While standard Amazon shipping goes out either the next business day or the following day and “normal” delivery takes 2-5 business days, it’s Amazon Prime that’s changing the whole delivery paradigm for 100 million Prime memberswith benefits like:
- Free one-day delivery for some items
- Amazon PrimeNOW, which enables Prime members to place and then track their orders with local stores—in real time—as local couriers rush to meet the delivery window the member chooses
How to stay competitive with the new 2-hour delivery benchmark
A tight, two-hour delivery window is now a must for businesses like bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants, enabling rapid delivery of the freshest products to app-enabled customers.
But what’s going on in the background when it comes to retail fulfillment in general? And how can you keep abreast of the surging demand for rapid fulfillment as warehouses race to keep up?
Keep in mind that improvements in fulfillment efficiency are in place, but fulfillment can be further optimized to eliminate added costs and delays. Warehouses need to continue to plan for growth in e-commerce fulfillment and order management, ensuring they have a record-breaking picking strategy that moves more orders—more quickly—from slot to dock.
A good place to start is by integrating all inbound and outbound logistics management systems and gaining real-time visibility into inventory. Likewise moving to a just-in-time inventory management strategy, automating the picking process with new technologies, and taking advantage of shelf-space in brick-and-mortar locations to increase in-house inventory closer to the consumer all make sense in developing a smart, omnichannel supply chain.
Last but not least, if you’re a retailer, gaining customers’ feedback, especially when it comes to their last-mile delivery experiences, is a make-or-break step.
Customer satisfaction is incredibly important in these days of high customer expectations and demands, which include the ability to track their orders on the move. DeliveryCircle helps you tie logistics into your order processing, so the customer can pick their delivery times and windows (say 30 minutes to 1 hour). With fulfillment optimization tools in hand, you’re well on the road to keeping your customers satisfied and ensuring your business stays well ahead of demand.