Once you’ve developed your website, you’ll have a store that’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether you’re at work. You could be making money in your sleep thanks to digital technology.
The only problem is you’ll need a system at the other end that’s just as effective at making sure your products can be packed and delivered at the same speed. Luckily, there are several ways digital technology can help with this task.
1. Shipping
Traditionally if you run a small online store, you might have a set time to check for orders every day or even just a couple of times every week. After you’ve acknowledged the law, you still need to pick the product, pack it, and send it off to the shipping company before you can complete the request. Unlike your online checkout, this system only works when you or one of your colleagues is awake and has time to complete the request.
One of the most efficient ways to speed up this process is by delegating the physical packing and shipping currently handled by your staff to an outside company. Many small businesses choose a product fulfillment company to speed up the process of getting the product to your customer.
For example, Red Stag Fulfillment allows you to integrate their ordering software into your e-commerce, meaning that an order could be on its way to the customer without needing to click a button.
2. Accuracy
Another one of the significant advantages of making your dispatch process digital is accuracy. Remove the reliance on humans to carry out most of the processes, and you reduce the chance for human error. Several things could go wrong when dispatching a product.
You or your colleagues could pick the wrong product, the incorrect quantity, or even write the wrong address on the front of the package. Each of these will result in a loss of revenue, as the returns process can significantly affect a business’s ability to make a profit.
If your system is integrated into your website, the address printed on the parcel will be precisely what the customer entered during the checkout process. Some fulfillment companies (like the one mentioned earlier in this article) even use digital tag systems to identify each product and make sure the correct version is picked and sent.
3. Tracking
Even once the parcel has left the building, your job still isn’t done. It’s essential to choose a shipping company that offers a package tracking system to know exactly when a transaction is completed. Without a tracking system, it can often be difficult to claim back for any parcels that aren’t delivered due to an error by the postal service.
This again could have a significant effect on how much profit you make on that order. It could also put loyal customers off ordering from you again.
