When an individual orders an item, the next step is for the company or organization to process the order and get it shipped to the individual’s home or specified location in a timely manner. Aside from the basic requirement of getting an individual’s order to the place it needs to go, the organization should make sure the order is properly fulfilled in all phases of the delivery process.
What helps make an individual satisfied with an organization is how organized and detailed the organization is during the delivery process. An organization should strive to not only get a member’s order delivered in a timely manner, but also to keep the member in the loop of where the order is at various points in the process, otherwise known as e-commerce fulfillment.
What is E-Commerce Fulfillment?
E-commerce fulfillment can be described as the process of receiving, packaging, and shipping orders. When an individual decides to order a product from an organization, it is now up to the organization to fulfill that individual’s order in all aspects to ensure a smooth and positive ordering experience.
Let’s say you run a charity that provides books to children from underserved populations. If a member from your organization decides to order a book, your organization should inform the member of their order confirmation number, when the book is expected to ship, and the estimated delivery date. An additional courtesy would be to provide the member with a thank you message upon their initial purchase, along with the details of their order.
Another component of e-commerce fulfillment is to provide subsequent emails and/or texts to the member, again informing them of what they ordered, when it should arrive, and tracking information. Including a tracking number so that the member can actively track the progress of their order is vital for keeping your members from guessing the whereabouts of their order and also puts your organization in a positive light.
Individuals are more inclined to order from organizations that keep them informed and provide detailed information about their order. You should also provide the contact information of your organization in the event the member has questions about their order or needs to cancel it.
As for the shipping and delivery process, this step should be handled swiftly and accurately. If you informed a member that their order is guaranteed delivery by a certain date, your organization should stay true to that statement. Otherwise, if there is problems in travel due to weather or the item becomes out of stock, you should promptly notify the member of such complications with their order.
Keeping members aware of any issues with their order and providing them with updated delivery times reflects positively on your organization and shows your commitment to e-commerce fulfillment. You should also provide members with the option to expedite their shipping or otherwise choose the shipping method and process they desire as a part of e-commerce fulfillment.
Additionally, proper e-commerce fulfillment will involve ensuring that all packages utilize the optimum type of packaging and comply with legal requirements. For example, if your shipment includes any regulated items, such as lithium batteries, special shipping notifications are needed. A failure to follow correct shipping methods for those items could result in a rejected shipment and significant delays for the member.
These kind of considerations need to take place for organizations, especially when working with time-sensitive shipments.
Valtim Can Handle Your E-commerce Needs
Fulfilling your web orders goes far beyond simply putting an item in a box and shipping it out the door. From integrating with your e-commerce and financial systems to working with shipping compliance, packaging selection, and user communication (shipment notification & tracking), ensuring that your fulfillment process is up to snuff is vital to running a smooth and efficient e-commerce operation. Let Valtim take the guesswork out of your e-commerce fulfillment needs.
