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The Adversities in Order Management Process

Order management is a difficult task for retailers. And during the last quarter of the year, the retailers go haywire if there is any hindrance in the fulfillment process. For it requires an immense amount of record-keeping, ensuring warehouses are always adequately stocked, etc.  Some common issues that come up are:  

Processing Data

Manual updates are subject to duplication or erroneous data. With so many orders from multiple channels, it gets difficult for you to keep track of all of them.

Executing Bulk Orders

When you have to handle orders in bulk it gets complex. Because it involves making many updates in internal systems, marketplaces, creating invoices, label printing, and shipping arrangements.

Planning Inventory

Order fulfillment is all about meeting customer expectations. It is not possible to do that if you often remain ‘out of stock’. To know your stock levels you need to have real-time visibility for your inventory.

Managing System Integration

You will often feel hiccups in a standalone or a manually fed Order management system, as their functions are not sufficient to handle multi-channel sales orders.

These situations can grow complex if not rectified at the right time. The question is how will you solve them?

How To Quick Fix The Prevailing Challenges In Order Management

Ecommerce businesses are rapidly responding to the challenges and pressures by optimizing their supply chain management system. Here is what you need to do:

The Arrival of Seasonal Sales: Optimize the Inventory for Rapid Handling

Maintaining a delicate balance of stock and stock reordering is quite business-critical. Extra stock in the warehouse than required increases your storage and carrying costs. And if you have less stock in the warehouse than required, you will lose orders, credibility, and revenue. You should know when to replenish the stock to utilize the warehouse space optimally.

The categorization of inventory depends on factors like the types of products and picking sizes. You can classify inventory based on picking size and by frequency of picking/velocity of movement (fast, medium, slow or very slow). 

And as the time for seasonal sales is approaching you many plan your inventory replenishment accordingly. For instance, look out for the sales opportunities on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, etc. The shopping season is very near so prepare yourself to set a good benchmark.

The Quarter of Festivity: Strategize Order Manifestation for Easy Processing

The most important part of your business is the process of actually getting your products to your customers. If you own a brick and mortar store, this isn’t much of an issue as your customers can simply grab what they need right off of the shelf. But if you ship your products, it is a lot trickier.

The accurate and on-time delivery of your products is essential for your business growth. And the eCommerce sector is preparing for the golden opportunities as the world is about to approach its last quarter of 2019. Yes! It’s time for festivity and shopping. And no customer tolerates late orders or wrong products during that time. This is why streamlining your order fulfillment strategy is so important.

For that you have to maintain five touchpoints:

• Inventory accuracy
• Optimizing your picking strategy
• Logistics management and integration with suppliers
• An advanced warehouse management system (WMS)
• Real-time visibility of your entire supply chain

Customers Don’t Want to Wait: Automate to Speed up the Operations

Automated storage and retrieval technologies support the optimization of the order fulfillment process. You need to make sure that everything is done automatically. For instance, deciding where to route the order, selecting appropriate shipping partners and replenishing inventory. This not only speeds up order fulfillment but also provides more accurate data for future orders. Especially when it’s the end of the year with ample sales opportunities. So buck up and speed up your supply chain operations!

Get on With the Occasional Bliss: Integrate Systems for Enhanced Visibility

Adopting a cloud-based inventory management system is the easiest way to increase the visibility of inventory across all channels. You need to ensure cloud systems provide a flexible and secure environment to integrate and manage all stock levels, across all sales channels under a single interface.

Your order management system should be pre-integrated with your ERPs. With one click, you will be able to unify information on sales, payments, returns or other accounting details.

This Holiday Season: Track it All for Instant Updates

Allocate shipping providers based on the priority defined. Shipment of fragile items or inflammable items needs to be shipped separately. Keep a count of items in stock and out of stock of the same order that has to be shipped. The peak time of sales is very near, therefore, no customer would like to wait long for their orders to be delivered. So, instead of managing everything on your own, enable your seller to ship the product directly to the consumers through drop shipping. It ensures:

• Strong vendor relationship
• High product assortments
• Low inventory carrying cost
• Low stock-outs
• Faster delivery time

Maintain an end to end tracking of shipment statuses. It improves the end customer experience. The real-time insight from smart labels such as barcode enables efficient tracking. It processes items that are in, through and out of the warehouse.

Unicommerce’s order management system is a value-add to the structure of your retail operation. Run your order fulfillment process smoothly. Request a free demo with us today!

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An Order Management System (OMS) is a software solution that enables businesses to efficiently and effectively manage their order processing and fulfillment operations. It acts as a central hub for handling and organizing customer orders, inventory, and related information throughout the entire order lifecycle, from placement to delivery.

A client order is simply the entire process of receiving, processing and fulfilling a customer’s request. Many different departments are involved in managing an order, including the customer support team, warehouse workers, accounting department, and delivery partners. Maintaining client happiness and safeguarding a company’s reputation are two of the many benefits that one can gain from efficiently mastering order management.

Order Management System (OMS): A Multi-fold System

An e-commerce order management system consists of several interrelated touchpoints and stakeholders that work together to ensure clients get the right items at the right price at the right time. Businesses can use order fulfillment systems to construct customer data and keep track of stock levels and sales records, in addition to ensuring order-to-cash (O2C) operations function smoothly.

The Order Management System Challenges

It is impossible to successfully handle an order with as many touchpoints and parties involved as there are. A few of the problems organizations face are human flaws and system backlogs, stock awareness issues, transit mistakes, and lack of communication. They may all have a detrimental influence on customer happiness and loyalty. However, with the implementation of efficient order management software, these challenges can be effectively addressed and resolved, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.

An E-commerce Order Management System is the Key

Both B2C and B2B firms use an integrated and responsive order fulfillment system to create a quick-paced, economical, and accurate OMS. A company’s ERP system may be integrated directly with the OMS, allowing for the most efficient and lucrative order fulfillment cycle. 

