Changing Customer Expectations And eCommerce Inventory
Customer Expectations Are Changing
Customer expectations for shipping are changing. The race to the bottom for free shipping has already been won by many businesses but shipping is evolving from two-day shipping to one-day shipping or even same-day shipping. This is important when it comes to determining where an eCommerce business stores its inventory.
Strategic Locations
It is vital when selecting a 3PL to find a fulfillment center with a strategic location in order to meet changing customer expectations. This means it is necessary to team up with marketing in order to understand who is buying their product. This will help determine the locations with the highest level of customer demand and where to penetrate new markets. This will also help determine how many fulfillment centers are necessary in order to reach customers in a timely manner.
Inventory Management Is Key
Along with that, it is important to select a shipping and fulfillment center that has a robust inventory management system to meet customer demands and optimize your supply chain. By selecting a fulfillment center with a fully optimized inventory management system, it will make it easier to transition into the faster shipping model by having the ability to drill down on what items need to have a shorter amount of shipping time. This will cut costs if an eCommerce company truly understands what high demand items need to have shorter shipping times.
If you are looking to meet and exceed customer shipping expectations, give us a call to chat about our strategic locations across the East Coast and our foreign trade zone just minutes away from Ontario, Canada. We can be reached at (813) 264-4723.