As you start to grow your brand, your customer base will start including people who live in different parts of the country, and your reach may sometimes include international buyers. While this is definitely a promising development, this may also pose significant challenges for you when it comes to fulfilling and shipping orders.
Retail Touch Points assert that to thrive in the current retail environment, "Supply chains need to be ambidextrous and flow should be dynamic." An omnichannel approach to your fulfillment process can address issues of scale and distance, allowing you to focus on growth.
Beyond the Local Market
Drop shipping is a mode of fulfillment that is made possible through partnerships with third-party wholesale and warehousing firms. When an order is made on your web store or through your call center, you can then forward the purchase order to a wholesaler, who will then proceed with picking, packing and shipping the order.
Under the category of drop shipping are private label shipping and blind shipping. Private label means that the wholesaler adds a return address as specified by the retailer. Blind shipping, on the other hand, means that the shipping label does not include a return address at all. For any of these modes, you can negotiate with the wholesaler so that your packaging and shipping labels bear your company's branding.
Your company can adopt the "buy anywhere, fulfill anywhere" model by incorporating these types of shipping into your supply chain workflow. It requires you to choose the right wholesaler to ally with your brand as well as create clear and repeatable processes for packing and fulfillment. You also need to evaluate which warehousing locations best serve your business needs.
According to the Retail Value Chain Federation (RVCF):
"By demonstrating advanced drop ship capabilities, a supplier can become more attractive to retailers, giving the company a competitive edge. Plus, drop ship can dramatically increase product distribution and even segue into a stronger presence in retailers' brick-and-mortar locations."
Solving Problems In Omnichannel Logistics
Many retail CEOs are underestimating the value of omnichannel for their supply chain, according to industry magazine PYMNTS. In fact, only 22% believe that omnichannel would have an impact on their business processes.
Your potential supply chain methods can be greatly enhanced by Connected Business's integrated inventory and customer modules, which allows clients to perform drop shipping using a seamless and fully integrated system.
Incorporating these to your retail model can give you a competitive edge in terms of your products' reach. For example, an ominchannel business solution enables you to have a constantly updated inventory across all sales channels. This means that your third-party wholesaler will not be in danger of understocking or retaining non-performing items.
Learn more about our inventory, warehousing and shipping solutions and how they can streamline your drop shipping processes. Contact us today and find out the value of Connected Business for a growing business.