Additionally, the OMS ensures smooth and timely shipment of orders, further enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The pricing of products and services is also managed effectively through the OMS, ensuring profitability and competitiveness in the market.

Many supply chain professionals have already embraced this technology. Also, big retail companies are investing in technology to automate tasks like order fulfillment, warehouse distribution, and delivery. This trend is likely to continue in 2024 to meet the growing demands of consumers.

Advantages of Using an E-commerce Order Management System  

An OMS provides numerous significant advantages for businesses: visibility at every stage of the selling process, time efficiency, lower risk for mistakes made by humans, as well as increased accuracy, and efficient order optimization. The following are the top advantages of e-commerce OMS:

1. Efficiency of Automation

By automating the order processing process, an e-commerce order management solution can save the firms’ money on labor, reduce human error, and devote more time to development and customer satisfaction by reducing the chance of human mistakes. Data security is improved since there is less manual involvement.

2. 24*7*365 Accessibility

Due to the e-commerce order management solution of 24/7 access, orders may be processed remotely and in real-time since businesses have internet access to their OMS. Because of this, one can better serve their customers and process their orders more quickly through sales channels.

3. Concentrate On Growth

Several benefits come from automating the ordering and receiving process, such as freeing up time to collect and analyze data for further growth and addressing any difficulties in the fulfillment process. Additionally, automation can greatly improve the customer experience by streamlining the ordering process, reducing errors, and providing real-time updates on order status.

4. Management of Inventories

Using an order management system to provide real-time data on customer orders, things sold, returned, or swapped aids in managing inventory. Once again, this protects client pleasure by preventing corporations from over-selling their products.

5. A Centralized Perspective

One unified system for managing orders offers organizations an overview of the complex fulfillment environment for online sales and guards against order mistakes, customer unhappiness, or lost income due to frequent malfunctions such as inadequate inventory, wrong invoicing, or unexpected shipping issues.

6. Constantly Updated Real-time Data

A real-time data presentation of an order management system makes it possible for businesses, rather than risking consumer discontent with errors or delays, to respond quickly to any challenges that may develop. By maintaining up-to-date product and payment data, businesses may better assess the current health of their cash flow and make informed decisions using business intelligence.

7. Capabilities For Multiple Channels

Expand your e-commerce business’s potential and increase sales volume by utilizing a multi-channel e-commerce management system in which items are offered for sale in many online locations, including an online store. All of the venues where your firm sells its products, including marketplaces, hosted web storefronts, and brick-and-mortar locations, are channels.

A Sound Order Management System is Critical for Several Reasons

The development of e-commerce and consumer expectations in today’s always-on culture has resulted in high volumes, high speed, and great hopes. Consumers have come to anticipate that they may order whatever they want, whenever they want, and from whichever platform suits them because of the widespread use of digital and electronic commerce. The growth of the e-commerce business has transformed the way people shop and interact with businesses online, including the order fulfillment process.

E-commerce fulfillment is in high demand, and to improve this process, businesses are willing to invest in technology solutions like E-commerce Order Management Systems (OMS) to improve their order processing, fulfillment, and overall customer experience.

Watch how Order Management System (OMS) helps in timely order fulfillment –

Conclusion

There’s little doubt that the order management system will impact customer satisfaction. Some firms consider the impact on backend logistics when purchasing an OMS, not the effect on front-end customer service. When a consumer uses Buy Online, Pickup In-store (BOPIS) or a curbside pickup for the first time, it’s critical to assess how they feel about the whole shopping experience.

Remember that a well-functioning OMS improves customer service and returns on investment.

Schedule a FREE demo with Unicommerce Order Management consultants.

Related Read:

• What is Warehouse Management System?
• What is E-commerce Inventory Management System?
• Key Benefits of an Order Management System
• FMCG Industry in India: Trends, Challenges, Solutions
• The Comprehensive Guide to E-commerce Integrations
• What is Inventory Cycle Counting & Why to Use it for Effective Warehouse Management?
• Warehouse Returns and Cancellations Management [Reasons, Problems, and Solutions]
• UniShip – Advanced Logistics Tracking Platform
• UniReco – Automated Reconciliation of Orders, Returns and Payments
• Key Challenges & Benefits of Marketplace Payment Reconciliation
• Benefits of Shipping Notifications
• What is the difference between Logistics and Supply Chain Management?

The post Why is Order Management System Important for E-commerce Business? appeared first on unicommerce.com.

The reasons for such a shift in behaviour is because of the variety of options available for consumers to shop from, the lower priced options and the convenience to get things delivered right at their doorsteps.

Sell on Noon in the Middle East

In order to make the most of the current situation of eCommerce in the GCC region, selling on the top online marketplaces and websites becomes important.

One of the biggest marketplaces in the GCC region is Noon, a fully homegrown digital marketplace that has been active since 2017.

Noon is a well-renowned marketplace with the biggest number of online sellers and a variety of products available. The platform is suitable for sellers who wish to sell new, used or refurbished products with the freedom to have complete visibility and control over their sales, operations, etc.

The platform provides two modes of selling, one that is known as Noon FBN or fulfilled by noon and the other as B2B to give flexible options to businesses.

But you may wonder, why exactly should you start selling on Noon and what all benefits can the platform offer to your business? Read on to find out.

Why Become a Seller on Noon?

Noon had recently concluded one of the biggest sales in the Middle East named Yellow Friday Sale for a full week starting November 24th 2020 until November 29th 2020. To make the sale even bigger, Noon got the biggest Bollywood Starts including Shah Rukh Khan to encourage shoppers to shop during the sale by sharing a video message.

The Yellow Friday sale was started in 2018 by the marketplace to engage more and more audiences, provide them with amazing offers and discounts and ultimately increase profits and boost sales. The event became a huge success in the very first year, and seeing that Noon came back with an even bigger sale this year, 25 million sized sales to be exact!

The leading marketplace offered discounts up to 80% on the original price and sold items from almost all product lines, including beauty, gadgets, accessories, clothes and a lot more, the sale saw a massive jump in terms of profits and customer footfall. 

