Minimize Marketplace Claims Rejections with WareIQ’s New Returns QC Solution

Minimize Marketplace Claims Rejections with WareIQ’s New Returns QC Solution

Now you can rescue your brand margins from the impact of rising marketplace claims rejections. We are thrilled to announce the general release of our Returns QC solution that will allow sellers to access all the required image/video proofs on our tech platform in a few clicks.  No need to struggle with complex systems or wait endlessly for your warehouse operator to send you blurry CCTV footage that barely shows vital details like shipping labels and product attributes. What problem is this solving? 1) High Marketplace Claims Rejection Rate Rejections on Marketplace claims have increased more than 2X since last year. Marketplaces need image and video proof which are conclusive. 2) Unclaimed Rejections Lowering Profitability Unclaimed return claims completely wipe away the brand margins every month! 3) Complex Media Proof Capture & Retrieval Getting video/image proof from FCs is time-taking (2-5 days), and prone to error due to inconclusive image/video quality from CCTV footage Our Solution 1) WareIQ Returns QC App for HD Footage Capture Warehouse executives capture HD footage of returned items using our mobile app, reducing claims rejection due to low-quality footage used as proofs 2) WareIQ Tech Platform as System of Record Our platform logs real-time returns data and centralizes all media evidence from the QC app for easy access and retrieval during claims filing 3) Scan-based Error-free Returns Processing Handheld scanning devices for real-time updates during processing returns, and reducing data errors See our Returns QC App in action https://youtu.be/Sk5IwcqhcoY

August 23, 2023

Backorders vs Out of Stock: Key Differences

Backorders vs Out of Stock: Key Differences

Backorders is generated when an order cannot be executed at the time of purchase because the item is not in the seller's current inventory. However, the item is still in production or is accessible through the distributor. A backorder, often known as a backlog, indicates that demand for a certain product outnumbers what the seller produced or ordered. If you are unable to fulfil the order, the customer may be more angry than if you just indicated that the item was out of stock. Financial and logistical divisions may also struggle with backorder management. Factors Affecting Backorder Fulfillment Impact of Forecasting Errors on Stock Shortfall If forecasting mistakes occur, the danger of a stock shortfall increases. Due to forecasting errors, the firm would be unprepared for an additional order. Managing Unforeseen Demand Spikes and Backorders This is an example of an unusually high demand for which the company is unprepared. This type of circumstance is most noticeable around holidays when people often go shopping. Bad weather conditions may cause power outages, increasing the demand for power generators. Backorders occur as a result of unexpected purchases and demand. Supplier and Manufacturer Factors Leading to Backorders Any problems encountered by the supplier or the manufacturer may result in a decline in product supply. This results in backorders.  Challenges in Warehouse Management and Backorders Daily multiple warehouse management is a time-consuming operation that involves various steps. Any fault or inaccuracy in the warehouse management section might result in erroneous reporting and data input errors. Human Errors and Backorder Recording A staff member's mistake of recording an order as a backorder even when the product is in stock is an example of human error. Complex Supply Chains and Backorder Delays The longer and more complicated the supply chain for a backordered item, the longer it will take to obtain enough to fulfil demand, and the more probable it will be out of stock before backorders are satisfied. Efficient Management of Backorders Through Automation Backorders necessitate additional processes and exclusions. Companies that employ 3PL providers or have automated order management and exception handling may manage reorders and fulfilment more swiftly and efficiently. Streamlining Fulfilment for Backordered Products Cutting unnecessary processes and dropshipping backordered products directly from the manufacturer or distributor, if possible, speeds up fulfilment. Marketplace Regulations and Backorder Constraints Retailers selling on Amazon, eBay, or another marketplace may opt not to accept backorders due to selling restrictions, such as rigours fulfilment time requirements; in general, the restock date must be within 30 days after the sale. Importance of Backordering Backorders may not sound nice to customers, but they imply business to businesses. This also provides them with information on the product's demand and popularity. However, when demand surges, businesses must walk a narrow line between having adequate inventory and overstocking. Backorder Advantage: This is most likely the most significant advantage of back-ordering. Based on the definition of a backorder, we know that you have kept your customer base even though the order hasn't been sent. We may explain this by supposing that a retailer informs his consumers that the relevant product is out of stock and that he no longer sells it. This might lead to the growth of the competitor's business. Streamlined Custom Requests: Custom requests are simple to satisfy because back ordering just forwards the customer's order along to your supplier. For example, Harley-Davidson offers its clients in the United Kingdom the option of customising their bikes. The company has transformed a practical business choice into an enticing selling factor for its clients by employing back ordering instead of a standing inventory. Overstock Prevention and Cost Efficiency: Backordering alleviates the problem of overstocking items, lowering warehousing expenses. It allows shops that are just getting started to spend less money on initial inventory. It also frees up cash that would otherwise be locked up in shares and holding charges. Tesla, for example, likes to store less inventory and create on demand, minimising the amount of money and risk associated with excess inventory storage. Reduced Inventory Risk and Freshness: Backordering saves wasted inventory since items have less time to become damaged or outdated due to the speedier turnaround. For example, if you sell air conditioners, you will see an increase in demand every summer. However, as winter arrives, demand plummets. You don't want to be stuck with unsold units during the winter since they might be destroyed by the elements or outperformed by newer ones next summer. Backordering allows you to satisfy summer demand with less risk. Strategic Backordering: Back ordering is used as a marketing gimmick by some technology-intensive enterprises to boost the perceived worth of the product in the eyes of the consumer. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, one of the first phones to enable 5G, is already on backorder in the UK. The significant number of backorders suggests that the tactic is effective in increasing customers' interest and willingness to buy. Backorder vs. Out of Stock When you label a product as Out of Stock, it indicates that clients can no longer place an order for the goods, at least until it becomes available again. This is distinct from back ordering, which permits you to accept orders even if the product or commodity is unavailable. Out of StockBackorderWhen you label things in your online store as out of stock, you turn away buyers who may never return. Setting up a back ordering system helps you to stay in touch with your consumers.Make sure you have mechanisms in place to handle backorders before offering them. Ensure that your backordered clients are positioned at the front of the queue when items are restocked.If you're wondering what to do if a product is out of stock or if the product will be out of stock until the next replenishment, there's a solution: backorders. You may keep your things on backorder and allow your clients to continue shopping.Customers cannot make an order for a product that is labelled "out of stock" on your website.Customers can order backorders, but they cannot order out-of-stock products.Items that are out of stock are not guaranteed to be restocked.Backorders are guaranteed to be replenished and delivered at a later date.The period an item is out of stock is indeterminate and subject to change without notice.Backordered goods have an approximate time range for when they will be available for purchase again.There is no method to keep track of when an item is restocked.Backorders may be tracked and monitored so that you are always informed of their progress. This helps you to better manage consumer expectations and keep them updated on the status of their orders. Conclusion A backorder, often known as a backlog, indicates that demand for a certain product outnumbers what the seller produced or ordered. The longer and more complicated the supply chain for a backordered item, the longer it will take to obtain enough to fulfil demand, and the more probable it will be out of stock before backorders are satisfied. We may explain this by supposing that a retailer informs his consumers that the relevant product is out of stock and that he no longer sells it. When you label a product as Out of Stock, it indicates that clients can no longer place an order for the goods, at least until it becomes available again. When you label things in your online store as out of stock, you turn away buyers who may never return. 

