The words tactic and strategy are often mixed up and used incorrectly. Many fulfillment centers spend a lot of time doing things that aren’t strategic. They don’t consider the situation about how they are going to get what they want.
None of the strategies and tactics used by the two businesses will be the same for each one. Strategies are the goal you want to achieve. To get there, you need to use tactics. These are the things that you need to do.
Because of this, an ecommerce website design UK will suggest some ways to improve your Ecommerce Supply Chain.
Contents
- 1 Strategies to Improve Your E-Commerce Supply Chain
- 1.1 It will be more efficient to make the inbound Supply Chain
- 1.2 Shipping costs and delivery times will be cut.
- 1.3 Increase the size of the warehouse.
- 1.4 Increase the accuracy of your paperwork and speed up the process.
- 1.5 Labor can be better managed.
- 1.6 Make sure to pick more orders each day.
- 1.7 Use the warehouse space you already have more effectively.
- 1.8 Reduce the cost of shipping things out.
- 1.9 It’s better to use third-party logistics than to do it yourself.
- 1.10 Select and set up a new information system.
Strategies to Improve Your E-Commerce Supply Chain
If you work for one company, your Supply Chain and challenges are different, so your strategies aren’t the same for all of them. Having a proper look at your company’s goals and making sure it fits with them is the one and only way to make this strategy work for you. Here are some of the main things we’re working on with multichannel ecommerce, wholesalers, and distributors that we work with.
It will be more efficient to make the inbound Supply Chain
The first way to improve your e-commerce supply chain is to improve the inbound supply chain. It does not matter what kind of business you run. Getting inbound products and materials delivered on time and ordered is a big goal for many businesses. Your goal should be to get the product so that it can move through to be put away or cross-docked to fill orders.
Shipping costs and delivery times will be cut.
The second way to improve your e-commerce supply chain is to lower your shipping cost and delivery time budget. Customers expect the individual to compete with Amazon when it comes to delivery times, so you need to make sure you can. Be quick to respond to their needs by getting their orders to them faster and at a lower cost.
Increase the size of the warehouse.
The third way to improve your e-commerce supply chain is to increase the number of warehouses or increase warehouse size. New places aren’t always the answer. It really doesn’t matter how many square feet your distribution center is. If you don’t have the right layout and design, you’ll have space, productivity, and storage problems. By addressing some basic principles, your company can put off moving to a new place.
Increase the accuracy of your paperwork and speed up the process.
One of the important technologies for warehouse systems and automation is bar code technology. “What,” “who,” and “when” are all things you can track with barcodes. Making barcode use one of your first strategies will pay off now and in the future.
Labor can be better managed.
The fourth way to improve your e-commerce supply chain is to manage labor better. There is a lot of manual labor used in fulfillment centers and warehouses, which isn’t cheap. In the event that you can’t get a good return on your investment by using automation, the goal of your fulfillment center should be to make better use of labor.
Make sure to pick more orders each day.
There are many important jobs in the warehouse. Order picking is one of them. Accuracy and speedy order fulfillment are important parts of a good customer experience. As a general rule, picking and packing are the two areas where businesses can also save the most money on their labor costs.
Use the warehouse space you already have more effectively.
Companies have to pay a lot of money to run warehouses because they have to pay for everything that goes into fulfilling orders, including labor, space, and storage and material handling equipment. Often, the cost of warehouse space is 15% to 20% of the cost of each order.
For the warehouse to become more efficient, it should not only be used more and have more stock locations.
Reduce the cost of shipping things out.
Outbound shipping costs are more than the sum of all other costs. This is a long-term goal for every client. It will keep going up because there aren’t many other options for people to choose from.
It’s better to use third-party logistics than to do it yourself.
Should your company keep and run its own fulfillment center? Can you get faster delivery from a third-party logistics (3PL) provider if you have a lot of different distribution centers in different places? A lot of big businesses use 3PL to save money. This strategy isn’t right for every company, but it can save a lot of money for a lot of businesses.
Select and set up a new information system.
Many businesses need to set up new systems before using more advanced technology and automation. It doesn’t matter if your company has an ERP, an OMS, or a WMS. This is a goal that many businesses should work toward.
However, as you think about this strategic goal, consider that about 50 percent of the larger installations (those that cost more than $1 million) don’t come in on time or budget. These projects can put businesses at risk because of the costs and how they are done.