With such a large customer base and more than thousands of sellers already present on the platform, it is quite understandable why you need to start your e-commerce selling at Noon.

Apart from just the why, you also get a plethora of benefits when you begin selling from the platform, some of which include:

• Great exposure to audiences
• More traffic on your website/online store
• Increase in the pool of customers
• More trust amongst shoppers to buy from you
• Little to no requirement of having your own workspace
• Lesser manual dependency
• More to learn with the help of Noon support and teaching centres

Now that you know why, let us move on to the how, as in what are the methods and steps to start selling on the platform.

How to Become a Seller on Noon?

In order to begin your eCommerce sales on Noon, there are certain requirements that you need to fulfil based on which you will be eligible to become a Noon seller and take your eCommerce business to the next level.

1. For Registration

The first of it all is to own a valid trading license and be a registered company in the UAE, KSA and Egypt. For those who have a license, the next step is to create an account on Noon.com, submit copies of all the required documents and pay a  small amount known as a noon seller fees.

The list of important paper you need to have by your side when registering on the platform include:

• Trading license or Commercial Registration
• Passport or Residence ID
• Residence VIsa for non-nationals
• Proof of purchase/invoice
• Letter from distribution authorization, or a manufacturer permit/certificate
• VAT certificate or VAT non-enrollment declaration for those who aren’t registered

Once you are done with the documentation process, you need to wait for a week in order for the noon seller support team to check and validate the information shared by you and help you with any noon seller training if required.

2. For Payments

After your account is live, you need to give bank details in order to receive payments for all your sales and purchases. For that you need to provide the below details on a signed and stamped company letterhead:

• Legal name of the company
• Bank account number
• Iban
• Swift code
• Bank branch
• Store currency (once chosen, it wouldn’t be possible to change it in the future)
• Cancelled check that has company’s legal name, the bank account number, and IBAN  

3. For Fulfilment

Post activation of your account, you can choose either one of Noon fulfilment options that the platform offers or even go with both the options as long as your inventory is kept separately for each of the options.

• Noon B2B Fulfilment 

Going for the basic B2B or Back to Back selling mode of fulfilment, you are in charge of handling and maintaining your products. Once you receive an order the Noon logistics team known as noon express picks up the order from your facility and takes it to their own fulfilment centre from where it is packed, shipped and delivered.

The advantage of choosing this mode of operation is that you get to have complete control of the pricing, processing and quality of your products.

• Noon FBN

When you choose Noon FBN or Fulfilled by noon, you allow the marketplace to store your products in their own fulfilment centres, manage and maintain it and deliver to the customers from there itself. 

The benefit of choosing this mode of operation is that you only have to focus on promoting your business and fixing the prices. All of these are the legal requirements that you must have in order to be a Noon seller but just beginning on the marketplace will not give you immediate profits, you require the right technology support to handle your operations, maintain your inventory, order and fulfilment, manage warehouse operations and much more.

Let’s Start Selling on Noon!

Selling on Noon is not just about listing your products; it’s about leveraging the platform’s reach and capabilities to grow your business. With its user-friendly interface, robust fulfillment options, and supportive seller environment, Noon stands out as a premier destination for e-commerce in the Middle East. By embracing this platform, businesses can significantly expand their customer base, increase their sales, and establish a strong presence in the rapidly growing digital marketplace

Related read –

• What is Warehouse Management System?
• What is the difference between Logistics and Supply Chain Management?
• Different Selling Models of Amazon & Noon: How to Handle Selling?
• What are Biggest Business Challenges Faced by UAE’s Fashion and Retail Brands?
• How to Sell on Amazon in the Middle East (The UAE and Saudi Arabia)?
• Top E-commerce Marketplaces for Businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• UniShip – Advanced Logistics Tracking Platform
• UniReco – Automated Reconciliation of Orders, Returns and Payments
• Key Challenges & Benefits of Marketplace Payment Reconciliation
• Benefits of Shipping Notifications

The post How to Sell on Noon: Become a Top Seller on Noon in the Middle East appeared first on unicommerce.com.

Overview: Global Multichannel Order Management Market

The estimated valuation of the global multichannel order management market in 2022 stood at around USD 2.95 billion, and it is poised for a substantial growth trajectory with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6% from 2023 through 2030. 

The growing popularity of online shopping, coupled with the continuous expansion of the retail landscape, serves as the driving force behind this market’s upward trajectory. Notably, Forbes predicts that online transactions are on track to comprise approximately 20.8% of all retail transactions in 2023, marking a substantial surge in e-commerce revenues. 

Furthermore, as an increasing number of businesses embrace multichannel selling strategies to engage customers across diverse platforms, the demand has surged for efficient order management solutions capable of handling orders from multiple channels.

In simpler words, online businesses like yours need to use the best Online Order Management System! However, it all depends on prevailing order management trends in 2023. Over the last two years, companies have been affected by COVID-19 imposed restrictions. This has also affected online businesses’ activities worldwide. These effects are expected to continue in 2023. Hence, it is crucial to know and understand Order Management System Trends that affect the Order Management System (OMS) market.

What Factors will Fuel the Growth of the Order Management System (OMS) Market?

• Order management plays a pivotal role in shaping the customer experience, despite its placement on the backend of the modern commerce ecosystem. Today’s consumers demand swift access to real-time data, such as inventory availability, as they navigate the path to purchase.

• Presently, the retail and wholesale sectors account for a significant 70% of total spending on OMS solutions. This can be attributed to the rapid expansion of e-commerce on a global scale, spanning regions like the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. This expansive growth is fueling the demand for OMS solutions within the retail and wholesale industries.

• Furthermore, the manufacturing industry is witnessing a growing appetite for OMS solutions, as more brands delve into direct-to-consumer channels. This strategic shift aims to maximize the value derived from direct customer engagement through owned brand touchpoints.

