What is order fulfillment software?

Order fulfillment software automates inventory management, generating picking lists, picking items, packing, shipping, and tracking processes. Fulfillment software solutions (also known as order fulfillment systems) are incredibly valuable to online merchants, whether they self-fulfill orders or use a third-party logistics provider like ShipBob.

Fulfillment software should integrate with your existing tech stack, such as ecommerce platforms, to increase efficiency and automate the fulfillment process. Integrated software can offer real-time updates, tracking information, and inventory management in an interactive, helpful manner that simplifies the ecommerce shipping process.

Fulfillment software can include any or all of the following:

• Supply chain optimization or management software
• Warehouse management systems
• Omni-channel management
• Inventory control
• Overall order processing

How to choose a fulfillment software

To start choosing the best order fulfillment software for your business, you first need to define how your business relates to your products and orders. The goal is to make it easier for potential vendors to let you know if their solutions can work for you.

Next, you need to see which of your orders you want to be managed with the software. If you decide to outsource everything, you should look for a fulfillment tool that can do that.

After this, you need to see if your existing software works with preferred vendors. Finally, you also need to see if the software can support your partners and the platforms they use and if the reports the software produces are good for you.

Common requirements for ecommerce fulfillment software

Integrate with ecommerce platforms

When choosing an ecommerce fulfillment software; you need to be sure that it integrates with popular ecommerce platforms. This will help you centralize all your orders and quickly update your prices across the board.

Automatically import new orders

Instead of importing each new order to a different marketplace, look for a solution that will allow you to automate the process. It will both save loads of time and ensure nothing gets missed.  

Search and edit orders

Being able to search and edit orders from your ecommerce fulfillment software is a great way to improve the customer experience.

View invoices

Having the ability to view your invoices inside the fulfillment software will help you reduce errors, be more efficient, and streamline the accounting process.

View and manage inventory

Managing your inventory from the fulfillment software is a great way to improve your manufacturing processes, reduce wasted stock, and potentially sell more.

Offer inventory alerts

Inventory alerts help you better estimate how many days of inventory you have at any moment.

Verify and process returns

Usually, customers returning an item are not satisfied with the experience. Having a way to verify and process returns right inside your fulfillment software helps you keep the same levels of satisfaction without further ruing them.

Run reports and access distribution metrics

Reports and distribution metrics allow you to track what is happening throughout the supply chain, helping you solve any problems.

What are the benefits of using fulfillment systems and software for your business?

• Decreases the likelihood of errors due to manual processes
• Saves time by utilizing automation
• Streamlines the entire retail fulfillment operations workflow
• Offers real-time ecommerce order tracking and updates, making customer service a breeze

How ShipBob’s fulfillment software works with your online store

ShipBob offers cloud-based software that integrates with all the major ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Squarespace.

Cloud-based

ShipBob’s order fulfillment solution is hosted, providing automatic updates, tight security, and compatibility with any operating system or hardware. Because it’s cloud-based, ShipBob’s software requires no IT resources or strain and helps lower operating costs.

Easy integration

ShipBob’s fulfillment solution easily integrates with major ecommerce platforms to create a seamless order fulfillment process. These integrations automate order management and fulfillment, pushing information from one application to another. This helps reduce human errors associated with manual data entry, as well as picking, packing, and shipping.

Inventory management

ShipBob’s 3PL software uses historical order data to provide insight into how and where you should split your inventory between our strategically located warehouses. Based on where most of your customers are located, you can offer quicker shipping times and lower shipping costs.

Additionally, ShipBob’s inventory control functionality keeps tabs on what’s in stock, offers notifications when inventory is getting low, and allows you to easily order more to keep up with demand.

Order management

ShipBob provides total visibility into your orders from start to finish. Our order management system ensures you can track all shipments and automatically push tracking details to customers.

Advanced filters

Search for what you need and save reports and filters for later. Filter orders by tracking number, order type, order date, destination country, fulfillment center location, and many more.

Advanced reporting

Keep track of what’s important, including peak fulfillment times, expense breakdowns, revenue of orders shipped by day, sales by channel, forecasted demand, sales and quantity of orders by USPS zone, and much more. These insights can help you plan ahead and make strategic business decisions for fulfillment, inventory, and more. Learn more here.

Returns management

ShipBob can help automate the returns process in a quick and cost-effective way. You can have returned goods sent back to their respective spots in the warehouse, have them shipped to you, or have us recycle any defective or damaged items.

ShipBob also provides a return link you can put on your website to have customers generate a return shipping label. Then, you can view all tracking information for returns, from the moment a return label is generated to when our fulfillment center receives it to when it gets restocked.

Fast onboarding

Getting set up with ShipBob is simple. All major ecommerce platforms and marketplaces are seamlessly integrated with our technology, so it only takes a couple of minutes to sync your store and import your products and SKUs. Then, send us your inventory.

Why choose ShipBob as your order fulfillment system?

Choosing a 3PL like ShipBob will save time, reduce shipping costs, increase customer satisfaction, and improve the overall customer experience. Items will ship more quickly while you scale your growing business. ShipBob is designed to handle high volumes and quick turnarounds, so your customers get what they order as quick as possible, regardless if you’re shipping out 100 or 100,000 orders a month.

ShipBob relieves time-consuming administrative tasks, so that you can focus on what you’re best at – product development, customer acquisition, customer retention, and growing your business.

ShipBob also helps you save on fulfillment costs with negotiated bulk shipping rate deals with major US carriers (USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL). ShipBob automatically price checks every package to select the cheapest shipping option, passing the savings onto customers.

“ShipBob’s advanced software helps us quickly understand shipping costs and how to improve shipping times by being closer to where our customers are.”

Andrea Lisbona, Founder & CEO of Touchland

Fulfillment management software is essential for online merchants and small businesses that want to grow their ecommerce business. It’s hassle-free and streamlines daily processes for faster turnaround times and increased customer satisfaction.

ShipBob’s order fulfillment system can help you optimize warehouse efficiency, improve accuracy for inventory and orders, and increase profitability.
Ready to get started with a 3PL? Request a quote from ShipBob.

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