August 23, 2023

Amazon fulfillment models

Amazon fulfillment models

Hundreds of millions of items are available on Amazon, which is one of the largest retail platforms. Half of them are bought by third-party sellers. Amazon Logistics is the core of online retailing. An effective logistics system not only lowers the costs of processing, storage, and transportation but also increases the value of the transaction and attracts more online shoppers. According to research, approximately 93% of consumers believe that shipping options are a significant part of their overall shopping experience. In recent years, Amazon has invested significant resources in its logistics system, from air cargo hubs to last-mile delivery fleets, in order to provide prompt and dependable delivery services. As a result, more and more locations in the United States are now eligible for same-day, one-hour, and Sunday delivery services by Amazon.  Online retailers require reverse logistics in addition to delivery. Customers who buy items from Amazon can use their free return shipping labels with fast processing or return the goods to Amazon has local partner stores with a swift refund. Amazon has fast and simple return services significantly reduce customers’ concerns about mistaken purchases and increase their confidence in online shopping from Amazon. Different Fulfillment Models The full process of fulfilling online received orders is known as body order fulfillment. This requires a number of steps, and how well your business performs will determine how well it is perceived by your customers. When a customer makes an online order, it expects that the goods will be delivered in a suitable condition and within the stipulated time. The customer doesn't care how you do it; their only concern is the end result. Whether you do it yourself or outsource it, the fulfillment models include warehouse management, order management, packaging, shipping, and communication with customers. Depending on your business model, you can implement this process in different ways.  Drop shipping You don't buy or own the product you sell when you use drop shipping. You are the intermediary who may not even have the chance to see the physical product. You concentrate on selling the product, and once an order is received, it is sent to the drop shipper or manufacturer, who packs and ships the product to the buyer. The difference between the selling price and the price you pay to the drop shipper is how you make a profit. The advantage of drop shipping is that it prevents you from locking money in stocks that are not moving. Although you are removed from the fulfillment models in this process, you are still responsible for the product that you sold. Third-party Fulfillment Third-party fulfillment models, where you own the products you sell, are another option for order fulfillment. As a seller, you buy or make the product, store it with a third-party logistics provider (3PL), and then sell it. The third-party packages and ships an order once it is received. The difference between the product's retail price and the price you pay to the 3PL would be your profit. Third-party fulfillment models are probably the best option for you if you have a unique product but limited storage space and you want to focus on marketing rather than fulfillment. Self-Fulfillment Models You own the inventory and fulfil orders in this fulfillment model by yourself. Manufacturing and inventory management are all under one roof, and you can rent warehouse space to serve as your distribution centre, where pickers and packers deliver your goods to customers. The difference between the retail price and the costs that you incur in manufacturing, buying, storing, and fulfilling orders is what constitutes your profit. Self-fulfillment models have the greatest advantage of having always control.  Fulfillment by Amazon Alternatively, try Amazon if you want a very efficient fulfillment service. It has one of the world's most advanced fulfillment models networks, so your company can benefit from it. When you use Fulfillment models by Amazon (FBA), you can store your products at FBA centres, where they will pick, pack, ship, and provide customer service. Please register as a "Seller on Amazon" if you want to sell on Amazon. In-house fulfillment Smaller brands frequently store and despatch orders from their place of business. This choice may restrict the range and number of things you may keep and sell, as well as raise your overhead costs. Inventory storage, packing, and delivery to the customer's front door become progressively more vital as orders rise. You can expand to a larger warehouse or storage facility, or you can outsource fulfilment for some items to a third party. Multi-channel fulfillment The practice of handling and fulfilling orders across many channels where customers can purchase things, such as your website, Amazon shops, social media, or elsewhere, is known as multi-channel fulfilment. There is no requirement for each channel to have its own fulfilment option. A multi-channel fulfilment system may assist you in diversifying your ecommerce marketing and sales channels while also keeping your order fulfilment process reasonable. Amazon has Multi-Channel Fulfilment programme can handle all of your sales channels. WareIQ 3pl Services WareIQ offers a unified platform experience that seamlessly connects to all sales channels, ensuring efficient end-to-end operations management. Through its smart fulfillment models network design and inventory placement insights, WareIQ enables optimized inventory planning. The platform's intelligent courier allocation further enhances shipping efficiency by balancing speed and cost. With the assurance of Prime-like shipping badges for Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) websites, WareIQ boosts online conversion rates. Additionally, WareIQ's RTO risk prediction capabilities work to minimize losses from return-to-origin scenarios, contributing to overall returns reduction. The integration of value-added applications, such as branded tracking and NDR management, enhances the comprehensive capabilities of WareIQ's 3PL services. Benefits of 3pl Fulfillment Models It is critical to completely comprehend the benefits of firms adopting a 3PL and how they apply to you.  Consider 3PL logistics services for specific areas of your business or for all of your fulfillment models procedures when analysing them. Here are the main benefits of working with a third-party logistics provider. When compared to domestically managed operations, working with a 3PL can deliver cost benefits on a per-order basis. This is typically the case for enterprises that do not operate on a four-season basis. A 3PL may invest in more technology and automation by consolidating several clients into a single location. These investments frequently surpass what a single company could undertake on its own. An additional advantage of third-party logistics is the ability to reduce or avoid capital outlays.  This could be from not investing in new or upgraded warehouse facilities to support fulfillment models. These logistic solutions can also help to eliminate needed investments in warehouse management systems and automation. 3PLs can help avoid these types of projects which often distract time and resources from servicing the customer. These major projects often have timelines and cost overruns that affect the operations. Another advantage of third-party logistics is the opportunity to cut or prevent capital expenditures.  This may be due to a lack of investment in new or improved warehousing facilities to enable fulfillment models. These logistical solutions can also assist to reduce the requirement for costly investments in warehouse management systems and automation. 3PLs can assist in avoiding these sorts of initiatives, which frequently divert time and resources away from customer service. These large projects frequently have time and cost overruns that impact operations. From a distribution standpoint, large merchants such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Wayfair have enormous reach.  Using a range of facilities and delivery techniques, they may readily deliver in two days or less. When deciding where to make a purchase, customers are heavily impacted by delivery time and freight costs. These now offer choices for same-day delivery.  Small to mid-sized retailers can profit from 3PLs by being strategically located across the United States.  With several facilities, 3PLs can currently reach 85-95% of the US population in two days through ground shipment. A 3PL enables businesses to focus management resources on key capabilities such as marketing, merchandising, and e-commerce analysis. For this reason, some clients have utilised 3PL solutions for over 25 years. Manufacturers, for example, are quite rigorous in their supply chain management.  Nonetheless, they recognise that fulfillment is not their primary skill. Entering a new channel, such as e-commerce, might divert attention away from existing obligations for these businesses. Conclusion The full process of fulfilling online received orders is known as body order fulfillment. This requires a number of steps, and how well your business performs will determine how well it is perceived by your customers. The customer doesn't care how you do it; their only concern is the end result. Whether you do it yourself or outsource it, the fulfillment models include warehouse management, order management, packaging, shipping, and communication with customers. Third-party fulfillment models, where you own the products you sell, are another option for order fulfillment. Third-party fulfillment models are probably the best option for you if you have a unique product but limited storage space and you want to focus on marketing rather than fulfillment. Self-fulfillment models have the greatest advantage of having always control. 