• The adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery models for OMS systems is democratizing their accessibility, affordability, and ease of implementation for digital businesses. This approach empowers digital enterprises to concentrate on their core competencies, alleviating the need for extensive customization and enabling them to keep pace with the ever-accelerating demands of the modern customer landscape.

Top E-commerce Order Management System (OMS) Trends for E-commerce Businesses

1. Speedy distribution and e-commerce order fulfillment

While keeping tabs on delivery costs is essential for e-commerce businesses, the speed by which a product goes from ordered to delivered is critical. E-commerce businesses can use multichannel order management system to expedite order fulfillment on orders received from any sales channel. In 2023 an increased number of consumers are expected to opt for next-day delivery while shopping online. The order management software needs to secure the opportunity to fix the chances of repeat business in the future. Besides this, e-commerce businesses need to ensure that customers are not waiting longer than expected after placing the order. 

So online businesses need to ensure speedy order processing and distribution. The longer it takes to process and distribute an order, the longer it will take to reach its destination. This may result in a grievance by customers, resulting in potential loss of business. Accordingly, online companies need to streamline order management software’s order picking and packing process. It will both let them quickly check stocks across all warehouses and identify fulfillment centers closest to the customer. It all depends on how fast online order management software sends order information to a particular order fulfillment center to ensure the order is picked, packaged, and shipped to the buyer. Online businesses can hope this will satisfy a customer and give a repeat order. 

2. Multichannel customer support

In the post-COVID-19 recovery scenario in 2023, online businesses will continue to increase their interaction with customers across multiple sales channels through forms on their website, live chat, social media, and more. It empowers the sales team to provide better customer support using multichannel e-commerce management systems for online businesses. Be it online or offline. The support will have a consistent and positive impact on customers. Increased customer engagement will enable businesses to create a situation where customers, through their positive feedback, will help in the growth of the e-commerce business, and this trend is expected to continue till 2025.

3. Real-time data collection

Through real-time order tracking, sales team strategists of companies can view and collect all the data related to sales. They can track sales figures generated from every retail channel and stay updated about the rise or slump in sales. The Order Management System of e-commerce businesses must have the robustness to handle slumps or spikes in demand. Businesses can figure out the progress throughout an order’s lifecycle by collecting real-time data. In 2023 it is critical for e-commerce businesses that should there be a delay, OMS must display where the problem lies in real-time, giving online businesses time to figure out how to remedy it.

4. Changes in post-purchase expectations

Since the pandemic started and new variants emerged, the latest being Omicron, many more digital tools have been added to online businesses’ systems. A multichannel e-commerce management system is the way forward for businesses, as customers are still scared to step into brick-and-mortar stores. This trend will continue in 2022, as shops use various channels to reach out to customers. Online order management software in 2023 will evolve to blend and manage in-store and online sales by prioritizing seamless shopping experiences to build brand loyalty. 

Read How Businesses growing with Unicommerce – How a leading Consumer Electronics Brand Dispatched 170K+ orders per Month Seamlessly for its D2C Operations

5. Integrating with new marketplaces

Online brands/stores need to understand that online customers are mostly fickle-minded and rarely stick to one platform or marketplace. As online businesses transcend geographical boundaries, it is difficult to know and understand consumer behavior. In 2024, online stores are increasingly using e-commerce order management systems equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to correctly predict customers’ shopping habits. 

Based on knowledge gained, e-commerce businesses can venture into newer marketplaces and make them compatible with various platforms, offering products according to customers’ shopping habits. A robust order management system (OMS) can manage vast data generated from multiple platforms, enabling online businesses to do upselling and cross-selling across various online marketplaces.

6. Automating operational processes

Online businesses can better control their inventory flow across all sales channels by automating their order management and inventory data collection process. Automating the e-commerce order management system, online companies can better manage and track their orders when it first comes in, right through to picking, packing, and finally to shipment. It will allow them to manage orders in their warehouse locations and stores and across other third-party logistics (3PL) service providers. The use of online order management software in 2023 is set to increase manifold. 

Watch how Order Management System (OMS) helps in timely order fulfillment –

Using automated order management software, online businesses can collect and send relevant information to concerned departments and partners to ensure the order is executed quickly and out-of-stock situations are prevented. Order management system trends indicate that automation will be increasingly used to handle order returns in 2023. As distributors are updated in real-time, automating will help them smoothly manage peak season order processing and avoid disruptions like product out-of-stock due to the sheer volume of orders. Automating processes will help them track orders being placed across various channels and platforms that draw the most sales and smoothly control order flow and its completion.

Schedule a FREE demo with Unicommerce’s Order Management consultants.

Related Read:

• UniShip – Advanced Logistics Tracking Platform
• UniReco – Automated Reconciliation of Orders, Returns and Payments
• Key Challenges & Benefits of Marketplace Payment Reconciliation
• Benefits of Shipping Notifications
• Why is an Order Management System Important for Your E-commerce Business?
• Top Challenges of Order Management Systems in E-commerce
• Top Key Benefits of an E-commerce Order Management System
• 9 Best Inventory Management Techniques To Scale Your Business
• What is Inventory Management System?
• What is Warehouse Management System?
• Why Should You Deploy A Warehouse Management System
• The Challenges of Multichannel Inventory Management and How Can D2C Brands Overcome Them

The post Top Multichannel Order Management System Trends For E-commerce Businesses appeared first on unicommerce.com.

The post Retail & Fashion Industry in UAE – Growth, Challenges & Solutions appeared first on unicommerce.com.

E-commerce Apparel Industry in India

According to the Indian E-commerce Trends Report of Unicommerce, the online fashion and accessories industry in India witnessed an order volume growth of 20.9%, becoming the segment with the highest order volumes in FY22 as compared to the previous financial year. 

The apparel industry is known for its ability to adapt to change, with new trends and styles emerging regularly. Change has always been the wardrobe essential of this industry, happening almost every quarter of each year. This constant need for adaptation also brings its own set of challenges for the industry. 

