Consumers’ growing preference for online shopping resulted in unprecedented increases in order fulfillment and returns shipments in 2012. The numbers will increase in 2013 as the e-commerce & m-commerce (mobile commerce) movement is only revving up. With this rise in online orders, fulfillment and reverse logistics processes have never been as important for retail companies than they are as we enter the new year.
E-tail Consumers Speak Their Mind
In a recent survey performed by YouGov, 25% of all online shoppers said they would not make a second purchase from an e-tailer (i.e. – Electronic/Online Re-tailer) if they encountered a problem with their first product shipment (ex: lost / late shipments, damaged products, etc.). The survey also noted that 69% of consumers perform extensive research to find previous customer feedback prior to purchasing from an e-tailer. Even more, of those surveyed, 80% of consumers that used Twitter on a regular basis said that they look at past customer satisfaction ratings and reviews prior to purchase.
Leveraging Technology & The Chatty Consumer
These are extremely important findings for retail companies to consider while preparing for the increasing movement towards online business. Consumers will give their open and honest feedback, like it or not. While this can be scary for retailers, it’s important to realize that there is huge potential in unsolicited consumer feedback, as long as the e-tail side of the business is approached seriously and strategically. With the loss of in-person interaction, retailers must find new ways to provide remarkable customer service. If the ultimate goal is to convert first-time buyers into loyal, advocating return customers, the focus on accuracy and precision in order fulfillment and returns processes has to be top priority.
Find Your Shipping Logistics Edge with SAP XSI
Businesses that run SAP have the ability to leverage a native shipping engine developed by SAP, the Express Ship Interface (XSI). When properly enabled and configured, utilizing SAP’s Express Ship Interface will increase quality control and simplify order fulfillment and reverse logistics processes. To learn more about SAP’s Express Ship Interface, please visit https://blueharbors.com/xsi