Efficient & Cost-Effective Order Fulfilment Strategies for Long-Term Sustainability
April 2023
Written by: Estore
Read time: 4 Min
The eCommerce industry relies heavily on ensuring customers remain satisfied after delivery. This business requirement necessitates that eCommerce order fulfilment services impeccably address the entire value chain. Achieving this yields the following results:
Higher repeat orders
Lower risks of order returns
Timely customer grievance redressal
Better inventory management
Over the years, eStore Logistics has carved a niche in providing cutting-edge, technology-enabled order fulfilment services. The aim is to offer segment-leading logistics services at the most attractive costs. We at eStore Logistics pride ourselves in delivering customisable, scalable, and reliable order fulfilment services.
Order Fulfilment Services: A Certified Customer-satisfaction Tool
The global eCommerce space is highly competitive. Having the best possible product in the market is no longer enough; your eCommerce order fulfilment game must be equally adept at ensuring complete customer satisfaction. Online product delivery businesses must provide the best experience to customers. Otherwise, the market forces might become detrimental.
With the best processes, systems, and minds at work, eStore Logistics has ensured sustained customer satisfaction for decades. After all, the success of a brand depends on its commitment to customers and the efficiency of the established supply chain mechanism.
Various Order Fulfilment Options Available
Different requirements warrant different approaches. Depending upon the quantum of your orders, the available workforce, and the area to be serviced, there are broadly three methods that eCommerce players opt for across the globe. These are:
In-house order fulfilment services: In an entirely self-reliant model, eCommerce merchants, following the in-house fulfilment method, manage the entire value chain independently. This arrangement is best suited for businesses that prefer having complete control of all the aspects of eCommerce order fulfilment services. Every element of the company is managed in-house, from warehousing to equipment management and from customer servicing to returns management.
Third-Party Logistics (3PL) services: As the name suggests, a third party is responsible for the entire eCommerce order fulfilment requirement. From receiving the inventory from your manufacturer to replenishing products returned by customers, the 3PL outsourcing model takes care of it all. Without investing in warehouse infrastructure, equipment, or workforce, eCommerce players can focus on brand building, expansion plans, and implementing innovations.
Drop-shipping: This method best suits new businesses unwilling to invest in inventories and lacking capital to hire a third party’s services. In a drop-shipping arrangement, the eCommerce merchant merely acts as a facilitator between the manufacturer and the end customer. The eCommerce entity has no control over the timeliness of delivery, quality adherence, or customisation options.
How to Ace the eCommerce Order Fulfilment Game?
The name of the game is customer delight, and eStore Logistics has emerged as Australia’s most trusted eCommerce and omnichannel order fulfilment provider. Numerous factors help us excel in the eCommerce order fulfilment space. Maintaining the intrinsic values of logistics, eStore Logistics has maintained a customer-first policy to deliver excellent results for decades.
Smart Inventory Management
Successful order fulfilment strategies will rely heavily on how well you manage your inventory. The aim should be to provide real-time inputs to your customers and keep stock numbers as ready reckoners. Regular cycle counts will help sufficient inventory labelling. Additionally, periodic inventory spot checks will help reduce grievance redressal times and aid customers faster and better.
At eStore Logistics, we have well-stacked, state-of-the-art fulfilment centres with AI-enabled autonomous mobile robots. With this technology, our team remains well-equipped to deliver same-day sales orders received during the wee hours of the day.
The robots automatically retrieve and store inventory. This eliminates manual intervention on the warehouse floor to check anomalies or operate the equipment as necessary.
Using proprietary algorithms based on historical matching data, our robots calculate the most efficient picking paths and order groupings for goods. The robots also communicate with one another and optimise operations. This is achieved by automatically adjusting storage locations of shelves or pallets within warehouses based on incoming orders and future demand.
Tapping the Cloud for Efficient Order Fulfilment
Storing, mobilising, accessing, and sharing data has never been easier today. Cloud-based solutions have positively impacted almost all sectors across the globe. By adopting cloud-based technologies, the logistics sector has witnessed operational optimisation, cost efficiencies, and constructive customer response.
At eStore Logistics, our cloud-based logistics software offers businesses and operation managers the perfect solution to ensure real-time operational monitoring across the entire logistics value chain. Tracking your real-time inventory across our fulfilment centres, managing sales and purchase orders, tracking deliveries, and handling returns were never easier!
Offering Low-cost Solutions
Any smart order fulfilment strategy’s cornerstone is optimising costs while ensuring the best services. At eStore Logistics, our patented Freight Optimisation System uses advanced algorithms to fulfil your operations and reduce shipping and transit time costs. This system selects the optimal warehouse and carrier to minimise shipping times and costs.
Achieving cost optimisation, however, might be subjective and vary according to geography, customer demography, and the order fulfilment option in place. While many businesses might prefer the in-house method to extract maximum cost benefits, others might find the 3PL model more conducive. Attaining the right balance between cost efficiencies and positive business outcome forms the core of our values at eStore Logistics.
Customers at the Core
All business initiatives, future growth strategies, and innovations at eStore Logistics have our customers as the most critical element. Our customised logistics solutions aim to deliver your products in record time, with an uncompromising commitment towards quality control and long-term synergies.
Fostering relationships gives us the confidence to strive harder and create unique solutions for you to experience. This, coupled with cutting-edge technology, keeps us ahead of the curve while delivering precise, error-free, holistic services to our customers.