Logistics and technology: the perfect equation for e-commerce
Create an e-commerce to sell goods and services electronically is a simple task nowadays. There are several available platforms in which to set up shop and start selling it is a matter of a few hours. Disclose the site has also become something less complex, thanks to the possibilities opened up with social media and digital marketing.
Operational challenges begin after the site is in the air. The first major obstacle is the conversion of sales. In the United States approximately 5% of visits to e-commerce sites generate sales. In Brazil, this ratio is significantly lower. About 2% of visits resulting in a check-out. To improve this figure, some sites have used technology to rescue the abandoned cart. By monitoring the activities on site, you can resume contact with the customer, through different channels, and instigate a return of the consumer to cart to enable the sale.
Past the barrier of conversion, with the sale made, logistics takes on a key role, is the issue of logistics costs, which impact directly on the shore of that sale, either by service perspective the expectations of their consumers. A customer well attended tends to become recurrent, thus increasing their conversion rates, while an unhappy customer hardly will return to buy that site.
At this stage, the technology can also play an important role if used in conjunction with logistics. Solutions traceability together with the mobility allow, for example, a consumer to monitor each stage of delivery. Today, it is possible even indicate a significantly shorter delivery window than a day, but few e-commerce sites take the risk of providing this information. These solutions, as well as significantly improve the customer experience, they do not want surprises, reduce the cost reentregas, a major logistical challenges.
The interaction with the consumer can be further enhanced. For example, a customer could indicate the delivery unwillingness to accept the package or on the part of the delivery, a simple acknowledgment of what’s on your door would bring a positive side effect with respect to security, so fashionable today.
The evolution of the concept of Omnichannel still gave more complexity to the logistics operation, with direct impacts on demand planning and inventory. Offer consumers the option of buying in online stores and get the product in the physical store meets the expectations of the modern world and new generations of more flexible and quick solutions. However, it may hinder the logistics design and inventory, since most companies have a different plan for each store.
Although the perception of the increased complexity of Omnichannel arising from the operation is legitimate, this is certainly no going back. Who face the challenge and seize the opportunities to extract each channel, whether physical or virtual, the best this can provide to your customer, projecting one step ahead of your needs, will be better prepared for a new retail era, where physical and virtual operations will be fully integrated.
Know precisely the level of service delivered to customers, analyzing data from its integrated supply chain and to know, in detail, the purchasing behavior of your customers will be critical to have a more agile operation, assertive and quality. Invest in technology and logistics means investing in two major structural pillars necessary for achieving this level of excellence in the shopping experience, the resulting customer loyalty and increased sales.
Full article: http://corporate.canaltech.com.br
About Administrador
