ShipStation is a web-based shipping platform that helps businesses manage their small parcel shipping and e-commerce fulfillment. It’s how you can get products and purchases to your customers, though it often won’t help with managing your inbound inventory if you are shipping at freight levels. This is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) solution, so you won’t need … Read more
The machine learning algorithms have risen and — sorry, John Connor — but the people are embracing AI in eCommerce because they’re just such good shoppers. Retailers are on board, too, because automation tools powered by machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) can make it easier and more profitable to run an eCommerce business. … Read more
Learning how to calculate shipping costs can be some of the trickiest to get a handle on for eCommerce businesses that want to balance customer satisfaction with affordability and margin control. The vast majority of your customers expect shipping to be fast and usually free. To meet those demands, you’ve got to be able to … Read more
When disaster strikes your supply chain, every hour of downtime costs your ecommerce business money. A hurricane shuts down your fulfillment center. A cyberattack takes your website offline. Your key supplier faces production delays. Without a solid ecommerce business continuity plan, these disruptions can devastate your revenue and destroy customer trust. The stakes are higher … Read more
Your company’s inventory turnover ratio is an important metric. A simple inventory turnover formula can help you understand and improve your inventory management. When you get clear about your inventory turnover ratio, you can run your business with smaller carrying costs while you optimize your stock levels. Your inventory turnover rate does reflect whether or … Read more
Economic order quantity, or EOQ, is a formula that helps you figure out the right amount of stock to fill your orders during the year ahead. Economic order quantity helps you reduce the amount of money you have tied up in inventory while ensuring that you don’t run out of products to sell. EOQ does … Read more
The spread of the novel coronavirus forced many brick-and-mortar retailers to temporarily close their doors. Even before COVID-19, many brick-and-mortar stores were struggling. However, the pandemic exposed existing weaknesses in the retail business model and exacerbated them. To make up for lost business, many brick-and-mortar shops took their retail stores online. This is a smart … Read more
There are many terms for inventory shrinkage: warehouse shrinkage, product shrinkage, loss of product. They all amount to the same thing — your merchandise is missing from the warehouse shelves. For businesses that sell physical things, some amount of shrinkage is unavoidable. At point of sale, stores can experience retail shrinkage from breakage and shoplifting. … Read more
In an ideal world, your ecommerce would have a return rate of zero. However, returns are unavoidable when you sell online. That’s why you need a robust reverse logistics operation. Return rates for ecommerce shops are more than double the rates for brick-and-mortar stores. How you handle ecommerce returns could make a big difference in … Read more
You might not have heard of cross docking, but it just may be the solution to your ecommerce fulfillment problems. This is a time when many online retailers are facing difficulty in keeping products in stock. Cross-docking can help your business ship orders faster and more efficiently. This year has brought a steep rise in … Read more
Logistics has become increasingly sophisticated. The current worldwide crisis has put supply chains in the news. However, the role of outsourced logistics in the supply chain hasn’t been fully explained. Most people may have heard of 3PL, 4PL, 5PL, and beyond. Still, you might be unclear on what each level of logistics services entails, and … Read more
The Net Promoter Score is a proven method to determine customer loyalty and satisfaction. According to CustomerGauge, the average NPS for logistics companies is +38. Transportation and logistics companies benchmarked on Customer Guru showed an NPS range from +8 to +11. Red Stag Fulfillment first did a Net Promoter Score survey in December of 2017. … Read more
