While many online retailers have benefited as a result of early COVID-19 restrictions and the tendency for shoppers to order online throughout these times, they’ve encountered some challenges in regards to their order fulfilment processes. These order fulfillment responsibilities have an incredible impact on the overall experience of the customer and are often selling points for many large-scale online retailers. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is Amazon’s prime delivery options. Despite Amazon offering many subpar quality items, customers continue to purchase because they’re able to guarantee their orders will arrive in a timely manner. The impact that these lead times have on the industry can be seen through Amazon’s prowess and inversely through smaller online retailers struggling to keep up. Just how can these smaller online retailers enhance their order fulfillment and continue competing in the space, though?
It’s important to note that every organization is going to handle their order fulfillment processes differently. However, in recent years, the last mile delivery phase of these processes has become increasingly important. In this phase, products purchased by customers are transported from their holding fulfillment centers to the final point of sale. This is where your less established organizations are truly challenged. Without a well-polished last mile delivery strategy, the online sales of these businesses will be negatively affected.
For many years, the concept of last mile delivery didn’t exist. Many online shoppers decades ago would order something and not receive such robust tracking information as online shoppers now. In most instances, the product an online customer would order would arrive as quickly as a company could get it out to them, and at the time, this didn’t bother online shoppers. Now, as Amazon continues to dominate the space, the shipping expectations of online shoppers have been set around Amazon’s prime delivery service; with some customers expecting delivery within an hour.
The problem is, for many smaller businesses operating today, delivery is only half of the problem. The other half is keeping up with order volume as a result of the pandemic and more and more customers opting into online shopping rather than visiting physical retail locations. How can these businesses remedy their delivery issues, though? The best bet is through an inventory management system and warehouse space spread out throughout the country meant to decrease the distance between customer and supplier. With an established set of facilities meant to store your products, you open yourself up to more customized delivery options that could benefit your customers. In addition to this, supplying your customers with rigid tracking for their placed orders has become a must.
Adjusting delivery capabilities as a small business can be a challenge unlike any other. However, in order to continue succeeding in your organization’s niche, you’ll need a polished order fulfillment strategy. Through a more established last mile delivery strategy, your organization may even be able to gain a form of competitive advantage within the industry. For some helpful tips and additional guidance regarding some improvements that can be made to your last mile delivery strategies, take a moment check out the infographic featured alongside this post. Courtesy of WAREHOWZ