needs
It may seem simplistic, but often the most effective way for manufacturers today to manage their product fulfillment services is to turn the responsibility over to a third party logistics company (3PL). When manufacturers and retailers really assess the work that goes into properly organizing distribution—regulations, volatile costs, customer demands—then they would agree hiring a 3PL is the better way to go. In addition to 3PLs being able to better manage order fulfillment, there are other more practical reasons that manufacturers should consider hiring 3PLs. We’ll discuss some of the top benefits in this article. Cost Savings For any business,...Better Fulfillment for Maximum E-Commerce Productivity
Many small businesses may not realize the impact order fulfillment has on a company’s bottom line. Adjusting the price of products or implementing clever marketing strategies are usually top of mind when thinking of ways to improve revenue. But a sound order fulfillment process can be equally as rewarding and produce a return on investment worth the time it takes to develop the process. The proliferation of e-commerce in the operation of many businesses has made the task of fulfillment that much more challenging. Retailers are making offers—like free shipping—that are difficult to manage, yet they do this as a...
Holiday Challenges for E-commerce Order Fulfillment
The festive season will soon arrive, and with it will come the busiest time of year for many businesses. This applies equally to e-commerce retailers and businesses with physical stores. Holidays bring with them their own set of challenges for successful order fulfillment along with worse consequences for mistakes. Learning what pitfalls to expect is the first step in navigating the flurry of activity and coming out safely at the other end. Customer Loyalty Normally, customers will stick to a specific set of e-commerce businesses for their product purchases with only occasional variance. During the holidays—amidst the sales and shipping options...
Top 3 Benefits of Direct Mail Marketing
Those businesses that may be questioning whether direct mail is still useful in the present digital culture need only to look at the numbers. According to a study conducted by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), direct mail has a response rate of 3.4%, which far exceeds the 0.12% of email. It also showed that half of all respondents pay more attention to direct mail than any other marketing medium. Direct mail marketing is also trending upward once again. Banks and other financial institutions are utilizing this medium to target customers with measurable success, and small businesses are learning that the return...
Get Peace of Mind with Outsourced Pick and Pack
"Pick and pack" is a form of centralized product distribution and fulfillment that makes use of a central location where products are shipped to and from. Under the pick and pack model, products are stored in a shared warehouse location that orders are sent to. Warehouse staff then use the stored products to fulfill and ship orders. Inventory software is used to track products in real time so that their presence and shipping can be fully accounted for and observed. Advantages of Pick and Pack Services Managing and financing your own distribution center is difficult and costly for all but...
Boost Your E-Commerce This Holiday
We’re quickly approaching what, for the bulk of retailers, is the most important and most profitable time of year as a percentage of overall sales: the holiday season. This period features Thanksgiving/Black Friday at the end of November and, of course, the Christmas season. While sales are certainly predicted to increase for the vast majority of retailers, preparing for successful e-commerce fulfillment is one way to boost your holiday profits. Experts Predict Higher Than Normal Jump in E-Commerce Sales According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), overall retail sales are expected to increase from 2.5% to as much as 3.7%,...Your Options in E-commerce Fulfillment
Order fulfillment is the act of getting an order into the customer's hands. For e-commerce retailers, especially those that are purely online, fulfilling sales orders is one of the most important parts of your business. A company skilled in order fulfillment will stand out as they can get packages to customers with less time and fewer complications. Being unskilled only increases customer dissatisfaction and raises the chance they'll want a refund. In a sense, the quality of the order fulfillment can even rival the quality of the product itself. There are multiple forms of fulfillment options available to your business....
An Overview of Order Fulfillment
Generally speaking, order fulfillment refers to the process and steps involved in receiving, processing, and delivering product orders to customers. It is a form of logistics that takes place across every business, with some being more complicated than others. A waiter taking your order, the chef cooking the food, and another waiter delivering it is an example of a simple form of order fulfillment. For most companies, especially e-commerce ones, order fulfillment is a more involved process. In these instances, fulfillment logistics involve tracking and relaying information and goods over large distances. This creates some additional elements that exist beneath...Managing the Load of Bulk Mail
Direct mail marketing is still one of the most effective means of engaging consumers and leading them to take further action. Of the many benefits of direct mail, like converting targets, one aspect that some marketers see as an obstacle is cost. If you are correctly running your campaign strategy, there are many ways in which costs can be significantly reduced while still reaching a high volume of targets. One of the ways businesses can take advantage of mailing cost savings is by using standard mail, more formally known as bulk mail. Using bulk mail as opposed to first-class postage,...
