E-Commerce Excellence: FMi Logistics for Web Order Fulfillment Success
Created on: February 8th, 2024 Categories:Order Fulfillment
So, your e-commerce store has just received an order—that calls for a celebration.
Then it hits you: receiving an order is just the beginning of the fulfillment process that takes a lot of effort and hard work.
But why worry about the complicated process of e-commerce order fulfillment when you can leave it up to the experts to handle it? Instead, you can sit back, relax, and focus on managing other important aspects of your business.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can rely on us to propel your business forward!
What is Order Fulfillment?
Order fulfillment stores inventory, picks and packs products, and ships online orders to customers. It encompasses the receiving, processing, and delivering of customer orders—an essential part of the supply chain management for any business that sells products. Order fulfillment aims to ensure that customers receive their orders accurately and in a timely manner.
This process can be completed in-house by an e-commerce company or outsourced to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. E-commerce order fulfillment applies to business-to-business (B2B) orders where large quantities of product are shipped to big-box retailers and business-to-consumer (B2C) orders shipped directly to a shopper’s home. For B2C orders, the end consumer may place the order on the merchant’s website or through an online marketplace. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, after the customer completes their purchase, the fulfillment process begins.
Understanding The Order Fulfillment Process
Order fulfillment is a critical aspect of any business that sells products to customers. When done the right way, it can lead to satisfied clients and a positive reputation for the company. Effective order fulfillment requires accurate inventory management, efficient order processing, and exceptional customer service to ensure a seamless experience for clients from order placement to delivery.
Inventory Management
Before you can smoothly sail through the order fulfillment process, you need to ensure that your inventory storage and management are all figured out first.
Proper management of these areas can significantly impact the overall efficiency and profitability of the company. Whether it’s raw materials, finished goods, or supplies, having a well-organized and efficient inventory storage system is essential for ensuring seamless operations and customer satisfaction.
Here are three factors you need to take into account when it comes to inventory management:
Warehouse space utilization – Maximizing the use of the available space can help reduce costs and increase productivity. By implementing smart storage solutions such as shelving, racking, and mezzanine systems, businesses can make the most of their available space and improve the overall efficiency of their operations.
Inventory tracking – With the use of technology such as barcode scanning and inventory management software, businesses can accurately track the movement of their inventory and ensure that the right items are in the right place at the right time. This not only helps in preventing stockouts and overstock issues but also enables businesses to make informed decisions about their inventory levels and ordering processes.
Proper organization and labeling of inventory – This can help streamline the picking and packing process, reducing errors and improving order fulfillment times. It’s especially important in a warehouse setting where quick and accurate access to inventory is essential for meeting customer demands.
The Three Major Steps in the E-Commerce Order Fulfillment Process
With the rise of e-commerce and the increasing demand for fast and reliable shipping, businesses must have a well-organized and streamlined order fulfillment process in place. By understanding the various stages and processes involved in e-commerce order fulfillment, businesses can ensure that orders are processed accurately and efficiently, leading to satisfied customers and a strong competitive advantage.
These are the basic steps included in the order fulfillment process:
Receiving the customer’s order
Order processing: picking and packing
Shipping
Returns processing
1. Receiving the Customer’s Order
The first step in the order fulfillment is receiving the customer’s order. This can be done through various channels such as online, phone, or in-person orders. Once the order is received, it must be processed and entered into the business’s system. This includes verifying the order details, checking inventory levels, and assigning the order to the appropriate location for warehouse fulfillment services.
2. Order Processing: Picking and Packing
Once the order is received and verified, it is then processed by the fulfillment team. This involves picking the items from the warehouse, packing them securely, generating shipping labels, and preparing them for shipment.
By teaming up with experts in warehouse fulfillment services, you can streamline the order processing workflow, reduce errors, improve efficiency, and ultimately enhance the customer experience.
3. Shipping
Once the order is picked and packed, it is then ready for shipping. This is the stage of the order fulfillment process where the packaged order is handed off to the shipping carrier for delivery to the customer. It’s imperative to have reliable partnerships with shipping carriers to ensure that orders are delivered on time and in good condition. Depending on the company’s shipping policies, the order may be sent out through a variety of shipping methods, such as ground shipping, express shipping, or freight shipping.
