eCommerce and its Digital Innovation
If this past year taught businesses anything, it’s that staying relevant amidst rapid innovation of new processes and technologies is critical for survival. Many eCommerce businesses were poised and ready for the rapid growth that the pandemic brought to online marketplaces and its suppliers had already optimized and automated processes or were able to pivot and adjust quickly.
But not every business can maintain momentum for years at a time. Can your eCommerce business maintain its growth in the Covid surge marketplace of 2021?
eCommerce Continues to Grow
In 2020, suppliers had more pressure than ever to keep up with the demand of consumers on a moment’s notice with the announcement of many states enforcing shelter in place mandates.
Overnight, suppliers were expected to provide everything from luxury food items to furniture and home goods for renovation projects to pet supplies for consumers stuck at home and making changes to their environment. According to Forbes, an estimated growth of 9.5% was blown out of the water by the actual 24% growth rate in 2020. This shift in the digital channel is only expected to grow as 2021 has promises of a vaccine, but with several cities and states under shelter in place orders.
Optimization is Critical
Growth is easily achieved through optimization, but knowing what and how to optimize are usually the toughest challenges for an organization to decide.
Simplify through one software solution.
Automation of your order processing and fulfillment needs allows your eCommerce business to keep up with the ever-increasing consumer demands. It also drives labor costs down and increases capacity to fulfill new orders immediately, without the hassle of hiring and training new staff – allowing you to pick, pack and ship!
Strengthen relationships with sales channels.
Implementation of a software solution allows you to optimize your business through timely deliveries to consumers, while managing compliant retailer transactions, real-time inventory and shipping documents, and in return serve as a trustworthy and reliable supplier to your sales channels.
Suppliers have more pressure than ever to level up to the brand standards consumers expect when purchasing products from the major marketplaces like Amazon, Target, Wayfair and many others. Optimization keeps eCommerce businesses viable and competitive.
Delivery Costs Rapidly Rise
eCommerce rose to the occasion when consumers were in need throughout the shelter in place orders and holiday season in 2020, but at the cost of astronomically higher shipping prices to maintain consumer expectations of two-day shipping with the long list of logistical limitations caused by Covid.
Many marketplaces are looking for innovative solutions to enhance product delivery to reduce shipping costs, with the end goal of not having to raise prices for consumer. In addition to new shipping methods, many organizations are strengthening their digital presence and simplifying the order process in the hope of reducing errors and better managing the higher purchase volume.
Simplify with OPAL’s 4-in-1 Software Solution
EDI | Order Management | Warehouse Management | Shipping
As your business looks to optimize processes and remain relevant, simplify your processes with OPAL.
OPAL is the innovative solution to simplify your small to mid-sized to enterprise business fulfillment needs in today’s rapidly transforming retail world.
To learn more about how to optimize your eCommerce business with OPAL, click here!
