It’s essential to conduct research thoroughly and ensure that you’re selecting not just any fulfillment provider but the one that is the right one. Here are eight points you should look for when it’s time to choose an order fulfillment company to run your online business.
1. Shipping Speeds
Amazon Prime’s two-day delivery speeds are the norm now so modern consumers expect faster delivery speeds than they have ever had before.
So, how can you meet these ever-changing expectations? By partnering with an order fulfillment firm that is able to meet them – literally. If you don’t, you could be unable to earn revenue from the 53% of customers who claim they’ve made a mistake with their online purchases due to slow delivery times. Top fulfillment firms should be able to provide efficient and effective process for fulfillment that allows them to get your products to your customers quickly. This becomes possible when they have numerous, strategically-located fulfillment warehouses and simplified order fulfillment software (which we’ll get to in a minute! ).
2. Location of Fulfillment Warehouses
Customers expect rapid rate shopping speeds. And, of course, a major aspect of this service is the closeness of the fulfillment center to the end customer. This makes lots of sense – the closer the fulfillment center is located to the final customer, the shorter the distance your product has to travel to reach them and that means shorter timeframes for delivery (and lower shipping costs).
If you are choosing a fulfillment firm it is important to know the location of their fulfillment warehouses where they are. For instance, a fulfillment company with just a few fulfillment warehouses is likely to not be able deliver in the time your customers would like, so working with them could hurt your user experience. It’s essential to ensure your fulfillment company is located near in the areas where your customers are.
If you’re selling globally, you should make sure that the fulfillment firm you’re thinking about working with has global shipping prior toagreeing to collaborate with them. After all, if you’re unable to ship your items to where your customers are located, your business won’t stay in the market for long!
3. Features of Order Fulfillment Software
As an eCommerce business owner, you’ve got plenty happening. You’re already using a variety of digital tools including applications, software, and platforms throughout your day-to-day operations–so the last thing you’d want to install is yet another software that’s slow, unorganized, and difficult to figure out. Therefore, it’s essential to do not only your research about the fulfillment firm you’re thinking about working with but also on the order fulfillment software they’re using.
Different fulfillment firms use different software for order fulfillment with different capacities and functions. It’s essential to consider what your requirements and goals are and select the right fulfillment provider that leverages software with features that can be in sync with your goals. You should also ensure that the program for the fulfillment of orders is easy to set up and use during the day and that it seamlessly integrates with any other platforms or business apps you’re already using.
4. Transparency and Visibility
There are a lot of firms that sell similar products, and deciding which ones are worth buying is a daunting task for consumers. If they can find a brand they can trust, they’re more likely to keep them in the long run. But how do you earn trust? Transparency.
56% of people who participated in the survey said they’d be loyal to a business for life if it provided complete transparency, and 81 percent said they’d be willing to test an entire line of products in the event that they felt comfortable with the level of transparency.
A fulfillment system is a crucial component of this transparency – 88% of consumers believe that they want to know the status of their orders in real-time is crucial as well as 69% think they’re less likely to buy from a retailer in the future if a purchase is not delivered within two days from the date it was promised. Promises are made to be fulfilled and if you’re unable to fulfill them (literally) then you shouldn’t keep them.