The challenges faced by Ecommerce Online Stores in In-House Fulfilment
A successful eCommerce business requires a lot of moving parts and order fulfillment is one of the most essential parts. Without effective eCommerce fulfillment, your business and customer experience may suffer and can incur a loss. If you are not an expert, then you may find many challenges coming in the way. Here are some of the common obstacles that an eCommerce business faces.
Slow or Late Delivery
When a consumer orders for a product from an eCommerce business then it expects to get the delivery at the earliest and when you are flooded with orders then speedy delivery seems difficult. The last-mile delivery is out of option once the order has been shipped, you can just make it a bit faster by fulfilling and shipping the order at the earliest.
Among the various d2c brands available in India, slow fulfillment and delivery of an order affects your brand value and lower the trust of the customer.
Improper Packaging
An upsurge in order needs a speedy fulfillment process where the customers may appreciate your fast and speedy order fulfillment service but can be unsatisfied by receiving the wrong product.
Poor Packaging can lead to damaging of the product, unsatisfied customers and eventually, loss of business. Therefore, one should wisely choose the warehouse fulfillment center that provides the best eCommerce packaging service and always ensure that the packages are packed properly to meet the customer’s satisfaction.
Use of Complicated eCommerce Fulfillment Software
There are thousands of technologies available for eCommerce businesses that can help them in running smoothly by leveraging several tools. When it comes to order fulfillment and warehouse solutions then an eCommerce merchant should choose a reliable warehousing company in India like QuickShift which offers a simple and inventory management software for the growth of your business.
Choosing complicated software can actually slow down operations and shipping speeds which would eventually have a bad effect on the customers and the employers.
Poor Inventory Management
While running in-house order fulfillment, poor Inventory management often leads to high costs which eventually reduces the profit margins. The improper inventory management may lead to mislabelling of packages, delivering damaged goods and inability to restock.
Therefore, having a good inventory management system is important for a successful self-fulfillment center. Quickshift offers effective Inventory management software that helps in forecasting orders accurately and avoids the risk of running low on inventory.
Lack of Branding Opportunities
There are numerous eCommerce businesses available for the customer but it is the uniqueness in your service that is going to make you stand out in the crowd. One way to achieve this is to do branding as the best warehouse and fulfillment solutions in India which would help in creating a deeper connection with the customers.
Errors in Product Details
Having errors in the product details is a common challenge that is faced by in-house order fulfillment centers. To meet customer satisfaction, the product should have accurate details including the specifications, product price, package size, delivery time and shipping fees.
Publishing incorrect delivery dates and shipping fees can lead to loss of customers and your eCommerce business can have negative reviews which eventually means an increase in the shopping cart abandonment rate.
Lack of Expertise
Unskilled managers and workers may lead to the downfall of the eCommerce business. A manager has a lot of responsibility to handle the day-to-day fulfillment activities successfully. If the manager is unskilled then he may not carry out the order fulfillment successfully. For example, the hired manager may be unaware of the proceedings of the returned products and may not know the shipment process.
Therefore, it is very important to hire well-trained and highly qualified staff who are aware of the processes involved in in-house order fulfillment activities.
Lack of Storage Space
With the growth of business, the existing warehouse space may no longer be big enough to accommodate all the products. Renting more storage space, setting up the warehouse, hiring and training the workers may bring additional costs. Therefore, in that case it is always recommended that one should consider outsourcing of the warehouse operations. You pay for warehousing services in exchange for trained staff, additional space and warehousing equipment.
Conclusion
There are lot many challenges that come in the way of in-house order fulfillment. Streamlining the fulfillment process by checking for problems and inconsistencies can help you in overcoming the challenges. An eCommerce business can also consider outsourcing the fulfillment by a reliable warehouse fulfillment center such as QuickShift and can eliminate a lot of problems in the eCommerce fulfillment process.