August 22, 2023

Festive Sales Seasons: Order fulfilment

Festive Sales Seasons: Order fulfilment

The ongoing festive season sales have boosted the consumer goods industry, with early indications from all channels showing solid sales and the traders' association CAIT anticipating up to Rs 2.5 lakh crore injection into the market through sales and service. Sales of items such as televisions, home appliances, FMCG food and non-food, garments, and so on from offline and e-commerce channels increased by almost 8-10% over the previous festive season, indicating that customers are prepared to spend despite inflationary fears. The festive season sales begin with Onam and continue through Durga Puja, Dusshera, and Diwali. Order Fulfillment Strategies in Festive Seasons Online buyers, particularly during the festive season, believe that fast and worry-free shipment is critical in determining where to spend their money. When a Christmas delivery is late, however, 46% of customers would turn elsewhere the next time they wish to place an online order. As a result, a robust fulfilment plan must ensure that you do not lose nearly half of your consumers. Continue reading to learn about businesses' efforts for streamlining order fulfilment this festive season. System Integration Your existing unconnected or weakly linked systems may have served you well for the whole year, but festive seasons are notorious for causing even the most reliable systems to fail. While investing in infrastructure to prepare your systems for the festive demand is necessary, it is insufficient. For simplified and fast order fulfilment, you must guarantee that the appropriate systems are interconnected and communicating with one another. By integrating your eCommerce and ERP/Warehouse management systems, you may avoid overselling your items. Furthermore, it speeds up order fulfilment by moving orders quickly from your eCommerce site to your ERP/ Warehouse management systems. Staffing Did you know that Amazon is employing 150,000 workers for full-time, temporary, and part-time employment across its US companies this festive season? Most other online shops are following the same pattern. To account for the increase in order volume and prompt delivery over the festive season, businesses must focus on hiring more warehouse and customer support staff. Not only that, but you must analyse your seasonal workers' capabilities and place them in areas where you can capitalise on their skills, as well as fully educate them, to guarantee that you continue to give the same brand experience. Collaboration It is not enough to be prepared for the festive season on your own. It is as critical, if not more so, that your suppliers and delivery providers be prepared for this. Forecast the predicted demand for this year using your previous sales data and communicate your estimates with your partners - suppliers and delivery providers.Setting clear expectations with your partners is critical, and if necessary, assisting them in developing systems and procedures to meet those objectives. Managing customer expectations While it may be tempting for firms to provide unrealistic timescales or extend the deadline for assured delivery, it is critical to recognise that increased order volume might present unexpected obstacles to timely order fulfilment. Because customer happiness is tied to on-time order delivery, businesses must understand their order fulfilment speed and capacity, as well as their carrier's holiday schedule, in order to set reasonable delivery expectations with their consumers. Storage Placement Rethink where things are stored in your warehouses - Identify and position top-selling goods in hot pick zones to decrease the time it takes to walk, pick, and pack that item, hence improving productivity and decreasing fulfilment time. Adequate warehousing space An effective warehouse storage method is crucial since it guarantees that you are utilising all of the available space in your warehouse. Warehouse storage efficiency also keeps goods organised without sacrificing productivity. To optimise your warehouse storage procedure, you must first determine how much storage space is available in your warehouse. Here are four easy procedures for determining warehouse utilisation to assist you. Central tech platform for warehouses RFID is an abbreviation for Radio-frequency Identification, which tracks items in real time using electromagnetic waves. RFID technology has long been used in various sectors and is now becoming more popular in supply chain applications. An RFID tag is connected to a product or case and, using electromagnetic signals may be tracked throughout the full product or case lifetime from a central database.RFID has benefits over other identifying systems such as barcodes in that it does not require a scanner and does not require proximity or line of sight to the object. This allows for centralised monitoring of inventory position and movement in the warehouse.  Customized kitting, packaging, bundling and gifting capabilities When purchasing a package of items, customers can receive large discounts. It makes product selection easier and provides greater value for a lower price.Customers, for example, are looking for the right present over the holiday season.Customers are drawn in by bundled gifting products with creative packaging. If you pay close attention to ecommerce data, personalisation strikes the target.Unboxing is a brand's first genuine point of contact with a consumer, creating an outstanding first impression. A strong kitting operation is essential for providing an enjoyable unwrapping experience. Inventory planning tool To enhance order management, increase profitability, and streamline supply chain management, small enterprises must employ a variety of approaches and technologies.The best inventory management solutions for optimising distribution and order fulfilment across numerous warehouses are listed below.Proper inventory management reduces carrying costs, boosts efficiency, and boosts customer satisfaction.Stock reduction, effective picking and packaging, selecting quality KPIs, and carrying safety stock are all tips for accurate inventory management.Barcode data gathering, cycle counting, ABC analysis, an inventory management software system, and serial number traceability are the greatest inventory management tools. Fulfilment Challenges in Festive Sales Short Supply of Raw materials Because demand for items is anticipated to increase as soon as the holidays arrive, some raw materials are frequently in short supply. Needless to say, this is an issue for both producers and merchants, because a scarcity of raw materials leads to an understocking situation, which no one likes - especially during peak season. Balancing speed and customer satisfaction The holiday season is often regarded as the finest time for sales. However, in order to keep up with a high volume of orders while retaining customer happiness, you must ensure that order processing, fulfilment, and shipping are all completed at lightning speed. Of course, this is easier said than done.  Unpredictable Weather There are various reasons that are typical of the festive season that create significant delays in the transportation of your items. For example, unfavourable weather conditions. The festive season is often a chilly and wet time of year in most nations throughout the world. This may have an influence on transportation efficiency, resulting in delays. Reverse Logistics Reverse logistics are a tough aspect of the supply chain in general, and when festive is thrown into the mix, it can be extremely difficult to guarantee that returns and exchanges are executed efficiently. Given the rush of festive shoppers, it is possible that many individuals will want to return things, and it is your responsibility to ensure that they are not dissatisfied.  Inaccurate forecasting Inaccurate forecasting may be the root cause of ALL issues that arise over the festive season. This is because if a company has poor forecasting processes in place, they are likely to underestimate or even overestimate the stock they require at peak periods. Both have their own set of issues that will impact the total fulfilment supplied by a firm.  Guide to ecommerce fulfilment during the holiday season During the Festive season, which is commonly referred to as the peak season, ecommerce firms are flooded with orders. The whole ecommerce environment is crowded with aggressive discount offerings. You may capture significant possibilities by running a deal over the holiday season—you can get ahead of the competition, acquire new clients, and increase your income. To position your ecommerce firm for success over the holidays, you should begin your sales planning process (along with other areas such as production and website optimisation) as soon as feasible. Once you've finalised your festive season sales strategy, you should collaborate with your 3PL partner to develop an inbounding strategy.  Examine if your 3PL has adequate capacity to manage the number of orders you anticipate over the festive season. If your 3PL is unable to inbound, store, select, pack, and ship your items, you may need to search for additional 3PL partners to assist with festive season order fulfilment.Determine the fees your 3PL imposes. Some 3PLs impose a premium for order fulfilment and other services provided during peak periods, in addition to other costs such as zone surcharges and fuel surcharges.Ensure that your 3PL supplier has a presence in the areas where your customers are situated. Ideally, you'd be able to collaborate with a 3PL like WareIQ.After you've developed your sales and inbounding plans, you'll be ready to begin shipping your inventory to your 3PL (as per the timeline outlined in your inbounding plan). As previously said, you will want to ensure that all of your inventory is inbound to your 3PL's facilities as soon as possible - and far before your 3PL's cutoff date. To ensure that the inbounding process runs properly, you must communicate and coordinate closely with your 3PL. Conclusion The holiday season is often regarded as the finest time for sales. However, in order to keep up with a high volume of orders while retaining customer happiness, you must ensure that order processing, fulfilment, and shipping are all completed at lightning speed. Of course, this is easier said than done. For simplified and fast order fulfilment, you must guarantee that the appropriate systems are interconnected and communicating with one another. Not only that, but you must analyse your seasonal workers' capabilities and place them in areas where you can capitalise on their skills, as well as fully educate them, to guarantee that you continue to give the same brand experience. 