Upon shipment, the fulfillment team monitors the delivery to ensure that it arrives at the customer’s address in a timely manner. This may involve tracking the shipment and addressing any issues that arise during the shipping process.
4. Returns Processing
The e-commerce order fulfillment process doesn’t end when you ship out the item. Just in case customers need to send items back, it’s important to have a process in place for managing returns and exchanges. This may involve issuing return labels, processing refunds or exchanges, and updating inventory levels.Having such a process in place is vital for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as for managing inventory and financial transactions.
The key components of returns processing is ensuring that customers are able to return or exchange items in a timely and efficient manner and seeing to it that there’s proper documentation to align with your inventory and financial records. Here’s how you can do just that:
Streamline the process for evaluating the condition of returned items and issuing refunds or exchanges.
Update the stock count in the inventory management system.
Manage the financial records to reflect all refunds issued.
FMi Logistics’ Flexible E-Commerce and Web Order Fulfillment Services
FMi Logistics is here to take your business to the next level of success through our reliable web order and e-commerce order fulfillment services, including the following:
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Start leveraging logistics electronic data interchange (EDI) to integrate sales channels and supply chain partners. This optimizes your data transfer processes by replacing manual business practices, such as paper documentation.
Postal and Courier Freight Management Program Integration
FMi Logistics offers postal and courier freight management program integration for both small parcel and direct-to-consumer deliveries, streamlining your e-commerce order fulfillment process.
Kit Building and Co-pack
In need of a team to assemble multiple products into a single package or “kit” and then deliver them to customers? Or maybe you’re looking for the right experts to manage your business’s packaging processes so you can focus solely on production.
FMi Logistics has got you covered with our kit building and co-pack services.
FEFO and FIFO
Have peace of mind knowing that your inventory management is in good hands. Our team can efficiently carry out FEFO (first expire, first out) and FIFO (first in, first out) operations.
Reverse Logistics and Returns Management Programs
Reverse logistics refers to the after-sale activities to recapture value and end the product’s lifecycle. Usually, this involves returning a product to the manufacturer or distributor. It can also mean forwarding it with the purpose of servicing, refurbishment, or recycling.
Through our returns management programs, we make receiving, storing, and processing returned products an easier process. Our team will see to it that you’ll have a reliable system in place for tracking returned products.
Final Mile Distribution
This is the very last step of the delivery process, wherein a parcel is moved from a transportation hub to its final destination—and you can count on us for this step of the e-commerce order fulfillment process.
FMi’s Logistics’ Reliable Warehouse Services
Our team has got you covered when it comes to all of your logistic needs.
Apart from offering comprehensive e-commerce order fulfillment services, FMi Logistics is your one-stop source for warehouse services as well:
Inventory Management
A crucial factor in your e-commerce warehouse management system is proper inventory practices. This involves keeping everything organized so that you always have a clear overview of all your products, what items are in stock, and where they are located. This makes ordering, stocking, storing, and using inventory more seamless.
Order Processing, Entry, and Confirmation
When processing orders, accurately collecting customer information, validating payments, and providing confirmations and invoices of the order are critical steps. Teaming up with the experts in warehouse services will make tracking and managing orders a straightforward task.
Quality Control
Quality control is all about making sure that the products are in tip-top shape before sending them out to customers, contributing to client satisfaction and reducing the need for item returns.
Pick and Pack
Pick and pack are warehouse services that involve picking the correct type and number of items from shelves and packing them safely for shipping into a box. This system is popularly used by e-commerce retailers for the delivery of small orders.
Order Fulfillment
From storing your products and receiving orders to packing and shipping out, you’ll be able to fulfill all your e-commerce order fulfillment needs here at FMi Logistics.
Return Management
Worry no more about the hassles of handling return items. Opt for return management services from industry experts to manage returns in a timely manner—keeping client satisfaction rates high.
Reverse Logistics
Reverse logistics enables businesses to recapture value and end the product’s lifecycle by returning it to the manufacturer or distributor. It’s a cost-efficient method of forwarding items for servicing, refurbishment, or recycling.
