In mass markets, companies win the battle for customers by providing positive customer experiences. Business can use marketing tools to study the needs and desires of customers.
The information collected is used to create and promote products. The next step includes sales and service. In stationary stores, interior design, music, aromas, merchandising, and friendly staff help make buying pleasant. E-commerce companies aim to build positive customer experiences in other ways. For example, through efficient fulfillment.
American online commerce giant popularized the term “fulfillment.” The company started out selling books. Today it is a marketplace that has introduced a number of innovative logistics solutions. The basis of these improvements has been the optimization of warehouse operations.
Fulfillment is one element of an overall order execution business process. Fulfillment heavily involves storage services. Key aspects of online business include delivery of goods from the manufacturer’s warehouse to the transit warehouse, order processing, packaging, labeling; and delivery to the buyer. Customer satisfaction levels depend on the quality of execution.
E-commerce clients are individuals and small businesses. Fulfillment services have two primary models: B2B and B2C. Differences arise at the “last mile” stage of delivery to the final consumer. In B2B, cargo is delivered to a customer’s warehouse, production site, or retail outlet. In B2C, orders are delivered directly to the buyer or drop-off points. The B2C model also accounts for work around return deliveries.
As a rule, medium-sized e-commerce companies rely on the services of fulfillment centers. Small businesses typically do not have a stable flow of orders and sales volumes. E- commerce start-ups often aim to cope on their own. For large companies it is more profitable to maintain their own storage spaces. Fulfillment centers are the best solution for medium-sized businesses for whom it is no longer possible to pack at home on the couch and renting a warehouse on an ongoing basis is not yet cost-effective.
“We’re proud to have e-commerce companies among our clients. This sector knows no bounds. Young and ambitious online retailers are developing dynamically and are looking for reliable logistics partners. As an international transport and logistics service provider, we help our partners launch new projects and enter new markets,” says Karol Baranczuk, Deputy COO for Partial Loads and Air Freight at AsstrA.
AsstrA provides hassle-free deliveries to B2B and B2C businesses; physical retail outlets and online stores. The company offers warehouse services and multiple transport mode options to help ensure that customers receive their orders promptly. Delivery speed plays a key role in customer satisfaction.