Page 259 - DCAP312_WEB_TECHNOLOGIES_II

Unit 13: Adding E-Commerce Essentials

Increased Pick Accuracy (Barcode Scanning) Notes
Picking accuracy is an essential component of ensuring that the product ordered is the product
delivered. One way to ensure accuracy is to leverage barcode scanning technology at the time
of pick and pack. A WMS system that has barcode scanning functionality will both direct a
warehouse picker to the correct inventory location as well as verify the picked product. It is
critical to have the capability to immediately verify that the correct SKU was selected at the
time the product is picked. This enables the picker to quickly move to the next line item to be
picked or stop and resolve the reason why the item does not match the item specified by the
WMS system. Having this real-time verification based on the Item Number or UPC barcode
provides immediate feedback to the picker. Barcode scanning is one of the best ways to increase
your shipment accuracy resulting in happier customers and consumers. Barcode scanning also
helps to reduce customer service costs.
Custom Branded Packing Slips

One of the largest challenges in handling E-Commerce fulfillment as a 3PL warehouse is
supporting the customized requirements each of your customers would like the consumer to
have when they open the carton. It is understandable that each customer wants to not only
deliver the products the consumer ordered quickly and accurately, but they also want to give
the customer a feeling of being special. One way to create this brand experiences is to place a
customized packing slip in the carton.

Placing a printed packing slip in the carton is easy to do - the challenge is printing different
looking packing slips for each of your customers. One customer wants their logo included, while
another wants the 3PL's address as the return address instead of the companies' own address.
Having a WMS system that can support these types of customizations, by customer, will enable
you to grow your E-Commerce fulfillment customer base. It is also common to have more than
one custom packing slip per customer – this adds another layer of complexity. So, having a
system that can not only customize packing slips per customer - but also have multiple different
versions depending on the website where the order originates, will truly set you apart. One
example is when fulfilling orders from Amazon. In Amazon’s case, the packing slip will look
different than the orders generated by your customer's own online store.
The largest benefit to you as a 3PL is that with each packing slip you customize, it becomes
more difficult for a customer to switch to another fulfillment provider. Thus, custom branded
packing slips help make your solution more relevant and valuable to your customers.

Integration with Shipping Systems
A great way to make your E-Commerce fulfillment more profitable is to integrate with small
parcel carriers such as UPS World Ship, FedEx Ship Manager and Endicia and eliminate retyping
and associated costs.
Order fulfillment is not complete until the packages are off your dock. With the peak season
approaching, the demands on small parcel carriers and the United States Postal Service are
in overdrive. This means drivers are less likely to wait while you create labels and generate
manifests, and customers are less forgiving if their packages do not arrive on time. Time and
accuracy are of the essence while pressure and workload are on the rise.
Automatic Email Notifications to Customers

In order to handle higher volumes of orders which often come from E-Commerce fulfillment,
you must streamline your processes and reduce the need for additional customer service. With
increased order volume, often comes increased customer support needs – the trick is to increase
your volume without any additional back office resources. And this is possible with a robust
reporting and email notification system as part of your 3PL WMS offering.

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