With the recent roll out of Amazon’s same-day delivery, the pressure is ever increasing for businesses to fulfill orders quickly, efficiently, and accurately.
Not only do consumers expect orders to arrive at their doorstep in a timely manner, but they also have increasingly high expectations for inventory in-store as well.
In fact:
- 75% of customers have come to expect delivery within two to three days.
- 33% of customers are willing to pay a premium for next-day or same-day delivery.
But how do you go about creating and utilizing a realistic strategy that delivers the immediacy and accuracy your customers want consistently? Here are a few tips for speeding up your fulfillment process, and keeping your customers coming back for more.
1. Re-evaluate Your Warehouse
The heart of your fulfillment process is in the warehouse. Whether you’re shipping orders straight to your consumers, or to a retailer who is selling your product on your behalf, having a highly efficient warehouse is a central component to speeding up your fulfillment process.
Constantly looking for ways to improve the layout, and ensure that your employees are properly trained are great starting points for evaluating your warehouse. Without a smoothly run warehouse, you are going to hurt the speed of your fulfillment process. Starting here can really get to the heart of the problem quickly.
2. Increase Inventory
If you’re having trouble keeping up with your orders, you probably need to take some time to master inventory planning. Finding a system that works specifically for your products and needs is important, and can make a real difference in the speed of your fulfillment.
Also, remember to account for peak seasons and other factors that might result in a surge in sales.
Ultimately, without product to ship, your fulfillment process will come to a screeching halt. Take control of your inventory, and see the effect it has on fulfillment.
3. Enlist Help
If you are becoming overwhelmed with the volume of orders you are receiving, and your inability to keep up with fulfillment, it might be time to enlist some help. You can either hire a few extra hands, or you can outsource services such as warehousing, assembly, kitting, delivery, and more to an expert who understand the importance of your fulfillment process.
In the end, when it comes to your fulfillment process, it is essential to do what is right for your customers. Striving to meet and exceed your customer’s expectations will in the end help you improve your customer service, and ultimately drive more sales to your bottom line.