August 21, 2023

Best ways to tackle NDR orders 

Best ways to tackle NDR orders 

The term "NDR," or non delivery report, is used by the industry to describe delivery attempts that are unsuccessful and are created by the courier partner. Inaction on a non-delivery complaint by a seller lowers the likelihood of future success and raises the proportion of Return to Origin (RTO). This essentially indicates that the order must be delivered back to the originating warehouse and is now considered cancelled. When it comes to e-commerce businesses, RTO carries a huge financial risk. A significant amount of RTO% in the eCommerce business is accounted for by NDRs. Nonetheless, the Non delivery report management procedure can significantly lower this figure. What's included in an NDR? Email users and administrators should find it straightforward to read and comprehend Exchange NDRs. NDRs are available in a few distinct forms. The most recent Non delivery report format includes an issue description written in simple terms, as well as instructions on how to resolve it. The information in the most recent Non delivery report style is intended to assist regular email users in finding quick solutions to their issues. If it isn't feasible, the Non delivery report offers administrators information along with a link to additional online support.A function known as Delivery Status Notification, or DSN1 for short, is supported by email systems. End users can receive notifications from this feature on the success or failure of email message delivery. As an illustration, consider reporting when an email message is successfully sent or when delivery is delayed. An email server's (also known as a mail transfer agent, or MTA) DSN message informing the sender that the email message's delivery attempt was unsuccessful is called a non-delivery report, or Non delivery report. A Non delivery report can be caused by a number of different things, but the most frequent ones are when the destination mailbox is full or the message's recipient is not known to exist.  How can one process an NDR? There are two options accessible to you when an Non delivery report is raised. You have two options: pick RTO for the shipment or try delivery again. If the necessary information is provided, including the accurate address and phone number, delivery attempts can be made again. Please be aware that courier partners can only try three delivery attempts before marking the shipment as "Return to Origin," or RTO.In order to reduce non-deliveries and improve communication between the buyer and the courier partner throughout the last mile delivery process, forward-thinking logistics aggregators have included the Non Delivery Report (NDR) function. Sellers are able to amend inaccurate contact information or addresses.  Additionally, this functionality gives customers the flexibility to select an alternative delivery date based on availability or personal preferences. Increased openness and improved communication allow you to decrease RTO and Non delivery report orders promptly, preventing significant losses in the process. With efforts like "Non delivery report Buyer Flow," which is simply an IVR calling service where clients may reach out if they are not reachable or have declined delivery, a few players have gone one step further. Also, these aspects support the veracity of the promises made by courier partners. Example of NDR E-mail Messages The email in this case is being sent to user2@domain2.com from user1@domain1.com.The MTA at domain1.com will issue an Non delivery report to user1@domain1.com2 if the domain name domain2.com is not available or does not have an email server when the MTA at domain2.com is accepting emails and the domain name is active, but the behaviour is varied. The domain2.com email server ought to investigate if the destination mailbox is operational and ready to receive emails in this instance. The email message should be rejected by the MTA if this isn't the case. However, if the destination address is invalid, a lot of mail servers will accept any email and afterwards bounce it. Benefits of NDR Management The procedure known as Non delivery report management is used to address NDRs as soon as they are discovered in order to ensure the success of subsequent deliveries. Nevertheless, there are many advantages to managing NDRs with a streamlined and reliable process that go far beyond preventing any failed saves. Your e-commerce company may improve the intricate details of each delivery experience as well as the overall shipping operations with the aid of a solid Non delivery report management system. Here are a few advantages that you will experience right away if you use cautious Non delivery report management strategies.  Reduce RTO% By Half One of the main causes of a high RTO% is a large number of NDR. This is a result of the fact that many NDR fail to result in successful deliveries and instead finish as RTO. Certain NDR have a better chance of being delivered effectively if communications are done correctly. You may significantly lower the amount of NDR transformed into RTO by using NDR management.  Reduce Fake Delivery Attempts It becomes simpler to trace bogus deliveries since NDR management necessitates the collection of copious amounts of data describing the reason for the unsuccessful delivery. You can start lowering the number of fictitious deliveries as soon as you can trace them reliably. Keep Customers Informed Although customers dislike any issues or delayed deliveries, they detest being kept in the dark even more. An effective NDR management process necessitates obtaining information from consumers. By doing this, you can make sure they are informed and also let them know that you are collaborating with them to fulfil their order. Customers may also be issued automatic re-attempt requests over WhatsApp, making the NDR reattempt process easier for businesses to manage and perhaps increasing the successful delivery rate. Improve Last Mile Delivery Operations Many mishaps and delivery exceptions can happen during last-mile delivery, which frequently has a negative influence on things like high RTO% and a bad customer experience. Through close observation of the chain of events leading up to non-delivery reports (NDRs), you may identify common problems and find solutions for other delivery-related problems in your last-mile operations.  Increase ECommerce Order Fulfillment This is arguably the greatest advantage that NDR management can provide to an e-commerce business. Maximal order fulfilment is ultimately the path to development and profitability. You may make sure that more orders are completed and delivered effectively by using NDR management. Your order fulfilment rates increase as a result.  What is NDR Status Code 5.7.1? 5.7.1 is most likely the second most frequent status code you would come across in a non-delivery report. However, unlike error code 5.1.1, this code doesn't have a single underlying reason. If you go back to Figure A, you will see a plain text description of the circumstance that caused the issue directly above the status code.  This paragraph is important to read when you are analysing a non-delivery report that has mistake 5.7.1 in it. NDR 5.7.1 Delivery Not AuthorizedThis error usually happens when someone tries to send a message to a distribution group that they are not allowed to use. Distribution lists are frequently set up such that the only people who are permitted to submit messages to the group are remembered.NDR 5.7.1 Unable to RelayThis specific error message suggests that the sender tried using a mail server to deliver a message to its intended recipient in an anonymous manner.NDR 5.7.1 Not AuthenticatedThis specific message means that delivery cannot occur until the sender's mail server has been authenticated with the receiving mail system.   NDR 5.1.4The status code suggests that the email address belongs to two distinct receivers.  The status code frequently indicates an Active Directory problem.NDR 5.2.2When a mailbox has a quota set by an administrator and that quota is achieved or exceeded, this happens.  In certain circumstances, you are unable to send the recipient additional messages until after part of their mailbox has been cleared.NDR 5.3.4The status code indicates that the transmitted message was larger than what the recipient's mailbox would allow.NDR 5.4.6This status code signifies the occurrence of a message loop.NDR 5.5.3This status code means there are too many receivers for the message.  This occurs when an outgoing message's To, CC, and BCC fields include an excessive number of recipients specified. How to reduce exposure to NDR spam  It is limited to what steps you can take to avoid NDR spam and backscatter on a network that you are in charge of. Switching off your catch-all mailboxes is one of the easier fixes. Your mail server will not accept non-delivery complaints for email addresses that do not exist on your mail server if this functionality is deactivated unless the spammer spoofs your email address.  However, if you are in charge of an email server that is producing NDR spam, it is advised that you set it up to reject emails during SMTP transmission as opposed to returning undeliverable bounce messages. Numerous email servers, including Microsoft Exchange, Postfix, Sendmail, and Qmail, have been updated with updates to reduce backscatter. To stop the NDR spam issue from growing worse, one may discover internet materials that explain how to set up these servers. Conclusion The term "NDR," or non delivery report, is used by the industry to describe delivery attempts that are unsuccessful and are created by the courier partner. The most recent Non delivery report format includes an issue description written in simple terms, as well as instructions on how to resolve it. A Non delivery report can be caused by a number of different things, but the most frequent ones are when the destination mailbox is full or the message's recipient is not known to exist. Increased openness and improved communication allow you to decrease RTO and Non delivery report orders promptly, preventing significant losses in the process.

August 18, 2023

Jiomart Order Fulfillment Excellence: Elevate your Operations with 6 Power-Packed Approaches

Jiomart Order Fulfillment Excellence: Elevate your Operations with 6 Power-Packed Approaches

