Your product is ready to go, your marketing channel relationships are secured, and you’ve digitized everything necessary to implement a phenomenal B2B e-commerce business strategy. You’re all set, right? Not quite. There are still plenty of pitfalls that could sink your digital revenue goals if you haven’t paid adequate attention to the right analog processes.
Developing a strong network of multiple online partners who can market and sell your products is a great way to grow your top line – but is also opens the door to possible brand erosion due to late deliveries, partial shipments and damaged items. This can happen even when you have planned and implemented an optimum customer experience, resulting in the biggest possible threat to the best laid plans: disappointed customers.
The good news is these challenges are predictable and avoidable if you know how to look beyond online quote-to-cash processes and understand where your most impactful moments of truth with customers lie. It is vital to consider and mitigate these risks when dealing with new and unknown distribution channels.
Developing a strong network of multiple online partners who can market and sell your products is a great way to grow your top line – but is also opens the door to possible brand erosion due to late deliveries, partial shipments and damaged items.
Select the right e-tailers
It can be tricky to know what makes a good e-tail partner for every step of the customer journey. Most manufacturers know to look for a strong online presence and shopping cart experience in their partners, but leadership and fulfillment processes are equally important. Consistencies in warehouse networks, fulfillment centers and transportation methods contribute to creating positive customer experiences.
To best gauge how a partner might perform, take a walk in your end customers’ shoes and consider disruptions to satisfaction they might face. Most online shoppers like to know when their items will ship and arrive at their doors, so make sure every e-commerce partner has accurate communication processes in place to proactively answer these questions. It is also best to work with partners that are flexible in how they address differing customer needs. They should offer simple returns and easy processes shoppers can use to change delivery dates and accommodate special delivery requirements, like where to leave a parcel and available white glove delivery where appropriate.
The last mile is the most important one
Though every step in the transportation process plays a role in delivering a positive experience, none is more visible to customers than the last mile. There are a multitude of ways to handle the last mile, and ensuring partners employ the best one for your products and customers is key. Retailers who own their own transportation fleets have the most control over the last mile experience, but those who use other carriers can implement guidelines for how third parties should handle products, unload and present them.
Once again, put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If your product is shipped with excess packaging, there’s a vast experiential difference between drivers who remove it and haul it away versus those who dump and run, leaving everything behind. Examine partner processes for exactly how products are delivered and checks for ensuring guidelines are followed.
Packaging design that matches fulfillment hazards
Almost every product makes several stops between manufacture and end customer. A lot can happen on that journey, and only understanding what takes place at every node can advise packaging design that protects contents while avoiding the unnecessary expense of “over packaging.” Your packaging system design should match whatever hazards products may experience in the supply chain.
This includes how items are stored and handled in distribution centers, and if they are shipped on mixed load pallets during LTL shipment or with parcel carriers. Items that are stacked higher require stronger packaging, just as those that are unitized in certain ways may need better protection. These considerations introduce complexity that may not be present in supply chains where products are destined for brick and mortar retailers. The right packaging gives you more control of your brand image after products have left your hands and you no longer have direct control over their journeys.
Because every product, end customer and channel partner network is different, there is no one size fits all solution. Optimizing your B2B e-commerce strategy relies on robust analysis of several processes, and you may find different strategies are needed when variables change. With end-to-end supply chain expertise, Chainalytics’ packaging engineers are uniquely qualified to help companies find the right strategy – one which maximizes customer satisfaction while minimizing warehousing and transportation costs. Contact us if we can help you get started.
Nancy Matchey is the Vice President of Chainalytics’ Packaging Optimization practice, which delivers consulting services for today’s most complex packaging challenges across the supply chain.
