Is your e-commerce business prepared to serve customers? E-commerce offers great opportunities for growth, it also comes with challenges in order fulfillment, logistics, and customer service. Let's uncover why they happen and how you can overcome them.

E-commerce fulfillment handles the process of online orders, from purchase to delivery or returns. It involves managing inventory, storing items at a fulfillment center, processing orders, packing, and shipping, and managing returns.

But even the best e-commerce fulfillment experiences can encounter difficulties. How can you make the process more seamless? As a start, let’s take some time to understand how you can assess your whole process.  

During lull periods, review and analyze your warehouse to identify areas for improvement in procedures, facilities, workflows, staff, and software. Here are some questions to guide your assessment:

Now that you've completed the assessment, it's time to prioritize and address the top 3 common issues that occur during the e-commerce fulfillment process.

#1: Stockouts due to poor warehouse inventory management

Out-of-stock information not updated? That is usually because of problems with your order process and incompatible technological systems. For example, if your warehouse and shipping software don't work together, you might miscount inventory levels and have less stock than expected. 

With no indication on your site, this can confuse customers into thinking the product is available when they buy it.

Unfortunately, it's likely that some customers will be disappointed when the product they want to buy is not available. Even if you try to fulfill their order, the average lead time might cause delays in shipping, leading to customer frustration and loss of trust in your business. 

What you can do: Regular inventory counts

If you have a warehouse, regularly count inventory based on your business needs - daily, weekly, or monthly - for reliable data. You could also look at your web traffic and sales to predict inventory needs and identify popular products, anticipating customer demand and preferences.  

#2: Human errors in manual order management processes

When relying on manual order fulfillment processes, the likelihood of errors increases. These mistakes can lead to incorrect shipping items, delays, or even duplicate shipments, resulting in additional costs for your business. Even the most skilled employees are susceptible to errors when manually entering item details and quantities for each order. 

What you can do: Simplify the entire process with advanced technologies like APIs and third-party software

By using advanced technologies like APIs and third-party software, you can efficiently manage your orders without data errors. These tools are designed to seamlessly integrate shipping, tracking, rating, and returns directly into your website or web-enabled application, making your business run smoothly and efficiently.

This way, you get access to shipping and other services without switching between different programs.  

#3: Little/no communication with customers 

Customers rely on customer service to help with tracking shipments and reporting missing or damaged items. This is why having engaged and trained in customer service is vital. If your representatives are not able to handle issues quickly and confidently, customers will be unhappy and may not return.

What you can do: Communicate clearly through notifications

Why use notifications? They allow your business to send automatic push notifications via SMS and/or email to update your customers about their tracked shipment's status. This means you can keep your customers informed in real-time, whether their shipment is on the way, experiencing delays, or has any other relevant updates.

With such proactive communication, your customers are able to have a transparent communication channel with your brand. 

And additionally, give them peace of mind by knowing where their packages are and when they will arrive. By offering a more convenient user experience, you can minimize the need for customers to call your customer service and give them simple self-service options. 

Though mistakes may occur, being prepared is what truly matters. With the right tools and mindset, you can consistently deliver exceptional e-commerce experiences to your customers.

Remember, staying ready and seeking support are key to overcoming e-commerce fulfillment challenges and maintaining top-notch customer service.