JioMart, an online grocery shopping platform, handles and delivers customers' orders. When customers place orders at JioMart, groceries and other items are picked from the inventory, carefully packed, and delivered promptly to their doorsteps. JioMart aims to provide customers with a smooth and efficient shopping experience by ensuring that they receive their products accurately and on time. WareIQ's Jiomart order fulfillment platform simply interfaces with Jiomart to provide Jiomart vendors with end-to-end Jiomart order ecommerce fulfillment services. Use WareIQ's countrywide fulfillment and last-mile delivery network to deliver Jiomart orders the same or the following day. Outsourcing JioMart order Fulfillment to WareIQ 1. D2C Integration & Fast Order Fulfillment WareIQ's jiomart order fulfillment platform supports D2C and Marketplace fulfillment integration. In addition, WareIQ's team of fulfillment experts ensures fast order processing and fulfillment with zero errors, ensuring the right item is dispatched to the end customers as quickly as possible. 2. Smart Inventory Placement WareIQ uses smart inventory placement to arrange merchandise nearest to clients via a pan-India network of jiomart order fulfillment centres/warehouses, allowing for same-day/next-day delivery at a lower cost. 3. AI Inventory Planning WareIQ's inventory planning programme, which uses AI-based inventory optimisation, assists companies in ensuring that high-selling SKUs are constantly in stock to minimise sales loss. 4. Advanced Returns Processing WareIQ's cutting-edge returns processing facilities are outfitted with a camera and scan-based equipment, as well as a platform that actively tracks the same for visibility. The team uses an in-house returns QC app which enables HD image and video capture of the condition of returned items during returns QC, and stores it in our smart fulfillment platform, from where it can easily be retrieved for filing claims on marketplace for damaged or fake returned goods. 5. SKU Optimization WareIQ's AI-based inventory planning programme assists companies in quickly identifying slower-moving SKUs so that they may begin liquidating the space and free up working capital, while also enhancing sales by making room for higher-selling SKUs. Also read how to sell on myntra. Benefits of Outsourcing Order Fulfillment Outsourcing order fulfillment offers several advantages that go beyond merely not having to undertake the task. To run a successful business, you must satisfy your consumers' requirements and expectations. Those expectations are high in terms of fulfillment. Delayed, missing, or inaccurate shipments are all definite ways to alienate your consumers, which is why order fulfillment is so vital. To assist you to comprehend the benefits, below is a list of the top eight reasons to outsource order fulfillment. 1. Time & Resource Savings The biggest advantage of outsourcing fulfillment is that you no longer want to do it. The time wasted printing labels and taping boxes may be put back into your company. While order fulfillment is easier for small enterprises, it gets increasingly difficult and resource-intensive as the company grows. As orders come in from different sales channels (in-store, internet, sales events), you may find yourself lacking time for other aspects of your job. However, you may delegate the heavy labour to a third-party logistics partner and focus your efforts on more significant tasks like as design, marketing, and sales.  2. Cost Efficiency Many people will avoid outsourcing jiomart order  fulfillment because they perceive it as an additional cost. However, third-party logistics providers may save you money in a variety of areas, including shipping. To begin with, a fulfillment partner may have warehouses across the country and even internationally. They guarantee that your items are closer to your buyers by balancing your inventory among this network of warehouses. This method of inventory distribution can cut shipping expenses by 25%. Furthermore, as high-volume shippers, third-party logistics businesses frequently enjoy preferential carrier prices. While it varies per firm, you may often save 15% to 35% off listed shipping charges. Fulfillment companies also have software that allows them to compare shipping prices from numerous carriers and choose the most cost-effective pricing for their customers. 3. Faster Delivery Times The consequence of having many warehouses spread out throughout the country extends to shipment times. Outsourcing fulfillment helps you to provide speedier delivery by locating goods closer to your buyers. This is a huge benefit for retail enterprises. A staggering 67% of US shoppers want their purchases to arrive in two days or less. You may need a strong fulfillment partner to satisfy those high expectations and compete with the country's largest chain shops. 4. Delivery Transparency According to one study, shoppers are more inclined to purchase if delivery times are displayed in their shopping carts. Transparency also works in reverse. If there is a lack of delivery transparency, 47% of purchasers would avoid reordering from a company. Outsourcing your fulfillment allows you to give correct delivery information at the time of purchase. A busy day at the store, a snowfall, or your car breaking down can all have an influence on your ability to meet a delivery commitment when you self-fulfill. However, your fulfilling partner should be steadfast. They have the knowledge, manpower, and backup plans to offer correct shipment information and deliver on schedule all year.   5. Inventory Storage Costs While outsourcing fulfillment is expensive, so is self-fulfillment. Only a portion of the time is spent on packaging and shipping. Retailers frequently overlook inventory storage in their fulfillment costing calculations, despite the fact that it accounts for 21% of logistics expenses. If you have to rent warehouse space, your costs might increase. 6. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction It may seem apparent in retrospect, but it bears repeating. Shipping that is faster and less expensive, with precise delivery information, a worldwide reach, and more time spent on marketing and sales results in more happy customers. This is the ultimate aim of your company, and outsourcing fulfillment may greatly assist you in achieving it. How Does WareIQ Fulfill Orders For Jiomart Sellers? WareIQ's centralised platform for jiomart order fulfillment operations, inventory management, and warehouse management connects seamlessly with Jiomart's online marketplace. When a consumer puts an order on Jiomart's marketplace, the order information is instantly sent to WareIQ's smart fulfillment platform where the order is allocated to inventory in real-time with no data sync delays.Our warehouse operations team utilizes this information to pick and pack SKUs from racks and pallets, and logs all these actions using scan-based hand-held devices to ensure zero errors during fulfillment operations.Our smart fulfillment platform also enables our team of operations experts to print labels and invoices directly.Once the item is packed and ready for dispatch, it is placed in the dispatch bay or outbound zone for the last mile/courier partner to pick. Why Utilize WareIQ Fulfillment Services? 1. Easy Integration For Efficient Order Management WareIQ’s fulfillment platform allows easy integration with the order channel of your preference - D2C, Marketplaces and B2B platforms. Get all order details on a single platform and enable impactful business insights and actions for efficient order management across platforms. 2. Pan-India Fulfillment Network Leverage our network of fulfillment networks across tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 cities to store inventory closest to customers and enable faster deliveries. 3. High Stock Availability & Faster Deliveries With AI-led Inventory Management Identify the right SKU to place at the right location in the right amount using our AI-enabled inventory management solution to maximize product availability, sales and profitability, and minimize delivery time and cost. 4. Smart Inventory Audit For Zero Inventory Discrepancy Our team of experts employs daily inventory counts using scan-based devices to ensure zero discrepancies in inventory count with no operational downtime. Inventory audit reports are generated every quarter for operations quality assurance purpose. 5. Seamless Returns & Exchanges WareIQ’s state-of-the art returns processing warehousing facilities, enabled with camera and scan-based devices, is connected to our smart tech platformactively that tracks the same real-time ensuring high user visibility. 6. Dedicated Client Enablement & Support Our team provides dedicated support to all clients regarding technical onboarding, APOB/PPOB, GST Registration, Marketplace Special Program onboarding, transparent biilling & invoicing, NDR management etc. Conclusion WareIQ's Jiomart order fulfillment platform simply interfaces with Jiomart to provide Jiomart vendors with end-to-end Jiomart order fulfillment services. WareIQ's jiomart order fulfillment platform supports D2C and Marketplace integration.WareIQ uses smart inventory placement to arrange merchandise nearest to clients via a pan-India network of jiomart order fulfillment centres/warehouses, allowing for same-day/next-day delivery at a lower cost. WareIQ's centralised platform for jiomart order fulfillment operations, inventory management, and last-mile delivery connects seamlessly with Jiomart's online marketplace. When a consumer puts an order on Jiomart's marketplace, the order information is instantly sent to WareIQ's centralised jiomart order fulfillment infrastructure.

August 17, 2023

Elevate Your Enterprise: Unleash the Dynamic Top 10 Benefits of Mastery in Inventory Management

Elevate Your Enterprise: Unleash the Dynamic Top 10 Benefits of Mastery in Inventory Management

