Shopify Order Fulfillment: Service Providers & Tips to Choose the Best Option

The Shopify platform is a global platform through which you can open an online store in a few minutes. Shopify order fulfillment options help you to clearly enhance the fulfillment of your customers’ orders, which has made many online store owners rely on them. That contributes to facilitating the electronic selling process and achieving distinct revenues, in addition to reaching the largest number of users, and in this article we will focus on talking about shopify order fulfillment and its importance.

What is Shopify order fulfillment?

What is meant by shopify order fulfillment is that process through which customer orders are fully fulfilled, from picking orders to shipping them to the customer.

Shopify order fulfillment services also help accommodate the reverse order fulfillment process, by processing return requests from customers.

Especially since Shopify has the modern tools through which you can:

• Returns tracking.
• Send recharge stickers.
• Restocking of returned goods.
• Submit refunds to the original method of payment.

The importance of Shopify order fulfillment

Shopify order fulfillment services have greatly helped online store owners, and enhanced the process of fulfilling their customers’ orders.

Which made most of the owners of online stores use shopify order fulfillment services. And the following are a number of points that explain the importance of these services:

1. Enhance inventory flow process

Shopify order fulfillment helps to improve the movement of products in their inventory better, during all stages of order fulfillment.

Shopify tools provide great visibility into inventory flow stages, such as SKU stocking, which enhance customer order fulfillment.

2. Increase customer satisfaction

One of the most important advantages of shopify order fulfillment is its great role in enhancing customer satisfaction by fulfilling their orders in the best possible way.

Which helps to strengthen and maintain the relationship between customers and your online store, and this will reflect positively on your sales and revenues.

3. Enhance revenue stream

Where shopify order fulfillment services work to submit orders quickly, in a way that ensures that customer requests are met.

Which helps you to keep those customers and boost the revenue generated, as well as compete with other stores strongly.

4. Multichannel fulfillment

Shopify order fulfillment can help you keep up with your online store’s multiple order fulfillment sources with ease.

This is because it provides you with the best strategies to avoid out-of-stock and over-selling cases. Which reflects positively on customer satisfaction and sales

How does Shopify fulfillment work?

As for the mechanism by which Shopify fulfillment works, it takes three forms, and you can choose what suits your business. Here are the formats in which Shopify fulfillment works:

1. Automatic order fulfillment

Through which automatic methods are used to implement customer requests, this is the most appropriate form for e-commerce companies that sell digital products.

It is also suitable for e-commerce companies that use third-party fulfillment service for all product offerings.

2. Manual order fulfillment

The second form of Shopify fulfillment, in which orders are fulfilled manually, is suitable for companies that provide products to customers on demand.

Or those that offer a partial fulfillment option, which gives them more control over orders and inventory management.

3. Partial order fulfillment

It is the last form of Shopify fulfillment, through which part of orders are fulfilled by manual methods.

It is useful for companies that allow customers to place pre-orders on products that are not yet available, and for which automatic fulfillment cannot be enabled.

3 Shopify order fulfillment service options

There are many options provided by Shopify order fulfillment services, and you can choose among them what suits you according to the nature of your business. Here are the most important options available to you:

1. Self-fulfillment

This fulfillment option allows you to choose to fulfill the items yourself, as well as decide how and where to store your inventory thus ensuring that each shipment is in the best possible condition.

This option requires you to partner with an Order Management System (OMS), through which you will get the best support for your business.

It will also help you manage orders and prevent out-of-stock situations by reordering your items to check availability at the time you order them.

2. Outsourcing to a 3PL

The second option, which is outsourced to a third-party logistics service provider (3PL), and through which you will be able to simplify workflow and automate inventory processes.

This will ensure that you increase the accuracy of the execution of your requests, as well as obtain the lowest prices for shipping services, which will contribute to improving your profitability clearly.

3. Dropshipping

Through which you can handle order fulfillment through your supplier or manufacturer.

Through this option, orders are executed through the manufacturer, which fulfills orders through the end customer without any intermediaries.

7 factors to consider when choosing a Shopify order fulfillment service

Before you make up your mind to use Shopify order fulfillment services, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Which would affect your business and the methods of implementation used, and the following are the most important of these:

1. Omnichannel fulfillment

Omnichannel fulfillment services have become very influential in the sales process, which has given online stores a unique opportunity to adapt to changing demands.

Which makes Omnichannel fulfillment not just a marginal add-on option, but a great necessity to meet changing customer and market requirements.

2. Warehousing software

No matter which Shopify order fulfillment option you use, you should consider Warehousing software.

Which would particularly affect the success or failure of fulfilling orders, so be sure to integrate a warehouse management system to control and monitor operations.

3. Shipping speed

Shipping policy greatly affects customer satisfaction, especially since they always expect a short delivery period when dealing with any online store.

Therefore, you will need to review the shipping options well, in order to ensure that customers receive their orders on time.

4. Multiple fulfillment methods

Using multiple fulfillment methods can help increase sales and keep customers satisfied at the same time.

This is by ensuring more inventory is kept on hand and also automating order processing which contributes to reducing shipping times to a minimum.

5. Customization

If you work with various products that need to customize the packaging process, you should pay special attention to this.

This is so that there is no delay in the delivery of orders, as well as ensuring the provision of appropriate customized packaging options that suit customer needs.

6. Partner integration

You must integrate with the right partner for you to ensure better results in your business. Mergers can benefit you in better fulfilling demands.

These operations will provide you with e-commerce technology solutions, which will enable you to grow your business in a sustainable manner.

7. Order fulfillment cost

Collaborating with the right 3PL companies can help you reduce your costs in fulfilling customer orders.

Especially since 3PL companies have enough experience to deal with fulfilling orders appropriately, as well as providing many shipping options, which helps you reduce costs.