If you are against the idea of third-party logistics and want to have control over your own fulfillment, you might be thinking about building your own warehouse in connection with your eCommerce store. There are numerous steps that you need to take to seamlessly integrate your online store with your warehouse if you want it to remain efficient and if you want to reduce errors. Here are the main factors that can help you to conduct a successful integration between both of these integral components of your business.Â
- Use Warehouse Management Software
The first stage is to make sure that all of your orders and your online store are connected seamlessly with your warehouse. The best way to achieve this is to build a bridge between them by downloading warehouse management software and reverse logistics software. A warehouse management system can track your inventory and your stock levels and can help with the packing and shipping of orders. Not only this but, because you will be automating your processes on a digital system, it can be easily integrated with your web hosting software to connect the two processes without a fault. Â
- Invest in Custom Conveyors
If you want to create the optimal warehouse environment for your eCommerce store, there is no better feature that you need to install than a custom conveyor belt. Custom conveyor belts can be adapted toward your needs as an eCommerce store rather than a physical or B2B store. They can be used to ensure that all of your orders are fulfilled successfully and smoothly through its ability to reduce your production time and to easily transport objects to their desired location. To get the conveyor belt that you need, you should contact fluentconveyors.com, who can help to provide you with the most tech-savvy option for your business.
- Optimize Pick Paths and TransportationÂ
Due to the large number of small orders that customers are likely to place online, you should make sure that your pick paths and your transport are optimized, as these are the areas that are most different between warehouses that support eCommerce stores and those that operate on a B2B basis. This will ensure that customer orders can be fulfilled immediately and that your shipping costs can be brought down.Â
- Train Employees for Ecommerce
However, not all of the changes that you make to your warehouse to accommodate your eCommerce business have to be complicated and training your employees to deal with your eCommerce solutions can be just as effective. If you have employed people who have previously worked for a warehouse on a different part of the supply chain, training your employees and teaching them to use the software that you have installed can make sure that your transition is simple and that everyone is prepared for the changes that will occur within your business.
- Use Metrics and KPIs
No transition is entirely smooth, though, and to make sure that your integration has been a success, it is essential to utilize metrics and KPIs to help you to track your progress. They will be able to highlight any evident issues, allow you to heighten your productivity, and ensure that the connection between your eCommerce store and your warehouse is consistently strong. This can check that all of your orders are being fulfilled promptly that is expected from eCommerce stores.