The emergence of eCommerce platforms has made it more accessible than ever to run a business and ship products all over the world. However, most people don’t understand the backbone of any good eCommerce platform; the order fulfillment process.
Of course, products don’t magically get transported to a local sorting office, ready to be delivered to the customer. Instead, there’s a fulfillment process that involves a number of different factors.
How Does eCommerce Order Fulfillment Work?
Regardless if you’re a B2B or B2C business, your consumers typically place orders online which is processed by a system that eventually leads to an eCommerce order fulfillment center.
The process starts with the fulfillment center’s inventory. Your products are usually delivered to and sorted by a fulfillment center. They’re placed in a warehouse, ready to be shipped all over the country or even the world. This inventory is managed by the fulfillment center, meaning you can view how much stock you have of a specific item.
This is then passed into your eCommerce platform so that your customers know if your products are in stock, low stock or out of stock.
Automating Your Fulfillment Process
When an order is placed on an in-stock item, it gets processed in the fulfillment center. This involves picking the item, packaging it based on your specification, and then finally getting ready to ship it. You’ll typically have control over the packing process, such as which type of tape or materials to use, giving your products a customized feel to them.
Once that’s finished, your order is then shipped and the order is considered fulfilled. Everything is managed by the fulfillment center and the business itself doesn’t have to do anything.
Contact us today or call 305-627-9951 for more information.