Inventory management is critical to the smooth operation of a warehouse and a business as a whole. It guarantees that a suitable inventory input and outflow is maintained, ensuring that the warehouse is appropriately stocked. It assists warehouse management in making better decisions to handle stock, manage storage space, minimise overspending, and save costs through optimal capital utilisation. The benefits of Inventory Management System address the larger aspect of managing and maintaining stock, timely availability of items, and suitable amount, as well as forecasting future demand.  What does the Inventory Management System do? Inventory Management, as opposed to the Inventory Control Management system, gathers information to estimate product requirements. Furthermore, the inventory is stored in accordance with the Just-in-Time philosophy. Thus, to minimise overstocking and boost the company's efficiency.Inventory management simplifies warehouse and corporate operations. It guarantees that the warehouse has enough supplies and that the products are used efficiently. It decides which product to purchase and when to order it, as well as the best vendor and the most affordable pricing. To effectively calculate inventory, complete information is necessary. Thus, the inventory flow and orders are documented using the warehouse management system.Furthermore, automation reduces the need for physical labour. Furthermore, product information may be easily entered into the system. Amazon and Nike both have excellent warehouse automation systems. Amazon has one of the largest storage facilities and is completely automated. They employ a warehouse management system to track incoming and existing merchandise as well as each item that is stocked. Nike has also automated its software and hardware with its 2 million square foot distribution operation to check inventory. Inventory Management, as previously discussed, has a greater scope. This allows you to effortlessly link all of your markets with a single point of contact. Furthermore, with all channels connected, you can quickly edit the inventory, and the changes will be reflected across all channels. Top 10 Benefits of Inventory Management Inventory Control Benefits With good inventory management, you know what's in stock and just order what you need to satisfy demand. This one of the benefits of Inventory management keeps track of what's in stock and what's on backorder, preventing overselling. Cost Savings with Efficient Inventory Management Stock is expensive until it is sold. Storage, handling, transportation fees, insurance, and personnel pay are all part of the carrying expenses. Inventory is also vulnerable to theft, natural catastrophe loss, and obsolescence. Better planning and management enable a company to reduce the number of days an item is out of stock, if any, and avoid keeping too much inventory.  Data-Driven Insights  This is one of the benefits of Inventory management and stock control that can allow you to readily identify sales patterns and track recalled items or expiry dates. One of the benefits of Inventory management is that it also offers information on which items sell and in what quantities. Use that information as a bargaining chip with vendors to get better rates and conditions. Increased Inventory Turnover for Higher Profits Other benefits of inventory management systems is that they free up time that could be spent on other things. Better awareness of both availability and demand results in increased inventory turnover, which results in higher earnings. Efficient Warehouse Organization for Faster Fulfillment A well-organized warehouse with things organised according to demand, which items are frequently sold together, and other variables minimises manpower costs and speeds up order fulfilment. Customers who receive their orders on time become more loyal. Real-Time Inventory Visibility Establishing real-time links between inventory storage sites (warehouses) and inventory selling locations (sales channels) not only allows you to know what inventory is present in warehouses but also informs you what inventory is available for sale. Real-time inventory visibility is critical to overcoming other inventory problems. Optimal Inventory Levels through Business Intelligence Having proper inventory levels in place is the greatest method to avoid distressed inventory or overselling. Business intelligence is useful. It allows you to calculate appropriate inventory levels for each product based on facts like previous sales and current sales trends. It decreases safety stock, saves missed sales, and reduces inventory management expenses and time. Providing Customers with Delivery Information Customers want to know that the goods they are about to purchase will arrive in a timely manner or that it is available for pick-up at a local location. Giving customers information about delivery timelines and store availability provides them with a sense of control, the potential to save money on shipping, and the opportunity to ask staff face-to-face questions about the product, which ultimately increases sales. Proactive Supply Chain Management A full picture of inventory is provided by an inventory management system, which allows you to track every item's position and movement using real-time data. With this knowledge, you may spot any emerging supply chain concerns and fix them as soon as possible.  Minimising Errors Using an inventory management system can help you decrease mistakes and inconsistencies in your records and orders. Spreadsheets and other manual inventory management techniques are prone to human mistakes and are difficult to update. Without current information, you will have erroneous inventory counts, which will result in excess inventory or stockouts. Importance of Inventory Management The Inventory Control Management System assists you in locating your goods and locating them in the warehouse. You are aware of the specific location of the product, its size, number, and remaining inventory through accountability. This expedites your procedure, saves time, and allows you to create a choice list as soon as possible. As a result, when you have over 1000 goods to choose from in your warehouse, the Inventory Control Management system will assist you in organising your job. Because the firm produces several sales throughout the day, it is critical to keep track of and monitor the completion of all orders. Also, the orders that are shipped are correct and get to the correct customer. In addition, if a product is returned, Inventory Control Management records and feeds data for all incoming and existing items. As a result, the Inventory Control Management System tracks and records all product movements.  Overloading your warehouse is usually a terrible idea. As a result, you have both deadstock and an unorganised warehouse. This makes efficient space management extremely challenging. Many businesses struggle to adequately supply their warehouses and wind up extremely tired when it comes time to place a fresh order. The Inventory Control Management System makes it easy to analyse current stock levels and arrange orders accordingly. In other words, it reduces the likelihood of overstocking and understocking. This reduces investment expenses and keeps funds flowing because of real-time updates. Inventory counts that are accurate aid in warehouse management. In other words, by decreasing overstocking, the warehouse may be used more efficiently. 

August 16, 2023

5 Causes of Back-Ordering: Powerful Guide How to Tackle

5 Causes of Back-Ordering: Powerful Guide How to Tackle

Backorders which we refer to as a supply are the retailer's unmet portion of the order is backordered at the supplier. Because the supply backorder is the outcome of the supplier's insufficient supply service, the retailer has the choice (a moral right) to select how far he wants the supplier to refill the backordered supply. Depending on the current demand, the store can decide whether to partially refill the backordered supplies or to completely cancel the replenishment.  As a result, the store must make two selections each time. Aside from the ordinary ordering decision to the supplier, he must decide on the extent of the replacement of the previous period's backordered goods. We presume that the replenishment of the backordered supply is guaranteed, which means that it will be supplied in full the next time.  The circumstance that would result in such supply conditions for the store is one in which a supplier prioritises satisfying backorders from earlier periods, which is a regular occurrence in practice. It is therefore realistic to suppose that this would frequently have no effect on the usual capacity available to cover the retailer's order in the next week. A backorder enables your clients to place orders with you that you are unable to satisfy at the time. Due to a lack of inventory caused by the company's procurement method or the products that must be made, the order cannot be fulfilled. Consider it an order backlog. A high number of backorders indicates that demand for the items is greater than availability. A larger quantity of backorders also leads to lengthy delays before the goods are delivered to the consumer. A high number of backorders suggests that an item is popular. Causes of Backorders Backorders are common in supply chain management and frequently caused by one or more of the following scenarios: 1. High Demand and Limited Supply Backorders arise when the demand for a product exceeds the supply available. Businesses should be aware of industry trends and consumer demand in order to effectively predict the necessary inventory and avoid backorders. 2. Human Error Risks in Inventory Control Human mistakes in inventory management might also result in backordered items. Staff, for example, may be unaware of discontinued inventory or out-of-stock goods. This is why it's critical to periodically evaluate your inventory and ensure that backorder expectations are properly defined between your supplier and your consumer base. 3. Responding to Unexpected Customer Behavior Backorders can also be caused by unexpected changes in customer orders, behaviour, and demand patterns. Businesses must constantly analyse the market and their customers' orders to ensure that their backorder expectations stay current. 4. Poor communication  Poor communication between the two parties might also lead to backorders. It is critical to convey clear backorder expectations so that your consumer understands what to anticipate and when their goods should arrive. 5. Dealing with Backorder Shipping Delays Finally, backorders occur when there is a shipment time delay due to unforeseen circumstances. Businesses should give clients realistic shipment schedules and keep them updated on any delays or modifications. Back order rate The backorder rate is the percentage of total orders put on backorder for a certain time period. This shows how successfully you anticipate, replace, and track inventories.  A high back order rate could stem from:  Not buying the right amount of inventory. Not re-ordering at the right time. Not syncing and tracking multichannel inventory efficiently enough.  However, it should be noted that this does not account for sales that may have been lost due to poor inventory management. You might still have a 0% backorder rate while losing revenue due to needing to designate online shop goods as 'pre-sale' or 'out-of-stock'.  Why accept backorders? You should accept orders even if you don't have the necessary inventory. It's a little tough, but if the product is good, people will wait and return. Many current eCommerce sites offer things for 'preorder' while they are still being manufactured. As we'll see later, there are several advantages to processing backorders. Backordering is a prevalent practice in manufacturing firms that operate on a make-to-order basis as well as those that handle just-in-time inventory.Inventory management is also put to the test by how a firm manages backorders. There are few orders in the backlog, and turnaround times are low. On the other side, a large number of backorders in the queue and extended client wait times indicate that your inventory management is inefficient. How Do Backordered Items Impact Warehouse Operations? Stockouts may have a significant influence on your day-to-day operations if you work in a warehouse. Depending on the number of backorders: Additional staff must be scheduled to process inbound cargo, which incurs additional expenditures.Cross-docking is required because storing shipments already on their route to delivery is inefficient. Furthermore, outbound shipments will need to be expedited, raising your expenditures even higher. Compromise your connection with major merchants such as Walmart and Amazon. If your warehouse consistently fails to keep things in stock, your profitable partners will seek more dependable vendors, costing you sales. How To Limit the Bullwhip Effect When Fulfilling Backorders When backorders arise, you want to minimise the disruption to your supply chain while preserving customer satisfaction. In other words, you want to reduce the impact of the bullwhip effect. Encourage the following habits and best practices to do this: Maintain open lines of communication with your upstream and downstream partners. When supply chain partners make assumptions about the demands of a downstream partner, they frequently overestimate or underestimate demand. Open channels of communication regarding your company can aid in the avoidance of inflated or deflated orders.  Encourage your downstream partners to exchange inventory information. The researchers discovered that having access to a downstream partner's inventory position reduces the bullwhip effect. In other words, when a retailer discusses how much inventory they have with their wholesaler or a distributor discloses how much stock they have with their manufacturer, the order volume variance diminishes. Explain the bullwhip impact to your supply chain partners. Simply educating your supply chain partners on the bullwhip impact is a straightforward method to make changes. Your partners may need to alter their attitude towards sharing inventory data, so raising awareness of these supply chain patterns might be a good place to start.  Your capacity to restrict the bullwhip impact is determined by your level of visibility and control over your supply chain. A small to medium-sized firm, for example, may only have access to its closest upstream partner (its wholesaler).  Similarly, a wholesaler may have just access to its immediate upstream partner (its distributor) and its immediate downstream partner (its retailer). As a result, even if they are dedicated to following supply chain best practices, they may not be able to persuade others in the supply chain to do the same.  Working with your immediate partners, on the other hand, may motivate those firms to engage with their partners, eventually bringing best practices across your whole supply chain. How To Set Your Warehouse Up For Success by Limiting Backorders Improve the efficiency of your warehouse management system. If your present WMS is unable to keep up with your company's growth, consider upgrading to a system that makes it easier to identify units inside your warehouse.Reduce the amount of time spent on manual data consolidation. If your inventory management system does not automatically extract data from several sources (for example, point-of-sale systems or a second warehouse) to provide a "single source of truth," it is time to modernise. Manually gathering data from several sources and integrating it into a single master spreadsheet is not a sustainable method.Properly teach your warehouse employees. If your warehouse employees are unfamiliar with your facility or don't know how to utilise your WMS, you'll meet a lot of preventable human mistakes. Invest in good onboarding and training. Limit Backorders by Increasing Data Sharing and Communication Along Your Supply Chain Backorders are inconvenient, but they may be avoided. While some backorders indicate that your items and brand are popular, too many might result in dissatisfied consumers and decreased customer loyalty. To keep your clients pleased and prevent missing out on sales possibilities, use data-driven strategies and open communication with supply chain partners. Conclusion A backorder enables your clients to place orders with you that you are unable to satisfy at the time. A larger quantity of backorders also leads to lengthy delays before the goods are delivered to the consumer. A high number of backorders suggests that an item is popular. Backorders arise when the demand for a product exceeds the supply available. Businesses should be aware of industry trends and consumer demand in order to effectively predict the necessary inventory and avoid backorders. Poor communication between the two parties might also lead to backorders. It is critical to convey clear backorder expectations so that your consumer understands what to anticipate and when their goods should arrive.

