5 Most Common ECommerce Fulfillment Problems (And How to Fix Them)

Did you know that 38% of your shoppers will abandon their cart if shipping takes more than a week?

Maybe you’re even one of those shoppers. However, when you’re on the other side of ecommerce fulfillment, it’s not so easy to deliver.

If you’re just getting to grips with your online shop then don’t fear. Today we’re going to talk about 5 common fulfillment problems and how you can solve them.

5 Ecommerce Fulfillment Problems & How to Fix Them

You’ve done the hard work already. You’ve set up your online store and the orders have started coming. Congrats! Now you’re going to run into some teething problems that all ecommerce store owners face.

We’re one step ahead so let’s take a look at how you can solve problems before they come up.

1. Damaged Inventory

You can rest assured that when a customer makes the choice to spend their money on your product that they are expecting quality. They will notice if you send out anything less than perfect. It can happen to anyone but how can you try your best to prevent it?

Solution

Inventory management should include quality checks prior to sending out. Make sure you are checking your products before sending and they are stored correctly. Invest in high-quality packaging to get your order to the customer safely.

Make sure you offer the customer a replacement free of charge and that you cover shipping costs also.

2. Shipping Notifications

It’s just a fact of life now that we expect to be able to track our parcels. Your customers will most likely want to be able to check when their parcel is arriving so you should at least offer basic parcel tracking.

Solution

You need to at least offer basic communications such as an email when the product has shipped. This not only reduces calls or messages to customer services but fosters a relationship with the customer.

3. Poor Inventory Management

You get the familiar notification that a customer has bought something before the horror that it isn’t actually available sets in. This is frustrating for customers and also a hassle for you. You have to issue a refund and you might have lost that customer for good.

Solution

You need to be diligent when it comes to inventory management. You need to keep track of your products and find a way to let it automatically update in your shop. Don’t be afraid of switching to “pre-order” so that customers can still order but with full transparency about shipping times.

It’s all about being honest and clear with customers to prevent those frustrations.

4. Processing Returns or Losses

This is unavoidable in almost all eCommerce situations. You’re going to have to replace missing items or accept returns for some items.

Solution

You need to accept returns with no cost to the customer if you want to keep them happy. Offer a free return envelope with a pre-printed label for best practice.

5. Shipping Costs

How do you hit the sweet spot for domestic and international shipping costs? One way is to do this by weight to make it fairer than a standard shipping rate. We think there is a better option though.

Solution

The best option is to absorb the shipping costs into your product costs and offer free shipping. Psychologically, this seems to convince people to make the purchase and you avoid having to price up individual shipping costs.

You can work with an order fulfillment company if you want someone who really knows what they’re doing to take care of it for you. It will cost you but definitely worth it as you scale.

Ready to Get Packing?

The world of eCommerce fulfillment can be tricky, but it all comes down to one thing: making the customer experience as easy as possible. Remove all obstacles for the customer and you’ll keep them happy.

If you found this article helpful, then check out our blog for more tips.