The Growth of Online Consumerism and the Importance of Simplifying the Order Fulfillment and Shipping Process


End-to-end order fulfillment

The number of people that choose to purchase items online is steadily increasing. While many consumers may still prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar stores, others want to have greater access to a broader variety of products. In addition to having increased access to product choices, there is an obvious convenience associated with this mode of shopping. Consumers are able to save time, energy, and money by not having to drive around town looking for the products that they want or need. Furthermore, with just a click or two, they can have these items delivered to their home or office.

An Overview of eCommerce Sales

More and more people are engaging in eCommerce transactions. On an annual basis, the average consumer within the United States spends around $1,800.00 on their online purchases. In 2016 alone, retail eCommerce sales within the country totaled $322.17 billion. Furthermore, 46.66 billion were for physical goods from Amazon. By 2021, it is expected that eCommerce sales within the United States will total $485.27 billion.

Contributing Factors for the Increase in eCommerce Sales

There are several factors that contribute to the increase in eCommerce within the United States. A recent survey indicated, however, that these are the top three:

  • Price: 87%
  • Shipping cost and speed: 80%
  • Discount offers: 71%

Given this, it’s not surprising that 20% of online shoppers within the United States purchase one or more items every week.

The Order Fulfillment Process

EKN and Radial recently conducted a combined survey. The results showed that 40% of retailers reported that the high costs which are often associated with order fulfillment constitutes their greatest challenge. The 2015 Wholesale Technology and Sales Trends Survey report, however, indicated that 47% of their participants stated that once an order was received by their back office, it would be shipped out within a day.

During 2017, another study was conducted on the order fulfillment process. It was found that 34% of the participating consumers expressed a desire for same-day delivery. These respondents also indicated that they didn’t want to wait for their items to be delivered as this was considered to be a “pain.”

The Benefits Associated With Outsourcing Your Company Shipping Needs

Is you business looking for product fulfillment and company shipping solutions? You may be interested to learn more about how to make shipping simple. Whether you need to fulfill a small or a large order, there are many unique options available to provide reliable shipping to your customers.

If your business experiences delays in fulfilling and shipping orders, it may be time to outsource this task to a shipping services company. As a result, your company shipping process will be much more flexible and simple. In addition to lowering your overall expenditures, you will also be able to increase your focus on other aspects of your business.


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