August 14, 2023

Cosmetics & Beauty Fulfillment: 7 key takeaways for D2C Brands

Cosmetics & Beauty Fulfillment: 7 key takeaways for D2C Brands

The development of e-commerce is a beautiful thing. It's now simpler than ever to reach large audiences and boost online sales thanks to social media. Online sales of cosmetics are anticipated to continue their upward trend in the coming years due to the growing purchasing power of millennials and the move towards social media influencer marketing. Retailers of cosmetics that want to expand their online company need to provide an engaging digital shopping environment.  How can merchants preserve profitability while guaranteeing a stunning experience from the internet to the doorstep? This blog discusses the particular difficulties that beauty fulfillment businesses have while fulfilling online orders and offers solutions to help them get beyond these barriers in order to boost sales and client loyalty. Inventory Management Reevaluating current inventory management, product handling, and storage techniques is the first step in order beauty fulfillment optimisation. The more goods your online beauty and personal care company sells, the more SKUs you will need to keep track of. Ineffective inventory holding of SKUs with low sales is reduced by good inventory management. This is crucial when working with several SKUs. Recall that your margin decreases with the amount of time an item spends sitting in a warehouse. With most cosmetics and personal care goods being small, your warehouse space should be set up to best store and retrieve little things. Organise your storage space so that you can see every SKU with ease, and include shelves that make it easier to get little goods. YearRevenue ($bn)Revenue Growth2016294.51.8%2017301.72.8%2018312.73.7%2019323.73.5%2020335.63.6%2021344.42.6% Table: GLOBAL COSMETICS MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY REVENUE Source: IBISWorld2016  Maximizing Efficiency through Kitting In addition to reducing beauty fulfillment time and improving customer happiness and retention, kitting may assist boost efficiency and order accuracy. Check to see whether any of your individual product offerings may be packaged by your manufacturer as a kit with a special kit SKU. You may package and sell items as gift sets on your website if they match nicely and are frequently requested in pairs. In addition to improving productivity and order accuracy, this can boost sales by recommending the purchase of a set as opposed to a single item. Preparing the products in advance speeds up order processing and guarantees that promotional inserts aren't overlooked while packing orders, especially when running promotions like "buy one, get one" or "free sample with purchase." Kitting comparable goods at production might save a lot of time for subscription beauty boxes. When assembling products that come from different manufacturers, kitting them at the receiving point instead of choosing them helps guarantee precision and uniformity. Items & Accessories9%Oral Hygiene1%Perfumes10%Makeup Products13%Skin Care25%Hair Products42% Source: Venera Packing It is noteworthy to acknowledge the enchantment of the "unboxing" encounter. User evaluations of the unpacking process may be found in more than 16 million YouTube videos (and counting). A little imagination combined with tasteful packaging may result in a memorable unpacking experience that boosts client happiness and loyalty. Custom packaging is a unique chance for beauty fulfillment firms to set themselves apart. Create a packaging approach that will increase sales. Tissue paper and filler, gift wrapping, handwritten messages, samples, and stickers are examples of packaging upgrades. These enhancements to an otherwise conventional packaging process can raise the order's perceived value and improve the unboxing experience. But be aware of the additional expenses linked to improved packaging. Select the components that are essential to your brand and those that may be omitted.Compare the price of labour and materials to the value of adding further packing elements, then cut out any extraneous items.   Shipping The ultimate choice to buy made by an online shopper is greatly influenced by shipping prices and delivery schedules. In the eyes of 89% of consumers, quick shipment is two days or less! Orders sent in the US can be delivered in two days without incurring the costly fees associated with expedited delivery. Orders can be processed and dispatched out of central warehouses, west coast warehouses, and east coast warehouses near your final consumer. Your shipping costs and the time it takes for your consumer to get their product will go down if the overall distance traversed is down. Remember that a little bit of negotiating goes a long way! Particular carriers provide lower shipping costs to established merchants that consistently generate a particular amount of business. By taking advantage of years' worth of high-volume, everyday shipments, big beauty fulfillment companies are able to provide their customers with lower delivery prices. Even while smaller retailers might only offer modest discounts, even little savings add up! Safety Training Compliance Did you know that the US Department of Transportation may classify everyday cosmetics and personal hygiene products as hazardous materials? Liquids, glass, combustible objects, and dangerous commodities have different carrier requirements, and incorrect packing and labelling may incur fines. Examine if additional marking for hazardous materials shipment is necessary for items like nail paint or hairspray that could have chemical qualities. When handling hazardous goods, employees need to be properly trained in safety procedures and adhere to DOT, EPA, and OSHA labelling and packaging rules. Certain carriers may be subject to shipping limitations for hazardous items, in addition to labelling regulations. Certain things are completely forbidden, while others can only be shipped by land transportation! If you are unclear about limitations on particular items, consult an expert to prevent errors and fines. Customer Satisfaction In the beauty fulfillment industry, client happiness is influenced by factors other than the first pre-purchase encounter. There is no longer any space for mistakes or unmet client expectations in the expanding beauty fulfillment sector due to fierce competition. Online merchants need to improve the post-purchase customer experience—order processing speed, order correctness, shipment speed, and hassle-free returns—in order to stay competitive and attract repeat business. Recurring business is encouraged and client connections are strengthened when consumers are kept informed about the status of their orders throughout the beauty fulfillment process. Don't pass up this chance to cultivate a loyal client base. After making a purchase, customers anticipate updates and are more likely to check their email correspondence from your company at this time. Take advantage of this by mentioning impending sales in emails about order status to entice them to come back. Client loyalty is largely dependent on the post-purchase customer experience. Providing a satisfying experience to customers at the end of the sales process results in satisfied clients and profitable sales.  Return Policy It may seem counterintuitive to give simple returns, yet doing so is crucial to establishing confidence. Even though not every item may be returned, those can be made as simple as possible.Easy returns that provide peace of mind might persuade a buyer who isn't sure about buying a new product. A strict or ambiguous return policy could discourage people from trying new items. To set expectations for returns processes and processing timeframes up front, include a clear returns policy on your website. After a consumer initiates a return, make sure you keep them informed of developments. A satisfied consumer may carry that impression with them for the rest of their life. Freight Efficiency Out of all the onerous expenditures that eCommerce sellers encounter ecommerce fulfillment, 50% are related to transportation. Optimising freight is a crucial stage in beauty fulfillment orders, whether you are shipping big quantities of goods to a physical store or importing inventory from your manufacturer into your warehouse. Employ a seasoned freight broker; there are no up-front expenses. A seasoned freight broker with solid relationships may access pricing that the typical store is unable to match. This is a fantastic chance to cut costs! Managing several domestic and international freight shipments takes time and difficulties, which is something a freight broker may help you avoid in addition to cost savings.Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments and sophisticated scheduling can help you save even more money on freight shipments. Planning beforehand prevents the dramatically increased expenses associated with faster service. With careful freight planning, advanced planning enables retailers to take advantage of the shared LTL shipping option and only pay for the actual space utilised. Conclusion To stay competitive in the quickly developing eCommerce beauty sector, fast-growing online cosmetics and beauty fulfillment seize every opportunity. Retailers may raise their share of sales by optimising beauty fulfillment to improve customer experience and loyalty. Also read about flipkart fulfillment. With the correct shipping and beauty fulfillment plan, the particular challenges of satisfying beauty items may be solved, dazzling consumers and increasing profitability. Focusing on certain aspects of the beauty fulfillment of marketplace process can help to optimise opeffrations and provide a great client experience.