Keeping up with the fast-paced nature of the industry can be difficult for brands and retailers, as they need to stay ahead of the latest trends and styles while also managing costs and maintaining profitability. With a rotational shift happening in the industry, Unicommerce decided to go ahead and curate e-commerce fashion trends, challenges, opportunities, and solutions that can help you manage and schedule your business action plan in 2023!

Let’s look at the growing trends, challenges, opportunities & solutions in the apparel industry.

Apparel Industry Trends

The apparel industry is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging each season. Here are a few of the key trends to watch in the industry in the coming year:

Trend #1: Fashioning the Future With Sustainability

Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of the clothing they purchase. As a result, sustainable fashion, also known as eco-fashion or ethical fashion, is becoming an increasingly important trend in the industry. 

Brands are increasingly using organic cotton, bamboo, and linen, which are grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Recycled materials, such as recycled polyester and nylon, are also becoming more popular as they help to reduce waste and pollution. 

Another key aspect of sustainable fashion is the use of sustainable production methods. This includes reducing water and energy consumption, using low-impact dyes, and implementing fair labor practices. As consumers become more conscious about their purchasing power and environmental impact, it is expected that sustainable fashion production will become increasingly important.

Trend #2: Revolutionizing Fashion With Athleisure

Athleisure, a trend that combines athletic and leisure wear, has been revolutionizing the fashion industry in recent years. This trend has been driven by the increasing popularity of comfortable, functional clothing worn both in and out of the gym.

As per Statista:The sports and athleisure retail market in India was valued at 158 billion Indian rupees in financial year 2021, and estimated to grow to 402 billion rupees by financial year 2025. Footwear made up the largest chunk of the market during the measured time period, amounting to about 90 billion rupees in 2021, and projected to grow by 21 percent by 2025.

Brands are now offering a wider range of options, from performance-focused gear to more casual and street-style pieces. This has led to the creation of new styles, such as the fusion of athletic wear with formal wear, and has opened up new possibilities for fashion designers.

Another aspect of athleisure is the use of technology, such as moisture-wicking fabric and UV protection, to enhance the functionality of athletic wear. Apparel businesses are investing in research and development to create new fabrics and technologies that can improve the performance of athletic wear.  

Overall, athleisure has been a game-changer in the fashion industry, with its versatility and functionality driving the demand for athletic wear. As the trend continues to evolve, it’s likely that we’ll see more innovations in the design, materials, and technology of athletic wear, making it even more appealing to consumers.

Trend #3: Market Growth Headed by Women and Kids Wear

The shift in lifestyle and priorities of modern women is leading to a greater focus on self-awareness and appearance, driving growth in the women’s apparel market. As they are becoming more conscious of their fashion choices, the demand for trendy and fashionable clothing is increasing.

The market for kids’ wear is driven by factors such as the increasing number of working mothers and the growing trend of parents investing in high-quality clothing for their children. According to a recent report by Wazir Advisors, India’s kids’ wear market is expected to reach INR 1,23,000 Crores by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 13%. 

In terms of product segments, the market for women’s wear is segmented into ethnic wear, western wear, and lingerie. Western wear is expected to be the most lucrative segment in the women’s wear market, driven by the increasing demand for casual and formal wear. With the growth of e-commerce, the market is expected to continue growing, providing opportunities for fashion retailers and manufacturers.

Trend #4: Style and Functionality are Key to Modern Consumers’ Wardrobe

When it comes to fashion, modern consumers are looking for clothing that not only looks good but also serves a purpose. The combination of style and functionality is becoming increasingly important in today’s wardrobe. Consumers are looking for comfortable, durable, and versatile clothing that can be worn for different occasions and meet different needs.

Functionality is especially important for activewear and athleisure, as consumers seek clothing that can keep up with their busy lifestyles and support their physical activities. Fashion, on the other hand, fashion is essential in creating a unique and personal style. Consumers are looking for clothing that reflects their personal tastes and preferences and makes them stand out. 

Brands are responding to this by offering a wide range of options, from classic and timeless styles to trendy and fashion-forward pieces. As lifestyles and fashion preferences evolve, brands and retailers that understand and respond to these needs will be well-positioned to succeed in the market.

Trend #5: The Growing Era of Digital First Brands

The apparel industry is currently experiencing a shift towards digital-first brands. These brands prioritize online sales and digital marketing over traditional brick-and-mortar retail and are utilizing technology to create a seamless and personalized shopping experience for consumers.

One of the biggest advantages of digital-first brands is their ability to reach a global audience through e-commerce. These brands can sell directly to consumers, bypassing traditional retail channels and cutting down on costs. This allows them to offer a wide range of products at competitive prices.

With the advancement in technology and more people turning to the internet for fashion inspiration and shopping, digital-first brands will have a significant opportunity to thrive in the industry.

Opportunities in the Apparel Industry

The Indian textile and apparel market has significant growth potential, with the industry projected to reach $190 billion by 2025-26. To reach this target and establish a sustainable textile industry, Indian businesses must take advantage of government support schemes, meet global buyer sustainability demands, and prioritize supply chain traceability.

Government policies and regulations have directed their focus on this industry. Mr. Piyush Goyal, the Minister of Textiles, announced that the Indian government plans to create 75 textile hubs across the country. Not to mention the government has also reduced the custom duty rates on caprolactam, nylon chips, and nylon fiber and yarn to 5%. These regulations have created plenty of opportunities for the Textile and Apparel Industry in the e-commerce sector.

With lined-up opportunities, there come several challenges for simplified apparel e-commerce.

Current & Future Challenges and Problems in the Apparel Industry

The new trends, changing consumer habits, and market shifts have shed light on the new challenges the e-commerce apparel industry is facing in 2023. 

