Order Fulfillment for the Future
E-commerce is changing the game for how manufacturers and retailers reach consumers. Product variety coupled with on-demand delivery defines today’s e-commerce fulfillment environment.
As a retailer, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand, or third-party logistics provider (3PL), to compete in the marketplace multichannel and omnichannel fulfillment capabilities are essential.
Transform your e-commerce fulfillment center with a host of SSI SCHAEFER intralogistics solutions.
E-commerce Fulfillment Expands
A shift is occurring in the retail marketplace. The Amazon effect propelled e-commerce into the mainstream, where it has grown exponentially each year. Statista projects global retail e-commerce sales to increase from $3.5 trillion in 2019 to $6.5 trillion in 2023.
E-commerce provides consumers with 24/7 purchasing convenience. As internet access expands to more countries, the adoption of online buying is increasing. With greater adoption comes the need for more e-commerce fulfillment centers in both emerging and developed countries.
The global reach of e-commerce provides manufacturers and retailers with multiple channels for order fulfillment—serving customers internationally and locally.
Fulfillment Channels Serve Customer Experience
Consumer experience is the cornerstone of multiple channel order fulfillment. Industries such as apparel rely on web stores and social media to custom-build a personalized customer experience for increased sales.
Companies are leveraging their brick-and-mortar storefronts and e-commerce fulfillment centers to achieve on-time (often same-day) delivery to customers. It not only generates customer satisfaction but also significant cost savings.
Both omnichannel and multichannel fulfillment are delivering the goods for companies’ e-commerce initiatives.
Omnichannel. Regardless of whether consumers are buying online or in-store, the customer experience leads them to a seamless purchase. Omnichannel fulfillment ensures delivery of those purchases where and when the customer expects them by means of synchronous inventory management.
Omnichannel order fulfillment can occur in several ways:
Order online and pick up in-store or curbside
Order online with direct delivery to customer
Online order drop shipped from third-party seller direct to customer
Buy online and ship to customer from store
Multichannel. In a multichannel model, a manufacturer or retailer may have a brick-and-mortar storefront and a website as separate, siloed purchasing channels. Order fulfillment occurs independent of the two channels.
Multichannel lacks the cohesiveness among channels and the cross-over customer experience that omnichannel delivers. However, multichannel allows retailers of all sizes to capitalize on the advantages of e-commerce fulfillment and reap the benefits of consumer trends.
With personalization, more product selection, and diverse order fulfillment options, companies now have access to the technology infrastructure and distribution solutions to reach untapped consumer segments in the marketplace.
Automation for Order Fulfillment
Mid- to large-retailers are looking for strategies to maximize the consumer shopping experience. SSI SCHAEFER provides advantages when it comes to offering solutions to meet the challenges that retailers are faced with in today’s market.
Small profit margins, greater competition, a tight labor market, and the need for more foot traffic or clicks on your site can be challenging. E-commerce and omnichannel fulfillment for your supply chain shouldn’t be complicated. Quite the opposite. It needs to be both flexible and scalable when needed—especially during holiday peak season.
SSI SCHAEFER can deliver the tools to help maximize your fulfillment needs and provide greater ROI so your shoppers can reap the rewards.
SSI Carrier system. With the SSI Carrier, optimize your e-commerce fulfilment center for items weighing up to 3 kg. Companies within fashion, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or retail can gently and efficiently transport items ranging from clothes to shoes to cosmetics, and toys to home appliances to electrical devices.
Mix both e-commerce and retail orders for efficient fulfillment processing. By using RFID technology and by handling individual items, small e-commerce orders and large retail orders in any combination and in any desired sequence, can be processed within one system.
However, the core element of the SSI Carrier system is the matrix sorter. Items required for customer orders can be picked in various preceding systems and transferred to the SSI Carrier system completely unsorted.
Once transferred, sorting batches are formed from customer orders and sorted according to the desired sequence—also within a customer order. In doing so, orders with different sizes and destinations can be processed simultaneously and unloaded in desired sequences at unloading stations. Orders are then packed and provided for shipment.
Standard components of the SSI Carrier system can be combined variably and economically for a robust modular design. Furthermore, take e-commerce order fulfillment to the next level with high sorting performances of several thousand to tens of thousands of items per hour, providing a flexible and adaptable system for future business volumes.
Benefits of the SSI Carrier system:
High system performance of up to 10,000 parts/load carriers per hour
Extremely high sorting precision, load securing, and process reliability
Lying goods and hanging goods can be transported at the same time
Flexible due to optimum space usage
Precision and error prevention through RFID
Intralogistics Solutions for Any Fulfillment Model
Regardless of your locale, SSI SCHAEFER can deliver on your e-commerce fulfillment strategy among its more than 70 global branch locations. As a general contractor and full-range supplier, we can provide one-stop solutions that scale with your e-commerce fulfillment services. Whether it’s omnichannel fulfillment retailing or direct-to-consumer branding, a customized intralogistics solution ensures customer satisfaction and future growth scalability. The success of your company is SSI SCHAEFER’s primary goal. SSI SCHAEFER is a powerful partner for the e-commerce fulfillment needs of today and tomorrow.
Want more Information? Contact us to speak with a supply chain expert!