August 12, 2023

The Importance of Shipping Barcodes: Streamlining Your Supply Chain

The Importance of Shipping Barcodes: Streamlining Your Supply Chain

Barcoding may significantly improve systems by being used throughout production facilities and distribution operations as more businesses use enterprise-wide software to streamline processes and cut costs. The most popular, economical, and efficient instrument for giving reliable data to business systems continues to be barcodes.  Data entry via a keypad or, worse even, keeping records manually with pencil and paper is much inferior to scanning a shipping barcodes, which gives data accuracy of better than 99.9%. Inadvertent transcribing mistakes on the floor can have a significant impact later on in inventory, planning, and customer order tracking systems for businesses using ERP systems, which reuse the same data for several applications. Barcodes and barcode scanners have evolved into indispensable instruments in the modern, globalised economy since they were first used in supermarkets in the 1970s. Shipping Barcodes are employed in many different sectors to increase data accuracy and streamline processes; they are no longer just used in supplier warehouses and on retail shelves. Given their continuous significance, it's beneficial for developers to bear the main advantages of shipping barcodes in mind while they create software that could use them. Barcode Placements Key Considerations Retail Operations  The retail industry makes the most extensive use of shipping barcode technology. Every retail institution has to be able to monitor items from the producer through every reseller and distributor to the client who ultimately purchases the product. Clothing retailers need to understand where, what kinds of, and to whom their garments are sold in the market. Grocery businesses need to know which products are the most popular and how quickly perishable items are being purchased. These occurrences can be easily recorded thanks to barcoding.  Receiving & Shipping Operations  To move goods swiftly and effectively from one transit hub to another, shipping businesses rely on barcoding. Today, shipping barcodes are often attached to every package going through the mail to facilitate tracking. Delivery firms like UPS wouldn't be able to process the enormous volume of parcels that pass through their systems every day without barcoding. Manufacturing Operations  Barcoding is increasingly used in industrial processes. In order to trace the development of the product and offer instructions for assembly and storage, many manufacturers use barcoding during the production cycle. Barcodes (which are often seen on product bins) in conveyor systems show the precise path a product must go along the conveyor path in order to get the necessary parts. Many of these shipping barcodes are still utilised as work tickets beyond the production cycle, which helps to enhance customer service and quality control. The product's original characteristics and maintenance history are guaranteed by the information on the label, which may help with resale and raise the item's initial worth.  Asset Management  Internal asset tracking is important for many businesses. Barcoding is the simplest way to track this process, whether it is employed in a tool shed where management must ensure that all tools purchased for the firm remain with the company or is used to manage taxation connected to the depreciation of office assets.For many businesses, capital assets including computers, office furniture, machinery, tools, and appliances must be barcoded and monitored in order to perform security management activities. This enables the business to keep track of when objects have been moved, maintained, or tracked and what software has been installed on which machine. Office managers responsible for the acquisition and upkeep of a company's assets may find this kind of information to be quite helpful.  When to use a Shipping Barcode?  How can you tell if your firm should barcode as barcoding becomes more and more prevalent in business? Let's bust some misconceptions first.  An Auto ID (Automatic Identification; barcoding) system will often pay for itself in two years, according to several industry salesmen. This generalisation is sweeping. The accurate and complete execution of that system will determine the extent of advantages realised from shipping barcodes usage. General results should be visible right away if shipping barcodes are applied to all relevant items in a given environment (such as those used in warehousing, shipping and receiving, or accounting) if the right scanners are available and in use, and if staff members are adequately trained in the use and advantages of the system. Barcodes applied to merchandise to save staff from manually entering each product's price or serial number should significantly save input time. Labour costs will decrease as a result of this. Improved customer service and supplier response times, capital and inventory management, space management, and equipment expenses are all areas where Auto ID immediately saves money.  How to print shipping barcodes? Ink Jet Printing  Inkjet printing, while it is the least cheap method of printing barcodes, is unsuitable for the majority of applications. Inks for inkjet printers are typically water-based. As a result, when exposed to water, the barcode might streak, run, or blur. Even non-soluble inks are not advised for the creation of barcodes. This kind of ink creates a sheen that obstructs the barcode scanner's utilisation of reflecting light to read the code. These printers cannot accurately replicate a barcode and are too sluggish for the majority of applications.   Dot Matrix Printing  Dot matrix printing, which involves using a hammer or pin to press pigment from a ribbon into the substrate, is essentially useless for barcoding. The printing technology's poor resolution and imprecise dot positioning account for the majority of the problem.  Laser Printing  Laser printing may be used to print shipping barcodes in tiny batches, but only if it is well monitored. Despite having several disadvantages, laser printing produces prints of high quality. Only one sheet of labels can be printed at a time on a laser printer, which is inefficient and wasteful. In addition, toner might smear and flake off. Laser printers are not particularly durable and cannot be utilised for high-volume printing. Additionally, sheet labels are typically difficult to detach.  Thermal Transfer Printing  A heated printhead is used by thermal transfer printers to imprint an image on a label. Thermal transfer printing is renowned for producing sharp, frequently glossy pictures and shipping barcodes utilising a thin ribbon roll that melts onto the label of the desired image when heated by the printhead. The thermal transfer technique produces the most lasting printed labels because, when combined with the right media, it is not only resistant to heat and moisture but also prevents the image from being removed by rubbing.  Barcoding benefits 1. Data Accuracy The most crucial resource for every firm is accurate data. Precise data delivers accurate reporting on every business operation function and enables more precise projections of demand and process trends. The main advantage of barcoding is the precision of the data.  2. Efficiency Users may also operate more quickly thanks to barcoding. Using a shipping barcode scanner speeds up data entry. Additionally, it eliminates the need to fix data input mistakes, a pricey side effect of human data entry. When procedures can be automated with barcodes, true efficiency is achieved. If an inventory is scanned as it is unloaded, a shipping/receiving dock does not need a specific employee for counting just-arrived stock.  By strategically placing barcodes on product bins, conveyor systems may effectively transport items to their intended location. When each register is outfitted with a scanner that can swiftly and precisely scan shipping barcoded merchandise, stores do not require as many Cashiers to service customers. 3. Consistency Companies are placing increased emphasis on consistency, both in the kind of items they produce or sell and in the way they distribute those products to other producers and sellers. Large businesses want their suppliers to deliver goods quickly and effectively. They achieve this by requiring that certain standard guidelines for the use of shipping barcodes be followed by all the businesses they do business with.  Labelling for compliance refers to this. Reliable consistency is created by ensuring that these vendors use a specific type of barcode that is positioned in a specific manner on the package. This enables each organisation to understand what each of the several barcodes on the packaging stands for. Additionally, it enables businesses to display scanners that can only read a specific kind of barcode. This enables just the appropriate business to read the appropriate barcode from the appropriate goods.  Conclusion Barcoding may significantly improve systems by being used throughout production facilities and distribution operations as more businesses use enterprise-wide software to streamline processes and cut costs. Barcodes and barcode scanners have evolved into indispensable instruments in the modern, globalised economy since they were first used in supermarkets in the 1970s. The main advantage of barcoding is the precision of the data. Users may also operate more quickly thanks to barcoding. Using a barcode scanner speeds up data entering. When procedures can be automated with barcodes, true efficiency is achieved.

August 11, 2023