Running a rapidly growing e-commerce business can be overwhelming, as you face multiple challenges beyond just managing a flood of orders from various channels. Along with the intricacies of marketing and sales, you also need to ensure efficient order processing, inventory management, and timely deliveries. Without a streamlined system in place, these operational complexities consume your valuable time and resources, leaving little room for business growth.
Inefficient processes not only hinder your business growth but also put you at a disadvantage compared to your competitors. In fact, a study by Voxware showed that 69% of online shoppers are less likely to buy from a retailer again if the item they purchased isn’t delivered within two days of the promised delivery date.
Fortunately, advanced e-commerce order management solutions like DeliverySolutions offer a compelling solution to address these pain points and transform the way your business operates. By making the most of this software, your business can transform its operations and achieve remarkable success in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
In this article, we’ll explore the importance of e-commerce order management systems and cover the features of DeliverySolutions' omnichannel solution in detail.
What is order management software, and why do you need it?
Order management software is a comprehensive solution designed to streamline and automate the entire order fulfillment process, from the moment a customer orders your product to its successful delivery. It automates the entire order fulfillment process, integrating inventory management, order processing, shipment tracking, and customer communication into a centralized hub.
In recent years, the rapid growth of e-commerce sales has led businesses to recognize the importance of automating their processes. According to Statista’s latest survey, retail e-commerce sales worldwide are projected to surpass $8 trillion by 2026, as shown below:
Through order management software, you can take advantage of automation to remove manual errors, manage inventory effectively, and keep your customers informed in real time. This level of automation not only strengthens your overall order fulfillment process but also lets you meet the rising expectations of your customers in the digital era.
Here’s why you need order management software for your business and how significantly it can strengthen your operations:
1. Scalability
As your e-commerce business grows, managing an increasing volume of orders becomes challenging. Order management software provides the scalability you need to handle a higher influx of orders without compromising efficiency. It streamlines your order fulfillment process, ensuring smooth operations so you can meet customer demands effectively, even during peak times.
2. Manual Process Automation
Manual order processing isn't only time consuming, but also prone to errors. An order management solution automates various manual tasks such as order entry, inventory updates, and order tracking.
By reducing manual intervention, you can eliminate errors, improve order accuracy, and free up valuable time for your team to focus on other critical aspects of your business. The graph below is from a study conducted by ABI Research that shows the amount in monthly costs e-commerce stores of different sizes can save labor costs by automating inventory management.
3. Operational Efficiency
An e-commerce order management software optimizes your business operations by providing a centralized platform for order management. It integrates with your inventory management system, giving real-time monitoring of stock levels, preventing stockouts, and streamlining inventory replenishment. The software also enables efficient order routing and fulfillment, reducing order processing time and enhancing overall operational efficiency.
4. Customer Satisfaction
Giving good customer care is a top priority for any business, and order management software plays a very crucial role in ensuring customer satisfaction. Through real-time order tracking and status updates, you can give accurate information to your customers.
By facilitating efficient communication and collaboration, the software enhances transparency, trust, and customer satisfaction. Happy customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, refer your business to others, and contribute to your overall success.
What processes do e-commerce order management solutions handle?
Order management software plays a crucial role in streamlining and automating multiple business processes. Below are the six main processes that it can handle:
1. Centralized order processing
With an order management system, you can efficiently process incoming orders from multiple sales channels. The software acts as a centralized hub, aggregating orders and giving you a unified view for simplified order management.
2. Order tracking and fulfillment
In today's rapidly evolving business environment, staying on top of order management is crucial to meeting customer expectations and driving customer satisfaction. With an advanced e-commerce order management solution, you can monitor order progress, track shipments, and communicate updates to your customers in real time.
Real-time updates keep your customers informed and engaged, reducing their anxiety and increasing their confidence in your business. This level of visibility and communication not only enhances customer satisfaction but also builds trust and loyalty.
3. Inventory management and real-time data
Efficient inventory management is crucial for smooth order fulfillment. An advanced order management software integrates with your inventory systems, giving you real-time visibility into stock levels, product availability, and warehouse operations. This helps optimize inventory management, avoid stockouts, and improve order accuracy.
4. Multi-channel support
In today's interconnected retail landscape, e-commerce businesses operate across multiple sales channels to engage their customers effectively. An advanced order management solution allows the integration of multiple sales channels so you can process orders and deliver a consistent experience across all channels.
By managing sales channels through a single platform, you can give your customers a consistent experience, regardless of where they choose to make a purchase.
5. Analytics — reports and dashboards
As a business, you understand the importance of gaining valuable insights to drive growth and enhance operational efficiency. With order management software, you can access comprehensive analytics capabilities that offer actionable intelligence.
By tracking key metrics like order volumes and sales performance to understand customer behavior, you can make informed decisions, optimize order delivery, and deliver an excellent post-purchase experience.
6. Customer service
To succeed in the competitive e-commerce landscape, delivering top-notch customer service is paramount. Order management software becomes your ally by giving your customer service teams a centralized system. This system grants them access to order information, history, and customer communications. With this valuable tool at their fingertips, your team can promptly address inquiries and deliver a personalized experience that sets your business apart from the rest.
What is Delivery Solutions?
As a business operating in the e-commerce industry, you’re constantly seeking scalable solutions that can meet your specific needs and help you scale your operations. That’s where Delivery Solutions comes in. With a customer-centric approach, Delivery Solutions offers a variety of features to enhance your delivery processes and work directly with your OMS.
