APS Fulfillment, Inc. Responds to Recent First-Quarter E-Commerce Sales Data

APS Fulfillment, Inc. (www.APSFulfillment.com), one of the nation’s leading cost-effective fulfillment and integrated direct mail marketing companies, is responding to recent first-quarter e-commerce sales data and is pleased to announce its top tips for helping brands improve their customer satisfaction in a highly competitive online environment.

Many point to November and December as the strongest periods for growth in online sales, but according to one survey, the momentum has carried over to the first quarter. During the first quarter of 2014, e-commerce sales surged 12% year-over-year past $56.0 billion. This marks the 18th consecutive quarter when desktop sales increased year-over-year, and since the first quarter of 2010, nearly every quarter has experienced at least a 10% increase. (Source: Knight, K., “comScore: Retail Ecommerce up 12%,” BizReport.com, June 2, 2014; www.bizreport.com/2014/06/comscore-retail-ecommerce-up-12.html.)

“Despite the sluggish economy, this data is encouraging, especially in light of retail sales increasing only 2.4% over the same period. And the results are pretty much in line with the 15% annual growth in first-quarter e-commerce sales as reported by the Department of Commerce,” says Charles Aultman, president of APS Fulfillment, Inc. “Going forward, improved customer sentiment and an increase in discretionary spending should help brands with an online presence experience further momentum.” (Source: “Quarterly Retail e-Commerce Sales 1st Quarter 2014,” United States Census Bureau web site, May 15, 2014; www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf.)

Aultman explains that two of the most important elements of the e-commerce experience are convenience and customer satisfaction. In this competitive retail environment, consumers want to shop online and find the product or service they want as quickly as possible and at the lowest and most competitive price.

“Broken down to its most fundamental parts, fulfillment services are all about storing, moving, and managing,” he adds. “That means how and where a brand stores its products, how they get them to customers, and how they manage their logistics better than their competitors.”

“Businesses that hire a comprehensive fulfillment company close to all major transportation hubs, with state-of-the-art facilities, accurate and fast pick-and-pack, and a reliable customer service team have the potential to become a more successful business than those who do not outsource their fulfillment requirements,” Aultman concludes.

APS Fulfillment, Inc. is one of the United States’ leading cost-effective fulfillment and integrated direct mail marketing companies, offering affordable and real-time fulfillment services to small, medium, and large companies. Its state-of-the-art technology provides turnkey solutions for high-volume perfect-match mailings, personalized direct mail, snap-pak mailers, postcards, and triple-tabbed booklets. More information on APS Fulfillment, Inc. is available by visiting the firm’s web site at www.APSFulfillment.com or by calling 954-582-7450.