Overcoming Common Supply Chain Complexities in E-commerce: How to Achieve Profitable Growth

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past years you know that E-commerce is certainly here to stay. The ability to be able to shop from the comfort of your home and have your packages delivered straight to your house is a convenience most of us can get down with. 

The accessibility and convenience brought about by E-commerce is an excellent way for businesses of all sizes to grow beyond their physical locations for further success. 

However, as with everything, with big opportunities also comes a set of new complexities. Supply chain and logistics is a crucial part of E-commerce that must work seamlessly for businesses to run smoothly and achieve profitable growth. 

In this blog post we will list the most common supply chain complexities for E-commerce and how to solve them to achieve profitable growth. 

Supply chain complexities 

You can have the best brand, marketing campaigns, brand ambassadors, but without a working supply chain you’ll soon find your business running down the rabbit hole. What goes on behind the scenes of every E-commerce will determine how it performs on the stage.  

Customers expect fast deliveries 

Customers today expect fast and convenient shipping options from E-commerce businesses. With big marketplaces like Amazon offering same-day shipping, customers have come to expect quick and efficient delivery of their orders. One way for E-commerce businesses to meet these expectations is to have a good delivery management system in place, preferably as part of the same solution as their warehouse management system (WMS) to ensure a smooth transaction from order to packing and delivery. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of fast shipping for E-commerce businesses and the key considerations for implementing a successful warehouse- and delivery management system. 

Easy returns 

In today’s E-commerce landscape, offering easy returns is crucial for businesses. One of the biggest reasons customers choose to shop online is convenience, but that convenience can quickly be taken away if returning items is difficult. 

Returns management is an essential process for E-commerce businesses, as it helps them handle the complexities of managing returns in a way that is efficient and effective. A returns management system can provide E-commerce businesses with a set of tools and features that support the various aspects of returns management, such as a user-friendly interface, integration with other systems, tools for tracking and managing returned products, and support for providing customer service.  

Warehouse design 

Warehouse layout and process design are important considerations for growing E-commerce businesses because it can affect the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their operations. A well-designed and organized warehouse can help a business to reduce the time and effort needed to fulfill orders, which can improve customer satisfaction and reduce shipping costs.  

On the other hand, a poorly designed or overcrowded warehouse can lead to inefficiencies and increased costs. It’s important for E-commerce businesses to carefully plan their warehouse needs as they grow to avoid these potential problems. It’s also important to invest in IT systems that allow for growth and future warehouse operations. Read more about how IMI GO! Can help you scale your business effectively as you grow.  

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How to achieve profitable growth in your E-commerce business 

Utilize resources 

By utilizing your current logistics and warehouse resources, E-commerce businesses can achieve more profitable growth. Below are some ways in which they can do this: 

  1. Optimize warehouse management with an IT system allowing you to grow.
  2. Make sure your warehouse worker can work efficiently, for example picking more than one order at the same time. 
  3. Use data and analytics to make more informed decisions that impact customer satisfaction and retention rates.
  4. Invest in automation and technology so you can stay ahead of your competitor’s customer promises.
  5. Work smart not harder, make sure your processes are automated with the help of a system.  

A scalable warehouse management system (WMS) 

A scalable warehouse management system (WMS) and logistics solution can be the key to meeting the demands of your E-commerce business. 

A scalable WMS allows businesses to manage and coordinate their warehouses and fulfillment centers more effectively, and to add new warehouses and sales channels as needed. By providing fast and accurate order fulfillment, easy returns, and effective communication, a scalable WMS can help E-commerce businesses increase customer satisfaction and build trust, which can drive repeatable sales and long-term profitable growth. 

A scalable WMS is an important part of your E-commerce success strategy because it helps you meet the growing demand for fast, competitive shipping while keeping costs down.

Conclusion 

With all this information, we hope you’re able to see that E-commerce is here to stay. It’s a world of opportunities and challenges, but with the right tools, systems, processes and partners in place, you can be sure that you’re prepared for all that comes next. 

If you want to learn more about our WMS and delivery system for E-commerce, IMI GO! Click here. 

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