When it comes to running a successful eCommerce business, order fulfillment plays a major role in keeping your customers happy and satisfied. The customer experience does not just stop once the order has been placed on your website. How that order is received, the packaging it comes in, and the multiple subtle touch points you can have with your customer can have a serious impact on your customer's long-term value (LTV). When your business's orders are fulfilled quickly and efficiently and still maintain the spirit of the brand, you have the opportunity to take a shopping experience that was originally intangible and make it a memory for your customer. Outsourcing this level of fulfillment service to the correct fulfillment center is a great way to ensure that not only do your customers receive their orders on time and in perfect condition but that you can maintain a branded customer experience starting the minute their orders are delivered.
Outsourcing fulfillment services
Outsourcing fulfillment services to a fulfillment center can be a frightening thought for a business that has always fulfilled its own orders or became used to its long-term fulfillment provider. The mentality of, "if it isn't broken then why fix it?" can restrict a business from reviewing alternative options and pushing for improvements. By consistently meeting with new providers in order fulfillment you open your business up to finding time savings and cost savings, while still providing and possibly enhancing the shopping experience for your customers.
Finding the correct fulfillment center can help to handle the entire process for you, from receiving orders to picking, packing, and shipping your products with any necessary branding included. This could include branded tape, custom poly mailers, or even just content cards added to every order. These subtle branding methods can enhance your product's perceived value and can leave your customer with a lasting memory of shopping with your business.
By outsourcing fulfillment services to a fulfillment center that has a history of 'Shipping Smiles' your business can capitalize on its marketing spend and virality. For businesses that are just starting out or those that are experiencing rapid growth, an experienced partner is what you need to keep your foot on the peddle and continue your business and brand's growth. It can help to keep up with the increased demand for orders and ensure that your customers receive their orders promptly.
Tips for successful order fulfillment
When it comes to successful order fulfillment, there are several tips that can help to ensure that your orders are fulfilled quickly, accurately, and on-brand without breaking the bank. First, it is important to have a streamlined order fulfillment process that is managed with the correct tech stack. Understanding the system that is in place for receiving, processing, and shipping orders can help to ensure that your orders are fulfilled fast, efficiently, on brand, and within budget.
Next, it is important to rate-shop between all applicable shipping partners. Whether it is FedEx, UPS, USPS, or even DHL, every partner has its strengths and weaknesses and each service they offer may apply differently to your specific type of product. By rate-shopping these shipping providers your fulfillment provider can pass along the cheapest shipping costs possible. Additionally, it is important to make sure that you have the necessary equipment to handle order fulfillment. Having the right equipment such as picking carts, mobile scanners, and clean packing stations can help to reduce error rate from your provider and catch product defects before they are sent to your customers.
Finally, it is important to stay up to date with the latest trends and shipping programs in 3PL order fulfillment. Keeping up with the latest releases on improving customer experience and how your fulfillment provider can leverage their tech stack to help will allow your customers to always have a positive experience with your brand. Additionally, staying up to date with the latest programs released by the various shipping providers allows your fulfillment partner to consistently offer you the lowest-cost shipping options for your orders.
Common mistakes to avoid in order fulfillment
When it comes to order fulfillment, there are several common mistakes that can be made. First, it is important to avoid overpromising on delivery times unless you are using programs such as FedEx's Guaranteed Two-Day Delivery. If you promise customers that they will receive their orders in a certain amount of time, it is important to make sure that you can meet those expectations and your fulfillment partner should always be offering you realistic expectations. Overpromising can lead to customer frustration and a decrease in customer satisfaction.
Additionally, it is important to avoid double-booking orders. How inventory is allocated to orders is an important question that should be asked of any fulfillment partner, and is based most likely on the abilities of their tech stack. Mis-allocation of inventory can lead to aged orders sitting unfulfilled until inventory counts are replenished. Leaving your customer with an overall bad experience.
Finally, it is important to avoid shipping errors. Shipping errors can lead to customer dissatisfaction and a decrease in customer loyalty. It is important to not make cost the only factor considered when choosing your shipping options. You want to consider the reliability of the service you are choosing to ship with. Here at Mountainy, we make sure that our client's shipping providers fit their budget, and the customer experience goals they have for their brand.
The importance of product packaging
Product packaging is often overlooked when it comes to order fulfillment, but it can be an important part of providing a great customer experience. Product packaging can help to protect your products during shipping and ensure that they arrive in perfect condition. Additionally, product packaging can also help to create a positive customer experience by adding a personal touch. By using custom tape, or poly-mailers your customers are always reminded of your brand.
When it comes to product packaging, it is important to make sure that your packaging is appropriate for the product. Therefore you want to select the right type of packaging materials to ensure that your products arrive in perfect condition. This could mean that you confirm with your fulfillment partner that they are packing your products with packing paper, or even bubble wrap.
Finally, it is important to make sure that your packaging is efficient and cost-effective. By selecting the right type of packaging materials for each order, your fulfillment partner can reduce the amount of time and money it takes to get your products to your customers. A recent example we had here at Mountainy was one of our clients was shipping bulky fitness equipment and one of our team members noticed that by pulling one small pin to partially disassemble the product we were able to package his orders in a flat rate service, thus saving our client nearly $4 per order! A substantial savings when you are shipping thousands of similar orders and one our client was very happy to hear about.
Shipping Smiles: How a Fulfillment Center Can Make Your Customers Smile
When it comes to order fulfillment, it is important to make sure that your customers receive their orders quickly and in perfect condition. By outsourcing fulfillment services to the correct fulfillment center, you can take advantage of their expertise, equipment, and shipping provider relationships to make sure that your orders are fulfilled quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively.
By using a fulfillment center you can help to reduce the amount of time and money associated with order fulfillment. By outsourcing order fulfillment, you can save time and money by not having to purchase and maintain the necessary equipment and software. You also reduce the need to hire staff to fulfill your orders and can instead leverage the team provided to you by your fulfillment partner.
Finally, product packaging is also an important part of providing a great customer experience. By selecting the right type of packaging materials, you can make sure that your products arrive in perfect condition and create a positive customer experience, all without hurting your bottom line.
Let's talk about improving your customer experiences via your order fulfillment process. By outsourcing fulfillment services to the team here at Mountainy, you can make sure that your customers receive their orders quickly, in perfect condition, and on-brand so you can focus on the growth of your eCommerce brand. With the right order fulfillment process and the right partner in place, you can ensure that your customers are smiling from the moment they place their order until it arrives at their doorstep.