• Difficulty in managing customized order allocation and inventory sync
• Unable to align warehouse operations manually 
• The impact of COVID-19 and the need to adapt to the changing retail landscape and consumer behavior
• Inability to manage deliveries, leading to a higher % of Customer Initiated Returns (CIR)
• Hard to align multiple sales channels and offline stores alongside 
• Back-breaking for e-commerce platforms to manage multiple vendors
• Untimely and inefficient delivery of products
• No stock rotation leading to outdated stock
• The increased cost of Reverse Logistics
• The need to navigate the complex and ever-changing regulations and compliance requirements
• Poor management of returns and cancellations
• Difficulty in predicting and managing demand, inventory, and logistics

Evolving Practices as a Solution to Challenges in the Apparel Industry

Starting up your own fashion e-commerce business has never been easier, especially post the pandemic. Right from managing the inventory and warehouse operations to timely updating the digital attire of an e-commerce store, the aspects are many. But with the advancement of technology, it has become important to adopt some upcoming practices, aligning the sales with your operations.

Following are some of the upcoming e-commerce practices that act as a solution to the challenges you are witnessing during these tough times.

• Delivering Omnichannel Experiences

It has become imperative to provide customers with a seamless experience at all touchpoints. Integrating and aligning offline and online channels together helps both businesses and customers develop better relationships. Omnichannel retail offers unhindered shopping experiences to customers and helps keep the inventory and stock levels uniform. With its advanced Omnichannel solution, Unicommerce has enabled effortless business operations & tremendous growth for Iconic Fashion India. 

• Serving Directly With the D2C Business Model

D2C is quite a recent approach wherein brands deal with customers directly, eliminating intermediaries. While many new brands are adopting this strategy, some established brands are switching from traditional business models to D2C models. According to Unicommerce’s e-commerce Q3 2022 trends report, the e-commerce industry witnessed robust order volume growth of 48.3% through the brand websites, while marketplaces recorded a 21.5% order volume growth.

But the question is, what makes it so different that almost all the new brands are swearing by this approach? Well, the biggest advantage for a D2C brand is that they can shorten the time to sell the products, giving their customers a better price while earning a higher margin.  Direct to Consumer (D2C) e-commerce allows the original brand voice to come in front, giving brands better engagement with their customers. Moreover, the new-age solutions of Unicommerce are made specifically for D2C brands like Enamor, Chumbak, etc., to scale on higher revenues.

Why Unicommerce?

Unicommerce – Solutions to problems in the Textile and Garment industry

Unicommerce, the #1 cloud-based e-commerce solution, is focused on changing the face of Indian Fashion retail.  It is on a mission to automate the largely scattered apparel industry to make it technology-driven. Its Order and Warehouse Management solutions help to automate clients’ supply chain operations for both online and offline businesses (B2B and B2C). Moreover, Unicommerce comes with 200+ integrations; Cart, Marketplaces, Logistics, ERP, and POS systems to manage the needs of Wholesalers, Distributors, Retail Chains, Individual Store owners, and e-commerce sellers to increase revenue and save operations costs.

Unicommerce’s robust supply chain technology solutions have resulted in exponential business growth, & improved unit economics for over 20,000+ global marketplaces & brands across India, the Middle East, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia. Some of the notable clientele of Unicommerce in the fashion and apparel industry include TCNS Clothing Co. LTD. (W, Aurelia, Elleven), Oryvo, Brand Studio, Bestseller (Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, Only), Being Human, GAP, GANT, Crocs, etc. 

Below is a quick brief about Unicommerce’s offerings; click the links to know more in detail.

• Advanced Warehouse Management – Unicommerce helps track inventory counts and manage dispatched and allocated orders, making the flow of operations simpler and more efficient. Moreover, you get a real-time update on the entire warehouse operations across multiple locations. 
• Omnichannel Solution – Unicommerce offers an Omnichannel Solution so that you can route online orders to the nearest offline store. 
• ERP/ POS management – All the current ERP/POS systems (Tally, Base, Oracle, Navision, SAP, etc.)  get effortlessly integrated into our omnichannel software product
• Bundle Management – Unicommerce has a Bundle Management feature that lets you create combo packs while updating combo product SKUs in real-time across multiple sales channels. 
• Logistics Integration – Unicommerce helps brands reduce cancellations and returns as it automates the whole process, ensuring the right product gets shipped to the customers
• Unified Vendor Panels – With the Vendor Management solution, e-commerce fashion retailers can seamlessly manage suppliers via centralized login.
• Centralized Inventory Management – To enable more significant cost savings, the efficient Inventory Management system restricts bad stock while minimizing the risk of overselling.
• Accurate Report Analysis – Unicommerce lets you analyze and scrutinize your daily operations with its Dashboard segment. You can track the number of orders fulfilled, Sales achieved, Returns progressed, etc. 
• E-commerce Returns Management – Managing RTO and CIR are not difficult anymore. Unicommerce offers a comprehensive returns management solution through a centralized panel to manage returns across all sales channels, amplifying your overall sales profits. 
• Marketplace Integration – Having come pre-integrated with 40+ marketplaces, Unicommerce lets you sell efficiently across multiple sales channels such as Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, etc. 
• Simplified Fulfillment – Unicommerce simplifies the process of fulfillment with its fastest and error-free order fulfillment feature.

To coincide, e-commerce brands in the fashion and apparel industry are rising. The Apparel industry is entering a phase where the opportunities are endless, provided the sector is getting constant assistance and support from the government. New and updated practices are required to address the rising challenges. However, online fashion brands must reorganize their business model to cater to evolving demands of the competitive business environment.

