Learn the trends impacting fulfillment in 2017
It shouldn't be a shock that eCommerce sales grew tremendously in the past few years, increasing more than 15% from 2015 to 2016 and from the looks of it, it will only grow even more. Many stores that are still standing are turning toward online to survive which in turn has them partner with a third party fulfillment service to help support their online sales. Below I have listed some of the most important trends that are impacting fulfillment this year.
1: Mobile orders: It's been said that online revenue from smartphones has surpassed desktop revenue. Making it easier for shoppers to click that "order" button rather than just browse. By the end of 2017 mobile revenue will likely increase by 50% which will drive half of all U.S eCommerce revenue. If your eCommerce site doesn't currently allow for a buy now option, now is the time to add that feature!
2: Shipping costs increase: You might see year to year that major carriers increase their shipping rates anywhere from 3%-5%. With these spikes, brands feels the need to include free shipping or reduced shipping costs. With this added pressure and costs, brands are starting to turn to fulfillment centers to help ease the cost of shipping methods based on order destination, contents, package weight and size. When searching for a fulfillement center to handle your orders, its imperative to ask what type of shipping discounts you will receive.
3: You might have noticed that the brands you typically buy from are starting to offer product bundling to help increase revenue. Third party fulfillment centers not only help offset shipping costs and get a customer better rates and faster transit times but they should be well equipped to handle multiple product orders or product bundles.
4: Automation and speed: these two trends go hand and hand and fulfillment warehouse centers are seeing the benefit and gaining customers by being efficient in both. Fulfillment centers are now implementing automation solutions and many other innovative technologies that can keep up with demand. As online sales competition increases, brands are looking for fulfillment centers that can deliver fast orders without a hefty monthly fee. Shoppers want faster delivery now more than ever and fulfillment providers are quickly adapting to meet those needs. If you are looking to outsource your order fulfillment, look for a warehouse that offers afternoon shipping cut off times as it promises more orders mailed for that day.