Order processing is an integral and probably the most important step in order fulfillment. Order processing begins at the time when a customer places an order online. It only ends when the product has been successfully delivered to the customer.
This means, order processing includes receiving an order, coordinating with the fulfillment warehouse and doing quality checks, packing and shipping to the delivery address, and providing tracking information until the order has been processed and fulfilled successfully.
Most e-commerce setups do not have the technology or expertise to fulfill and process orders efficiently. This is why, seeking the help of an external vendor who has the right technology to process orders is very important. In this article, let us take a look at how outsourcing order processing helps your fledging e-commerce business.
A growing number of e-commerce giants offer same day deliveries, seriously compromising your ability to compete with the larger e-commerce stores. Amazon, for instance, rolled out same day deliveries to its customers, which has been eagerly received by customers.
If you would like to succeed in today's competitive arena, you will need to offer same-day delivery options. 49% of customers prefer same-day deliveries while another 63% actually want to know the exact time their orders will be delivered.
This is only possible when you use advanced inventory management software and order fulfillment expertise, which you may not have in-house. An order processing agency can help you offer same-day delivery options to your customers with the help of their in-house technology and expertise.
It is only natural for customers to worry about the orders they have placed, especially if they have already made a payment online. This means, even when the orders are being fulfilled in a timely manner, customers will still have questions regarding the orders they have placed, the status of the package, etc.
Thus, providing 24/7 customer service is very important to ensure easy returns, answering queries, and making exchanges. Outsourcing order processing helps you to take your customer service to the next level by offering your customers many more options.
Not only will you be able to focus on building relationships with them, but you will also provide options such as pick-up in store, click and collect, reserve products, and schedule deliveries. All these factors lead to better customer satisfaction metrics such as CSAT.
According to Shopify, global retail e-commerce sales will cross $4.5 trillion by 2021, and this is a very large pie for you to miss on.
To be part of this burgeoning global e-commerce market, you will have to offer shopping anywhere in the world. Order processing can only lead you to success when orders can be placed from anywhere in the world.
As an independent e-commerce store, you will not have the access to logistics, technology, and expertise to ship worldwide. Outsourcing your order processing requirements to an external vendor will help you to process orders no matter from where they are placed.
Your customers will only be too happy to receive your products quickly no matter where they are located. It helps you look more credible and enterprise-like as well.
Most order processing providers have liaisons and connections with shipping providers and warehouse facilities across the world. This helps to reduce your shipping and operational costs.
Many studies point out that depending on the order fulfillment provider you choose, you can save anywhere between 15 and 35 percent on shipping costs. In addition, processing orders from certain countries may be difficult due to customs and other laws.
A professional order processing unit takes all these things into consideration, and provides information to your customers clearly.
This will help your orders being fulfilled successfully and making your customers happy as well. Understanding local shipping and logistics laws will help you to avoid heavy fines and shipping charges, all of which helps save unnecessary costs.
In recent years, mobile commerce has seen a 300% growth, while image and voice activated searches can reach 50% of searches by 2020. All this indicates towards a growing need for using technology in every step of order processing.
Technology is required to manage inventory, track items, offer security, make shipping and handling safe, and to choose carriers and process payments.
Most e-commerce businesses do not have access to advanced technologies and software programs, and this is where order processing outsourcing comes into play. E-commerce businesses can forget about technology-related worries and focus more on business strategies, while orders are successfully processed quickly and almost automatically thanks to ERP, order fulfillment software, and other logistics-related technologies.
One of the biggest advantages of outsourcing order processing is, it allows you to grow quickly and take more orders. Most e-commerce businesses feel restrained though there are enough customers who are willing to purchase.
Inventory management and order processing both come in the way of growing and taking up more orders, because online stores simply do not have the technical expertise or logistics to process more orders.
Outsourcing to an external vendors takes care of this issue and ensures that online stores can quickly grow and scale. you can take orders from various sales channels and offer multiple choices to your customers, helping you achieve greater success and growth.
Outsource order processing to grow quickly
As you can see, it is difficult for e-commerce stores to compete with larger online stores and compete with them globally. As technology evolves, more people will want to order online, and have their shipments delivered globally.
Order processing can become an obstacle if adequate logistics, technical solutions, and professional expertise are not available.
Outsourcing to an external vendor solves all these issues and makes order processing easy and quick. Certainly, outsourcing to an order processing vendor helps you to compete with the bigwigs in the industry, no matter what your business size is.
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