Explore our platforms:

• Logistics Tracking and Returns Management Platform
• Automate Reconciliation of Orders, Returns and Payments

Related read –

• FMCG Industry challenges in India
• Healthcare Industry: Trends, Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions
• What is Warehouse Management System?
• Logistics vs Supply Chain Management
• How is Batch Management Critical in Warehouse Operations?
• Top 7 Challenges of Order Management System in E-commerce
• Simplifying Receiving and Putaway Operations of Warehouse

Uncover Leading Brands Success with Unicommerce! –

• Mamaearth Attained 99.99% Order Fulfillment Rate
• Upscalio Achieved a 99%+ Order Fulfillment Rate with 100%+ Order Growth
• Dhani Healthcare Streamlined Operations Across 166 Facilities
• Urban Company Achieved 8X Growth in Sales Volume
• Plum Goodness Streamlined Inventory Operations with 69% Growth Rate in Sales
• Marico Achieved 100% Growth in Sales
• Bulbul Simplified Selling Across 200+ Vendors
• Chumbak Lifestyle Boost Sales Across 58+ Retail Stores
• TCNS Achieved 9X Growth in Sales
• Hamilton Housewares Attained 96%+ Pick Accuracy Rate

The post E-commerce Apparel Industry in India: Trends, Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions appeared first on unicommerce.com.

With Amazon Global Selling Program, a program by Amazon that allows the sellers to list and sell their products on Amazon’s global marketplaces. You can smoothly go on a spree to sell internationally. Amazon has put a lot of effort into helping the eCommerce sellers sell internationally. 

Still unclear?  Let’s go on an in-depth understanding of how it works and how you should be ready before entering the international business. 

Why Sell Internationally?

Even though  e-commerce vendors consider international selling to be intimidating, here are the reasons to change your mind:

• Huge Customer Base

With Amazon Global Selling (AGS) program, you can tap and sell into different countries and engage millions of customers. Your unique products have a chance to gain popularity and sell at an exponential rate when you broaden your horizon. 

• Pick, Pack & Ship (Amazon FBA)

International shipping or customer service is no longer an issue! Fulfillment Services by Amazon (FBA) are at your rescue! The process of this is simple. Your products/items are stored in the fulfillment centers with Amazon doing all the picking, packing, and shipping, along with providing customer services. Currently, FBA offers three international fulfillment programs for you to select from in order to create your product listings.

• Opportunities to Sell on Different Marketplaces

Currently, Amazon operates in 13 global online marketplaces. It enables the sellers to expand their business globally, irrespective of their business being physically established somewhere else.

How to sell internationally with Amazon Global Selling?

• Register on the Desired Online Marketplace

Once you have made up your mind to expand your business internationally, the first step is to create your Amazon seller account for the respective country you want to sell in. For you to register and sell on Amazon Global, you have to pay a monthly fee for each active account.

• List Your Products

After completing the registration, list all your products and items you want to sell. Select offers by defining rules, or choose specific SKUs.

• Customers Purchases

When customers see your products and make a purchase, you automatically get notified where to ship your products.

• Deliver  Orders

You can either deliver products to the customers and confirm the shipments on your own or choose Amazon Fulfillment Services to fulfill the orders.

• Amazon Fees and Deductions

Amazon will deduct its usual fee from the customer’s account and transfer the funds to your listed bank account. Now that you have a clear choice, here are some tips and guidance on how to enter the Amazon Global Selling Program.

Five Essential Things To Do Before Entering Amazon Global Selling

• Optimize Inventory in Real-time

When you are selling internationally, you shouldn’t leave any scope for errors because one mistake could bear huge losses. You should ensure the timely and accurate stocking of goods. The best option is to automate your inventory management system. This will update, replenish, and provide you an exact stock position. 

You should no longer bank on excel spreadsheets and run inventory software manually if you are aiming to expand your footprints in different geographies. To grow unhesitatingly, you should have sustainable and reliable inventory support to gear up your business operations. Constant monitoring of stock movements and analyzing the data helps to build a steady stock pipeline and disbursement across all the sales platforms.

• Reassemble Warehouse Operations

Warehouse operations are the backbone of any eCommerce business. Centralize crucial tasks such as maintaining healthy stock levels automatically and location-allocation in multiple warehouse sites for you to save time in traversing to the shipping sites. Given that omnichannel solutions are taking commercial activities by storm, keep yourself updated by tracking warehouse activities. Track every item moved in or out of the warehouse, thus reducing the difference between actual inventory and virtual inventory.  Along with this, build the capability to process orders in bulk and reduce operational costs.

• Ensure the Best Logistic Services

If you are not employing the fulfillment services by Amazon (FBA), then you need to make sure that you choose a logistics provider available at hand. You need to have a system that provides you the best logistic service and shipment partner because international shipping requires its own sweet time. You need to be prepared well in advance to make timely delivery.

• Leverage Technology for Shipment Status

Whether you choose FBA or fulfill orders on your own, you need to keep track of the orders. It doesn’t get over with just tracking the status of customer’s orders. You also have to track the shipment of your stock from manufacturers so that you can optimize your warehouse well in advance.

• Hasslefree Order Returns Management

International selling can grow intimidating if you are unable to manage order returns. The volume of returns from multi-channels poses a tough challenge to manage the returns impeccably. Courier returns or returns to the point of origin, and customer-initiated returns need to be differentiated with a proper procedure. The best way to manage order returns is to automate the order returns management process. When you have a centralized panel to manage returns across all sales channels, it improves your overall profit as well as the customer’s experience.

Unicommerce is your one-stop solution for all your supply chain operations and to help you get ready for the international market. Along with that, you can also tap into additional marketplaces as we have 200+ integrations with leading marketplaces and logistics providers. Align your business now with Unicommerce and spread your horizon in the international market place. 

Read Unicommerce’s Success Story with Top Brand – 

• Mamaearth Attained 99.99% Order Fulfillment Rate
• Dhani Healthcare Streamlined Operations Across 166 Facilities
• Urban Company Achieved 8X Growth in Sales Volume
• Plum Goodness Streamlined Inventory Operations with 69% Growth Rate in Sales
• Marico Achieved 100% Growth in Sales

The post Amazon Global Selling Program: Your Key to Sell on the International Marketplaces appeared first on unicommerce.com.

Tracking the status of orders received via marketplaces and (D2C) websites is crucial for any business. The inability to easily track order status can lead to confusion, delays, and unhappy customers. Don’t let this happen to your e-commerce business.

