The Current State of Omnichannel fulfillment

To see how companies are handling heightened customer expectations for product and availability information, delivery and return options, and seamless service, we recently surveyed manufacturers, retailers, ecommerce companies and others involved in omnichannel order fulfillment and/or distribution.

Overall, respondents paint a positive picture of today’s omnichannel environment but admit they’re experiencing some challenges.

Omnichannel fulfillment today

How well are omnichannel operations working today? The report card is fairly positive – although there is room for improvement.

Approximately 53 percent of survey respondents rated the performance of their current fulfillment operations as “excellent” or “very good.” At the other end of the spectrum, 12.6 percent rate their operations as “fair” or “poor.”

When asked which aspects of their order fulfillment and distribution operations they’d like to improve, order-processing speed and inventory availability/visibility topped the list for 46.2 percent of respondents. Reporting and analysis were close behind with 41 percent. Returns management (37.2 percent) and transportation (34.6 percent) rounded out the top five.

Perry Belcastro, vice president of fulfillment at Saddle Creek Logistics Services:

“Companies are recognizing that traditional order fulfillment and distribution simply won’t cut it. Omnichannel requires a significantly more complex supply chain to deliver the seamless service, visibility and speed that today’s consumers expect.”

Related White Paper

Omnichannel Fulfillment & Distribution
Omnichannel practices are still relatively new and constantly evolving. It is safe to assume that the future holds continued growth in ecommerce sales volume, expansion into additional sales channels and a focus on providing timely, cost-effective, customer-focused service. Download Now!