Yard Management
How do you manage the scheduling, coordinating, and directing of inbound and outbound trucks, trailers, shipments, personnel, and more, within the yard of a facility? Our team will gladly do that for you.
Carrier Performance
Monitoring and managing the performance of transportation service providers or carriers is among our comprehensive warehouse services. From ensuring you get the best shipping rates to seeing to it that the goods are delivered on time and that you receive reliable updates, we’ll take these tasks off your plate.
Replenishment
Always ensure that your products are available and ready to be purchased by customers with our replenishment warehouse services. Never worry about restocking warehouse shelves with new goods from production sources or suppliers.
Load Building
With strategic load building, shipment vehicles get better weight distribution, greater quality control over perishable items, and even a more secure container for breakable items. As a result, there’s less time spent loading and unloading and greater cost savings per shipment. Load building done the right way ensures that shipment vehicles are filled in the most strategic way possible.
Short, Temporary, and Long Term Storage
Whether you’re looking for temporary, short, or long-term storage, our top-tier warehouse services are the solution.
Indoor Storage
Protect your business products by opting for our indoor storage facilities where security and ideal climate conditions are guaranteed.
Seasonal Storage
Whether it’s the holidays or mid-year sales, there’s always that time of the year when there is a higher consumer demand for products—and you want to be prepared with adequate stocks to meet this demand by having additional capacity and resources available. This is especially vital for smaller business that might not have enough space ready to hold all their inventory. That’s where our seasonal storage warehouse services swing into the picture.
Cross-Docking
Cross-docking is an even more efficient method for distributing products because it doesn’t require warehouse storage over long periods of time. So, how does this work? Instead, incoming goods are received and sorted at a cross-docking facility itself. From there, the items are loaded directly onto outgoing trucks for shipment to customers.
Retail Staging
This is the practice of picking materials for production or a sales order and moving them to a separate area for purposes of consolidation.
Overflow Storage
Overflow refers to the goods you have on hand that don’t have a designated space for storage. This typically results from over shipment, inaccurate inventory data, high buyer return rates, or items selling slower than initially expected.
Re-Staging
Re-staging involves moving products for shipping to move them out of the way when shipments do not go out as sequenced.
De-Stuffing
De-stuffing is the unloading of goods from a container—and you want to make sure it’s done in a careful and organized manner to avoid damage and losses.
Re-Working
After receiving returned items, they’ll need re-working, which includes an inspection, fixing flaws, and repackaging so they can be considered “good stock” and ready for resale.
Kitting
This inventory management technique and warehouse service wherein complementary items are packaged or shipped together as a single “kit.” Kitting usually takes place even before orders are received so as to minimize the time and effort necessary to pack items.
Final Mile Delivery
FMi logistics can effectively manage the movement of products from transportation hubs to their final destination: the client’s address.
Retail Distribution
The ultimate goal of retail distribution is to ensure that products are efficiently distributed to retail locations. This enables brands to maintain optimal stock levels and meet consumer demand.
FMi Logistics offer warehouse services that oversee the entire process involved in getting products from manufacturers or suppliers to retail stores for sale to end consumers.
Inventory Control
An e-commerce warehouse management system simply wouldn’t be complete without accurate inventory control strategies in place. Watching over the inventory levels means managing items throughout their storage, movement, and delivery phases.
Special Order Handling
With FMi Logistics being Canada’s most trusted logistics partner, we’re no strangers to managing products from diverse industries. If your products require special order handling, our team is more than ready to cater to your business’s unique needs and manage items with utmost care.
Lift the Load off Your Shoulders with FMi Logistics’ Warehouse Services
Lift the load of e-commerce order fulfillment off your shoulders—and allow FMi Logistics to do the heavy lifting for you.
Contact us today to start leveraging our warehouse services or our e-commerce order fulfillment services!
FMi Logistics Team FMi Logistics Team
Our team, comprising seasoned professionals, is dedicated to offering a range of services including freight management, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain management. We specialize in creating customized solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients, ensuring their goods are transported safely, efficiently, and sustainably. At FMi Logistics, we are committed to leveraging the latest technology and industry best practices to deliver excellence in every aspect of our services. Our insights and updates in the logistics field are driven by our passion for excellence and our commitment to helping businesses succeed in a dynamic global market.
