Brick and mortar stores have suffered horribly since March of 2020, when news of Covid began to arise in the US and government officials quickly mandated shelter-in-place orders and social distancing standards to slow the spread of the virus. 

As of July, more than 14,000 stores have closed in 2020 (Forbes) with many more expected to come. This pandemic has left companies who rely primarily on storefront business in horrible financial shape. It has forced businesses to pivot and quickly shift resources to their online presence to remain relevant and viable. It has also shifted consumer spending to more household and personal necessities, only reinforcing retailer’s reliance on e-commerce and their suppliers.

As a supplier to many retailers – have you been able to pivot and keep up?

Order Processing in Under 8 Seconds

Many suppliers are doing more business than ever in this pandemic, with consumers’ needs not only requiring more items to ship but expecting the same two-day turnaround provided prior to the pandemic.

As you may know, order processing with time constrains and increased volume can be your business’s weakness if handled manually or your strength when automated. With OPAL, automation means your backend processing is complete in less than 8 seconds and all that is left to do is pick, pack and ship the product to the customer! 

With the increased volume of orders and the expectation and mandates of social distancing at work limiting the number of people who can work each shift, the simplest solution to increase efficiency is through automating the backend order processing.

In addition to increasing your speed, OPAL saves your business the cost of multiple EDI charges per order. With the increase in volume and the individual drop shipments to customers, your business’s profit margin is diminished with charges like EDI. However, with OPAL, EDI is included in the price of the software and will no longer nickel and dime your business for drop shipping to customers.

Simplify with OPAL

OPAL is the only automated, self-driving order fulfillment software solution in the market today that:

• Automates receiving orders from retailers and e-tailers
• Manages all free EDI transactions 
• Invoices orders in your accounting system
• Updates inventory across all retailers in real-time to reduce errors
• Sends inventory feeds to retailers for compliance requirements
• Creates packing slips, custom branded 3rd party shipping labels per retailer’s requirements, bills of lading and UCC128 labels
• Sends tracking information and invoices to retailer once shipped

To learn more about how OPAL can help your business simplify your order processing, click here!

Click here to book your customized demo today.  We are here to support you through this time of change and are here to help you innovate and thrive!

This past week, the race to drone delivery crept one step closer to reality– the FAA granted Amazon the “air carrier” certificate needed to operate a drone delivery network in the US. As only the third company granted approval, this certificate allows Amazon to carry packages beyond the line of sight of the operator and packages weighing under 5 pounds up to 15 miles in less than 30 minutes.

Amazon believes the future of eCommerce belongs to the company that can deliver packages before the confirmation email arrives in your inbox (The Verge). As the usual trend setter, they seek to be one step ahead of the competition so that they can help mold and influence the industry.

Successful suppliers will begin immediately working to quicken its order processing and warehouse efficiencies to be ready for when this trend eventually arrives. Automation through software is the easiest way to simplify supply chain and logistics for companies of all sizes.

Benefits of Order Processing Software:

• Save time processing orders: a shift from manual steps to autonomous processes will increase your capacity for additional and accurate orders without the need to hire additional staff.
• Reduce overhead costs: it takes time to enter data manually and then transfer information into the accounting system, but when automated it happens within a matter of seconds.
• Increase data control: human error is the inevitable, no matter how careful during data entry. Automation significantly reduces the number of opportunities for error.
• Faster shipping: automation allows you to quickly send orders straight to your warehouse for shipping.
• Build stronger relationships with retailers: Retailers expect accurate and timely communication and business processes, and automation provides real time data across all inventory, processing, shipping documentation, etc. so that your eCommerce business reflects its dependability and accuracy.

Simplify with OPAL’s 4-in-1 Software Solution
EDI | Order Management |Warehouse Management | Shipping

OPAL is the innovative solution to simplify your small to mid-sized business fulfillment needs in today’s rapidly transforming retail world.  

To learn more about how OPAL can reduce your need for multiple software packages and simplify your order processing, click here!

Click here to book your customized demo today.  We are here to support you through this time of change and are here to help you innovate and thrive!