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DELIVERY to your Doorstep (Online Order Fulfillment Operations Management)
“A sharp focus on customer satisfaction surely is one of the keys to succeeding in e-commerce, or any other business for that matter. And on both the B2C and B2B sides of the new economy, making customers happy means moving orders rapidly, accurately out to the warehouse dock door, onto a truck, and then delivering directly to the their doorstep.
Speed is essential: As soon as the click of an order is recorded, the clock starts running. Make the delivery within 24 to 48 hours and there's a very satisfied customer. Miss this window of opportunity once or twice -- unless the customer agrees to a longer ship interval -- and that business is lost.”
Outsourcing Fulfillment
“One advantage of using a fulfillment outsourcer (especially one of the larger ones) is that they are able to buy shipping materials in large quantities in order to receive volume discounts. They can then pass the savings on to their clients. Another plus: When you outsource fulfillment, you don't have to run a large warehouse operation, and this in itself can be a big money-saver. (Buying large amounts of inventory and having that inventory sit is very ineffective and costly.)”
The ABCs Of Speedy Order Fulfillment
“Customers are more demanding than ever. Knowing that a package is arriving "tomorrow" is no longer enough. They want to know where it is now, the time it's due, and the route it's taking. Only Web-based systems can deliver this degree of tracking sophistication. Fulfillment centers, then, have to provide Web access to order status.”
E-Commerce Success Could be Hindered by Order Fulfillment Chaos
“Companies can meet the demands of online selling by developing a fulfillment system that delivers end-to-end logistics, which Forrester defines as: package visibility and service continuity from buy button to final destination. End-to-end logistics follows three clear imperatives -- empower customers, focus on parcels, and deliver to the customer's doorstep.”
Fulfillment--Merging Offline & Online Methods
“With the proper systems in place, e-fulfillment offers direct marketers a wide range of options. It permits increased analysis and customization of future messages, allowing marketers to see when people open the e-mails, and track as they click through to Web site links.”
Reinventing Order Fulfillment for the Internet Age
“There are two major changes as we begin to change from standard to the "pure" Ecommerce models. These are the elimination of the catalog and operators as well as retail stores and sales staff. (I say "pure" because both retail store and catalog chains may have Internet ordering options in addition to their more conventional retailing. Here we are concerned only with the pure Internet aspect of these businesses.)”
Dot Com is Not Dead.(Trends in Electronic Commerce and Order Fulfillment)
“Hauser says his company concentrates on communicating well with its customers on the front end, the Web site, and then uses its distribution center efficiently to meet the obligations of the back end. While the DC may be processing thousands of orders each day, each is treated with individual care and attention.
‘When you get that package at your doorstep, you don't care about the 10,000 other orders. You only care about your package,’ he says. "We were founded on a principle that if you meet or exceed customer expectations, they will continue to come back.’”
Delight Your Customers
“The secret of successful marketing and fulfillment is to get inside the heads and under the skin of your customers--think how they think, feel what they feel--and literally become your own customer. In that mindset, everything becomes obvious.”
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