E-Commerce has become part of our everyday lives, not only at a corporate or commercial level but also has become an indispensable tool in our personal lives. The success of an E-Commerce operation depends on the speed and reliability of its order fulfillment process.
To see where we are today let us walk through the many milestones that were completed throughout history and helped shape the E-Commerce platforms and the order fulfillment technology that we have today.
- 1861: The first modern mail-order service was established in Newton, Wales by Pryce Jones via the railway and parcel post.
- 1913: Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for mass production of an automobile.
- 1924: UPS debuted the first conveyor belt system designed for handling packages.
- 1965: The first Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) message was sent.
- 1979: Michael Aldrich invents “online shopping” or “teleshopping” in Britain.
- 1982: The term “supply chain management” was coined by Keith Oliver.
- 1989: Tim Berners-Lee, a British Scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW).
- 2010: Supply Chain Management becomes an official profession in the U.S.
The above milestones laid the groundwork for modern-day order fulfillment processes.
New Technology Driving Order Fulfillment
Today, new technology is constantly emerging to improve order fulfillment performed by 3PL’s, E-retailers, and supply chain industry leaders in general. The goal of all new technology for this industry is to process more orders faster while reducing costs.
These new resources are what allows a company like Amazon to guarantee the promise of delivering a package to your door in two days.
Artificial Intelligence and Smart Electronic Devices
Smart technology is entering warehouses across the globe to help improve order fulfillment. For example, UPS uses smart ‘wearable’ devices connected to the internet and automatically delivers data and other information to the wearer.
Wearable smart devices improve workflows by removing complex manual processes and improving communication. For example, a wearable device might be able to tell a worker if they have selected the wrong product or the weight of a product does not seem correct, providing the opportunity to amend the error before the package is shipped to a consumer.
In conclusion, smart technology improves order fulfillment, reduces human error, and minimizes inventory issues. Without a doubt, today’s modern technology boosts the efficiency of warehouse operations in two main areas: speed and accuracy.
Logistico
Here at Promptus our fulfillment process is carried out using Logistico, which is an e-commerce software providing the interface between online stores and marketplaces, and the logistics company performing the fulfillment operation by syncing and delivering automatically in a matter of seconds the orders placed by the end customers.
Any order status updates like shipment information, tracking number, or cancellation are sent back to the stores in real-time so the customer is always in the loop. In this fashion, the other steps of the process such as the printing of the shipping label and packing slip are automatically generated. Inventory Management is a plus and online stores and marketplaces are updated in real-time.
Another great advantage of Logistico is that your list of products created on your online store can be synced automatically or can even be imported from a CSV file.
Choosing the Best Fulfillment Order Technology
New technology and system capabilities are constantly evolving. Here at Promptus we can help you understand the fulfillment process and with our technological resources and know-how become your trusted partner. Contact us today for more information at 1-877-776-6799.
Recent Comments