Difficulties Associated with Omni-Channel Order Fulfillment
Retail Tech Insights | Saturday, February 01, 2020
While implementing an Omni Channel Fulfillment strategy benefits retailers, some considerations exist prior to implementation.
FREMONT, CA: For modern businesses seeking to compete against shrinking margins and increased competition from e-commerce behemoths, omni-channel order fulfillment offers a slew of enticing benefits, depending on the specific strategies employed.
Utilizing stores as distribution hubs for e-commerce orders may result in faster delivery times, lower freight costs, less wasted inventory, and increased margins, among other benefits. Similarly, implementing a buy online, pick up in-store program can increase consumer choice, reduce shipping costs, expedite the shipping, and decrease return rates, among other benefits. Regardless of the specific strategy used, omni-channel enables retailers to exceed customer expectations, retain their business, and keep them happy.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
However, regardless of how appealing these benefits are, it is critical to remember that omni-channel order fulfillment introduces several challenges that any operation should consider before implementing an omni-channel fulfillment strategy. Each of these issues is discussed in detail below.
Inventory visibility across all channels is critical
Currently, most retail operations fulfill orders through a combination of in-store and direct-to-consumer fulfillment of e-commerce orders. Pursuing an omni-channel fulfillment strategy complicates matters by introducing new order fulfillment methods, such as buying online, picking up in-store, and using stores as distribution nodes for last-mile fulfillment.
Inventory visibility—knowing what inventory you have and where it is located—is critical for any operation, even with a single fulfillment channel. Without it, fulfilling orders and replenishing inventory logically efficiently would be nearly impossible.
Pursuing an omni-channel fulfillment strategy, by definition, entails expanding an operation's fulfillment channels. These new channels can potentially introduce noise into an operation's inventory gauge, making demand planning and inventory optimization more difficult. As a result, any operation considering an omni-channel fulfillment strategy must first ensure that its inventory management practices are optimized and that its systems are configured in such a way that they communicate seamlessly with one another.
More in News


