If your business does not offer online ordering, there is a good chance that you’re turning away a large number of customers without even knowing it. Especially since the onset of COVID-19 and the associated lockdown periods, customers expect to have the option to order the goods they want online. If you don’t provide that option, there is a good chance they will turn to a competitor that does.
Many businesses that don’t provide online ordering stay away from it because they are concerned about managing the associated logistics. Fortunately, with the right logistics and delivery partner, you can maximize the advantages of online ordering without any of the challenges you are concerned could hold you back. Take a closer look at the logistics of adding online ordering to your business.
Order Fulfillment Basics
There are several steps involved in online order fulfillment. First, you need to decide if you want to fulfill orders in-house, which means you will need to have adequate inventory on hand, or if you want to warehouse inventory with a fulfillment provider, who will complete your shipments for you. Next, you need to create a process for pulling the ordered items, packing them, creating a shipping label, and completing the actual shipping. If you are using a delivery partner and warehousing service, then these processes can be completed for you. If you plan to fulfill orders on your own, then you will need an internal procedure to do it.
Delivery and Warehousing Partners
Although many businesses attempt to handle order fulfillment in-house, most eventually end up working with a partner. Having a third-party service handling your order fulfillment streamlines the process and provides a better customer experience, since a third-party service can usually turn around orders faster than you could on your own. Warehousing inventory instead of storing it yourself will save you money, space, and time, and lets you instead focus on the strategic processes of generating sales instead of the logistics of fulfilling them.
If you’re considering launching online ordering with your business, talk to the experts at Xcel Delivery Services. We can build a customized strategy for you that includes timely shipping and deliveries, warehousing, cross-docking, and more. Start creating your customized solution today by calling our logistics company in Tucson at (520) 355-4897.
