{"id":11616,"date":"2021-02-16T07:58:22","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dclcorp-phase2\/?p=11616"},"modified":"2021-06-15T07:24:53","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T14:24:53","slug":"4-ways-to-increase-the-accuracy-of-your-fulfillment-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dclcorp-phase2\/blog\/fulfillment\/4-ways-to-increase-the-accuracy-of-your-fulfillment-center\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Increase the Accuracy of Your Fulfillment Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve been in the ecommerce business for any length of time, you no doubt understand how critical accurate order fulfillment is to the success of your company. For example, one recent study found that<\/span> 63% of online shoppers<\/span><\/a> expect a three-day delivery window as standard. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for mistakes and inaccuracies!<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind, how can you increase the accuracy of your fulfillment center? Here are four suggestions that can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/span>Increase Inventory Accuracy Tied to Your Checkout Process<\/p>\n

Did you realize that, on average,<\/span> retail inventory is accurate less than two-thirds of the time<\/span><\/a> (63%)? When it comes to running an ecommerce business, dealing with that level of inaccuracy could cause incalculable harm to your brand. After all, if a product is in a customer’s shopping cart, then he or she expects it to be available for purchase. If it’s actually not, the customer will get frustrated and perhaps never engage with your company again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How can you improve the accuracy level of your inventory tied to your checkout process? One way is to invest in inventory management tools, such as software programs, that enable you to easily track inventory levels and even set re-order points when stock gets low. An inventory management platform that’s integrated with your website will enable you to delight customers on a much more consistent basis than would otherwise be possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

But online inventory levels are only as good as the accuracy of the data. Therefore, regular cycle counts are imperative to ensure inventory levels are accurately reported. In addition, inventory levels can be impacted by inaccurate receiving and picking and shipping errors\u2014so a holistic approach to codifying processes and procedures and leveraging technology throughout the entire logistics process (from receiving to inventory management and fulfillment or shipping) is imperative.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. <\/span>“Bulletproof” the Picking and Packing Process<\/p>\n

The picking process\u2014in which specific items are set aside for specific orders\u2014is a key component in order fulfillment. Obviously, if the<\/span> wrong items are picked and packed<\/span><\/a> on a regular basis your business’ profit margin will take a significant hit. In contrast, an efficient picking and packing process will help you to maximize profit and minimize operational costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind, many ecommerce companies use warehouse management systems (also known as WMS) that enable you to collect and analyze data related to your fulfillment center’s picking and packing metrics. Such WMS tools and features include:<\/span><\/p>\n