An eCommerce order management system can be pivotal to the success of any business. Without something in place to manage your orders, you’ll end up with disgruntled customers, lost packages, and a dwindling bottom line when word gets out about your disorganization.
However, establishing an effective eCommerce management system takes time, research, and effort. That’s why many businesses don’t have a foolproof plan in place from the moment they launch. If this sounds familiar, and you need some guidance in getting your system off the ground, the following tips should help:
Reach Out to 3PL Fulfillment Companies
You might not be an expert in order fulfillment, but that doesn’t mean experts aren’t accessible to you. Align yourself with a reputable 3PL fulfillment company, and they can take care of all the hard work. While you focus on the front end of your website, your fulfillment company can manage everything from storage and warehousing to order picking, fulfillment, and postage. The best eCommerce fulfillment companies even offer discounted shipping prices as they have established deals with global postal and delivery services.
Choose a Content Management System for eCommerce
CMS platforms allow you to create, beautify, and publish content on your website. However, CMS platforms for eCommerce function slightly differently. While you can still create, format, and publish content, an eCommerce CMS will be tailored to suit product pages and other elements for the items you’re selling online.
Some of the best CMS platforms for eCommerce websites offer SEO add-ons, are user-friendly for you and your customers, and are flexible. Flexibility is crucial for eCommerce as it will give you the freedom needed to ensure your business stands out from its competition.
Find People You Can Trust
Customers rarely understand how many individuals and businesses are involved in getting their orders to them in excellent condition. They only see the company it came from, which means the buck stops with you.
If anything goes wrong throughout the sales process, complaints will come directly to you, even if you weren’t involved in what went wrong. No sales chain is perfect 100% of the time, but you can enjoy better odds if you rely on people you can trust to take care of sales from start to finish.
While you might be in charge of advertising your products online, ensure you have equally trustworthy people to handle warehousing, picking, packing, distribution, and shipping.
Monitor Performance Metrics
You might have aligned yourself with a reputable fulfillment company and selected a suitable CMS, but that doesn’t mean your business won’t have any kinks to iron out. Monitoring performance metrics can be one of the most effective ways to see whether your current order management processes are working.
When looking at KPIs, be sure to include the order fulfillment cycle rate (how long it takes for a customer to receive their order) and the cost per order (the total expenses from one order). You might also look at the rate of returns, which relates to the percentage of products returned by customers, and the perfect order rate, outlining the percentage of orders you complete without returns or problems. An effective eCommerce management system is one of the best ways to ensure your business operates like a well-oiled machine. Take note of the tips above, and it’ll be a matter of time before you’re consistently providing your customers with standout service from start to finish.