Automating eCommerce Fulfillment

eCommerce Channels are Growing

As businesses grow they will be faced with scalability and operational challenges which they will need to overcome in order to continue a drive in site traffic, as well as meeting consumer demand.  The fulfillment process is made up of 3 main parts: Inventory management, Inventory Storage and Picking, & Packing and Shipment.

Businesses that are growing and increasing the variety and volume of their stock will soon their volume of product SKU’s multiply. It is therefore vital that products are well organised so that businesses can remain in control, especially during peak selling periods where sales will spike. The solution to this is: Automated fulfillment.

You should consider automating your back-end process if:

• You are overselling stock
• Ordering processing is taking a large chunk of your time
• You experience errors in manual order processing
• You are not meeting your delivery SLAs
• You are dropshipping
• You are fulfilling orders from multiple warehouses (you want to make sure that you are fulfilling the right orders from the right location)

Key Benefits of eCommerce Fulfillment Automation

Speed: Consumers, especially the millennial and Generation Z, are accustomed to instant gratification and availability of products 24/7. In order to drive customer satisfaction, eCommerce businesses need to go above and beyond and offer additional perks that align with this demographic’s values.  Being able to offer end-to-end order visibility or next day delivery might be the difference between a customer making a purchase or abandoning their cart.

Additionally, eCommerce businesses are being faced with shrinking order sizes, yet higher order volume, and an increase in the demand to meet high service standard levels. Automating processes in the warehouse for shipment is therefore a streamlined, attractive, and problem-solving option.

Time-Saving: It’s fairly obvious that automating a process is a time-saver, but who’s time in particular? Automating your fulfillment can streamline processes that filter down through your supply chain and be beneficial for many, including:

• Operations managers
• Customer service teams
• Warehouse operatives
• Marketing teams

Eliminating manual steps from your fulfillment process will help you avoid human errors and run a more seamless service, getting your products out to your customers quickly and efficiently.

Opportunity: Automating your fulfillment process allows you to focus on the parts of your business that matter, and take the headache out of complex operations. Want to run a new training program, or develop a new campaign? Well once your fulfillment is automated you’ll have more time to do so!

What about Inventory Management?

Taking control of your inventory management with an automated process is key in running a sustainable, and profitable business.  Linnworks connects and automates every part of your selling process, including adjusting stock levels automatically as the stock depletes, which reduces the risk of overselling and disappointing your customers.

Within the automation,  you can create specific rules that apply to certain scenarios, as well as to pin-point exceptions to these rules, e.g using a specific shipping career or delivery service for some groups or individual items. You will only need to create these rules once, then you can sit back, relax, and let the tech do the work! It is also simple to amend the rules should you need to.

Another advantage of effective inventory management is that you will be able to maximise stock utilisation, meaning that you can easily view all of your stock available for sales across all channels simultaneously. This stock visibility is crucial for businesses, as it helps them adapt quickly to changing markets and understand how consumers are reacting to their products.

Automating your fulfillment process allows you to focus on the parts of your business that matter, and take the headache out of complex operations. If you want more information about automating your fulfillment processes, contact 5874 by emailing success@5874commerce.com or calling 0121 369 5874.