In this guide, we’ll dive deep into the world of order management and processing and provide you with a step-by-step guide that covers everything from tracking orders to handling returns. So let’s get started!

E-commerce Order Management: A Brief Overview

Order management refers to the process of tracking, managing, and fulfilling customer orders, from the time they are placed until they are delivered. This includes tracking inventory, processing payments, shipping, tracking orders, handling returns and refunds, and providing customer service.

A robust e-commerce order management system (OMS) is essential for any e-commerce business. It ensures that orders are processed efficiently, inventory levels are accurately maintained, and customers are kept informed about every step of their order journey. By streamlining order processing, e-commerce businesses can improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs and improve overall efficiency, leading to a better bottom line.

Order Management Process Flow: Key Steps

• Step 1: Order Received on Marketplace or D2C Website
• Step 2: Order Details Received via APIs Sent to WMS
• Step 3: Creating the Picklist
• Step 4: Order Picking and Packing
• Step 5: Shipping the Order
• Step 6: The Post-Sales Follow-Up Process

The order management process starts with receiving an order and ends with ensuring the customer is happy with their purchase. Here are the key steps in this process:

Step 1: Order Received on Marketplace or D2C Website

The “Order Received” step marks the start of the order management process when a customer places an order on a marketplace or D2C website. At this point, it’s important to verify that all the necessary information is captured correctly, like customer details, item details, quantity, etc., and that the payment mode should be confirmed. This helps ensure that the order can be efficiently and effectively processed at the warehouse.

Read: How Honasa Consumer, the parent company of Mamaearth, attained a 99.99%+ Order Fulfillment rate for its D2C operations?

Step 2: Order Details Received via APIs Sent to WMS

Using APIs in order management helps businesses automate processes, improve accuracy, and streamline operations. For example, when an order is placed on a D2C website, the order details, such as customer information, item details, and shipping details, are sent via API to the warehouse.

This allows for real-time updates on inventory and order status and enables warehouse staff to quickly and efficiently pick, pack and ship the order.

Step 3: Creating the Picklist

Now that the order details are received, they can be passed on to warehouse staff through an automated process known as a picklist. This step typically takes place in the warehouse after an order has been received and the inventory has been updated in the warehouse management system (WMS).

The picklist is a document that includes all the information required to pick, pack and ship the order, such as product codes, quantities, and the precise location of the products in the warehouse, such as shelf details and batch numbers. Once this picklist is created, warehouse staff can use it to go to the relevant locations and physically pick the items required to fulfill the order.

Step 4: Order Picking and Packing

It’s time for warehouse staff to physically locate the items on the picklist and retrieve them from their storage location. Using a handheld scanner or a mobile device to scan each item’s barcode to ensure that the right products are picked and to update the WMS system.

Once the items have been picked, they are moved to the packing area, where they are inspected, packaged, and labeled for shipping. This process involves wrapping and packing the items securely in a box or a shipping envelope, adding any necessary padding or packaging materials, and attaching any required shipping labels or documentation.

Step 5: Shipping the Order

The order is picked and packed; it’s time to ship the order. There are typically three primary stages to the order shipment process:

• Stage 1: Order to Be Picked By Delivery Agent
• Stage 2: Order Picked and On the Way
• Stage 3: Order Delivered

Order to Be Picked By Delivery Agent: In this stage, the order is prepared for shipment, and the delivery agent is notified to pick up the package from the warehouse or fulfillment center.

Order Picked and On the Way: Now, the order has been picked up by the delivery agent and is on its way to the customer. The delivery agent tracks and monitors the order, and updates are sent to the OMS and the customer.

Order Delivered: The last phase of order fulfillment is the actual delivery of the package to the customer and updating the OMS with delivery details.

Read: How XYXX, One of the Leading Men’s Innerwear D2C brand Streamlined its Inventory and Order Management across 17+ marketplaces?

Step 6: The Post-Sales Follow-Up Process

The post-sales process is the final step in order management and is crucial in building and maintaining customer loyalty. This typically includes thanking the customer for their order and ensuring they are satisfied with the product.

In case of a return, several steps are taken to ensure the return process goes smoothly:

• Step 1: Return Initiated
• Step 2: Return Picked
• Step3: Return Received
• Step4: Return Processed

Return Initiated: The customer initiates the return process by contacting the customer service team, either through the marketplace or D2C website or by phone, to request a return. The customer has to provide the order number and a reason for the return.

Return Picked: Once the customer service team authorizes the return, a return pick-up is scheduled, and a delivery agent is dispatched to collect the returned item from the customer.

Return Received: When the order is picked up, it is received and inspected by the warehouse to ensure that it is in the same condition as when it was shipped. The return information is also updated in the warehouse management system (WMS).

Return Processed: After the item is received and checked, it is processed, and a refund, replacement, or credit note is issued to the customer based on the return policy and the condition of the item.
By having a well-defined and efficient post-sales follow-up process in place for returns, e-commerce businesses can ensure that customers can easily initiate and process returns.

Watch how Order Management System (OMS) helps in timely order fulfillment –

Wrapping Up!

Optimizing order management process flow is important for every e-commerce business. Only a fully integrated OMS can automate processes and provide real-time updates on inventory and order status.

When choosing your order management system, it’s essential to check if it provides ready integrations with your shipping providers and marketplaces, as this will help you focus on growing your business rather than worrying about order processing and fulfillment.

Choose wisely and use technology to keep your e-commerce business moving forward!

Explore our platforms:

1. Integrated logistics management system
2. Automated payment reconciliation system

Related read:

• Top 6 Multichannel Order Management System Trends
• How to Pick the Best Order Management System (OMS) for Your E-commerce Business?
• Why is an Order Management System Important For Your E-commerce Business?
• Top 10 Key Benefits of an E-commerce Order Management System
• Top 7 Challenges of Order Management System in E-commerce

The post What is Order Management and Processing? A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on unicommerce.com.