A Step by Step Guide to The Ecommerce Order Management Process

Do you know that the fastest-growing eCommerce market in the world is China? According to Statista, e-retail sales will grow and reach 22% of all retail sales worldwide in 2023.

The e-commerce industry continues to grow at a swift pace despite economic uncertainty. Considering the speed at which the e-commerce industry is expanding, retailers, vendors, and business owners are acquiring order management software to enhance productivity, accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency. The lifecycle of order management is designed to provide an enhanced customer experience. An order management system strives to fulfill customer demands from the initial stages of order placement to the stage when the product is delivered at the customer's doorstep. An order management system is a digital way to manage and maintain the lifecycle of an order.

Following are the steps to follow during the e-commerce order management process.

1. Discovery

The process of order management initiates even before the customer places its sales order. The order management system notes when the customer places the item in their online cart to place an order. After that, OMS adjusts inventory automatically using material handling technology. Also, the system sends notifications about the item. For example, the product is in the cart, the product has been delivered successfully, etc.

2. Order Placement

Businesses strive more than a lot to attain the attention of their target audience. The order management system communicates with the back office system for the verification of credit card payments and order details when a customer decides to purchase his favorite item from the website. After that, the order can be routed to fulfillment once the order has been approved.

3. Order Fulfillment

In this stage, the order management system will optimize warehouse selection by its proximity to the order destination based on order details. The automated material handling technology calculates shipping costs and faster carriers based on preset criteria automatically. An order management system is responsible for printing shipping labels, packing receipts, and communicating the change in inventory levels with your warehouse management system.

4. Warehouse Management

The order management software communicates with suppliers and vendors to send the inventory to that warehouse in advance if a stock-keeping unit (SKU) is out of stock. Also, an order management system prevents stock-outs if it can issue a purchase order automatically when inventory levels are low or hit a reorder point. The warehouse control software enhances employee efficiency. It indicates where the employees of the warehouse can find the item, what items to ship together, warehouse KPIs to monitor, and identifies whether the item needs specialized handling.

5. Shipping

The order management system sends the notification to the customer when the material handling equipment of the warehouse picks the products, packs them, and ships them to the customer who has placed the order priorly. It also tells the customers what to expect based on order information and shipping address. Order management systems help vendors and customers to keep track of the product during the process of shipping as it travels to destination, such as customer’s home, customer’s job location, etc. The order management system also ensures that the product is safe and sound when it is delivered at the doorstep where the customer is destined.

6. Return and Funds

An efficient return and refund system can go a long way towards building goodwill if a dissatisfied customer returns an item. An order management system processes a refund request and communicates with the back-office systems for the instantaneous processing of the refund. It can also connect to the return provider of the organization for the assurance of data accuracy, and the process moves along.

Conclusion

Thanks to the technological innovations and advancements due to which order management systems come into being. The order management system provides a broad range of benefits to the eCommerce industry and various other sectors such as retail, frozen food providers, manufacturing, retails, high-tech aerospace components, distribution, and much more. Hence an order management system is the way of the future of the world of the eCommerce industry. They are designed to provide unmatched customer satisfaction and play a pivotal role in generating leads.

MWI Solutions provides material handling and order fulfillment system for distribution and eCommerce out of the broad range of existing solution providers. MWI Solutions offers a comprehensive range of professional services such as capital equipment justification, consulting, and financing with the ultimate goal of establishing a competitive benefit for businesses.

The warehouse control system of MWI Solutions, called InterSort, has been installed and proven in numerous applications. InterSort enables operational efficiency through extensive diagnostics and performing monitoring. Moreover, it manages inventory levels and out-of-stock conditions. Browse their website to acknowledge yourself about more benefits of InterSort.

MWI solutions are pleased to offer a free walk-through of your facility so that their professional staff can provide feedback on your existing operations. So crack your knuckles and head over to the official website of MWI solutions today!