If you’ve finally decided to start an online business, you can give yourself a pat on the back. Millions of people order the stuff they need in their day-to-day lives online these days. And if there’s one thing you’ll need to ACE bigtime, you can call it customer satisfaction!
Very few customers will consider buying anything from your business in the future if what they ordered reached the intended destination late, was damaged, degraded, or got lost along the way!
This prompts having a great delivery system or order fulfillment system that wows your customers every time they order something.
With this in mind, here are 3 online businesses (categorized), and how you can learn from them.
1. E-Commerce Hubs
If you’re serious about selling products online, you must have an eCommerce presence, or else your customers will have a tough time finding you. One of the easiest ways to do that is to find other online sellers, and find out which ones use the best online order fulfillment system.
Amazon:
The United States' largest online retailer, Amazon primarily employs a solution called the Order Fulfillment by Amazon (OFP), an end-to-end fulfillment service that delivers Amazon's products to buyers promptly.
Here, vendors and businesses that don't need to own an online store and process the orders can be listed on Amazon's marketplace, reach a consumer base, and have orders delivered to buyers without hiccups. Customers also have numerous ways to shop on Amazon from their favorite devices.
By simply visiting their official website, there's a lot you can borrow from Amazon, including their shipping policies, costs, payment options, and return policies.
Other popular e-commerce hubs with similar order fulfillment services include Alibaba (AliExpress), Target (News - Alert), and Jumia, with the latter being Africa's largest online retailer!
2. Food and Grocery
Especially after Covid-19, ordering food and groceries online became a norm around the world. And mobile apps have taken center stage in helping customers in this.
UberEATS:
In this category, UberEATS is by far one of the fastest-growing food delivery apps, delivering food from some of the most popular restaurants in cities across the globe.
So, why not develop a mobile app through which customers can easily order stuff from your online business?
Doordash, Instacart, Walmart Grocery, and FreshDirect (News - Alert) are just but among the many similar services you can check out for insights.
3. Flower Businesses
When people buy flowers, there's probably a special occasion on the way, say a birthday, a wedding, graduation, or even a funeral send-off. This means that the recipient needs to receive the blooms on or before the exact day, or else they'll be meaningless.
Here, speedy delivery is of the essence!
Fortunately, thanks to the existence of online flower shops, the above scenario does not happen in many places.
The Bouqs:
The Bouqs Co, a reputed online flower delivery service gives customers a range of delivery time options to pick from, including same-day, next-day, and no-rush delivery. If you’re lucky, you might even get a discount depending on the bouquet you choose and when you purchase it.
In the US, other popular online florists include 1-800-Flowers, FTD, Pro flowers, and Urban Stems, just to name a few.
When running an online business, your order delivery system can have a huge impact on your customer base, sales, and bottom line. It can also affect the growth and expansion of your venture.
Luckily, the above piece has shed some light on tips you can borrow from online businesses whose delivery systems are highly effective.