Our platform connects with order management software and systems to make them smarter, connecting them to the modern world of omnichannel delivery.
From same-day delivery options to convenient pickup choices and post-purchase experiences, they've got you covered. By integrating the API technology into your e-commerce platform, you can tap into a diverse network of global carriers to give your customers flexible delivery options and engaging shopping experiences.
Features of a good order management system
Real-time visibility of data
A key aspect of a reliable order management system is having real-time visibility into the entire order management process. This lets you prevent stockouts and ensure the timely fulfillment of customer orders. DeliverySolutions goes beyond standard visibility by providing a live dashboard that presents up-to-the-minute data.
This dashboard gives you a comprehensive overview of order performance, including order status, inventory levels, and delivery tracking. With this level of real-time data, you can make informed decisions, identify bottlenecks, and take proactive measures to optimize your operations.
Additionally, DeliverySolutions' advanced analytics and reporting capabilities display actionable insights so that you can forecast demand and improve overall operational efficiency.
Centralized platform with omnichannel support
Did you know that 73% of customers use multiple channels to make a purchase decision, underscoring the importance of taking an omnichannel approach? DeliverySolutions recognizes the importance of this trend and provides an effective e-commerce solution that operates on a single platform.
The centralized platform streamlines order processing, inventory management, and customer communication, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all channels. With Delivery Solutions, you can say goodbye to the hassle of manual data entry across multiple systems.
It's like having a single control center where you can efficiently manage orders from various channels. Whether your customers place orders through your website, mobile app, or other sales channels, Delivery Solutions’ technology processes and completes them.
This omnichannel support is a must for giving your customers a hassle-free experience. They can enjoy the convenience of choosing from a wide range of delivery options, including same-day delivery, curbside pickup, physical store pickup, and multiple shipping options.
Accurate inventory management
Effective inventory management is essential for businesses to maintain optimal stock levels and fulfill customer orders on time. When you connect your OMS or WMS systems into our OXM platform, your inventory can feed smart behavior that translates to the proper fulfillment channels.
This allows you to manage product variants, automate manual processes, and keep track of inventory visibility. By using this combination of your OMS and our platform of products, you can ensure the right products are available at the right time.
This minimizes the risk of stockouts and backorders, enabling you to fulfill customer orders promptly and consistently. The result? Heightened customer satisfaction and increased loyalty. But inventory management is just one piece of the puzzle.
Delivery Solutions goes above and beyond by offering a comprehensive suite of order fulfillment tools. From delivery logistics, dispatching, and customer communication, all these vital functions can be managed within a single platform.
Workflow automation and streamlined shipping management
Efficiency is the key to optimizing order fulfillment. Effective e-commerce order management systems automate repetitive tasks and workflows, reducing manual errors and saving time. DeliverySolutions automates repetitive tasks and workflows, reducing manual errors and saving valuable time for your business.
By automating order routing based on predefined rules and parameters, your business can achieve efficient order processing and fulfillment. This includes intelligently assigning orders to the nearest fulfillment centers or delivery partners, resulting in reduced delivery times and improved customer satisfaction.
Besides, DeliverySolutions simplifies the shipping process by integrating with major shipping carriers. As a business, you can compare rates, print labels, and track shipments within the same platform.
This solution thus removes the need to switch between multiple systems and reduces the potential for errors.
By optimizing shipping management, Delivery Solutions lets you fulfill orders quickly and accurately, resulting in faster delivery times and improved customer experiences.
Enhanced customer satisfaction and excellent post-purchase features
Exceptional customer support and post-purchase services are key factors in guaranteeing customer satisfaction and building lasting loyalty. Once customers have made a purchase from you, it is common for them to have queries or concerns regarding their order, delivery, or the product itself.
When your customers receive timely and personalized support, they feel valued and cared for. By promptly addressing their concerns and providing accurate information, you can demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and enhance their overall experience.
DeliverySolutions recognizes the importance of good customer support and has incorporated robust features into its solution to enhance the post-purchase journey. With this platform, you can easily automate email and SMS notifications triggered by order status, keeping your customers well-informed about the progress of their orders.
Additionally, DeliverySolutions offers a branded and customizable customer tracking page, allowing your customers to easily track their orders in real-time. This transparency provides them with the necessary information, reducing any uncertainty they may have regarding their purchase. You can also enhance the post-purchase experience by incorporating key features like curbside pickup reminders and delivery instructions.
Get ready to explore the possibilities
As you embark on a quest to find the perfect solution for your business, we understand your primary focus is on meeting the unique needs and challenges of your customers. At Delivery Solutions, we share your commitment to delivering excellent customer service and ensuring their satisfaction.
Delivery Solutions stands out as a comprehensive platform that goes beyond the basics. Through its advanced orchestration and connectivity capabilities, it makes order management smarter and more effective. While we are proud of the capabilities our solution offers, we understand that your journey to finding the right solution requires careful consideration and evaluation.
We invite you to explore the possibilities and discover how we can customize our solution to meet your unique requirements. Whether you’re an enterprise retailer, logistics partner, or carrier, we'd love to start a conversation.
Reach out today, and let's explore the possibilities of driving your business forward!
Topics from this blog: Solutions Innovation Order Management Ecommerce