It is exciting to start an online business, but the main hurdle isn’t getting it set up—it’s keeping track of orders as your sales grow. Orders can be a complete nightmare to manage, so unarguably, you require an intelligent and comprehensive Order Management System solution that is equipped to manage the order lifecycle. An OMS for BigCommerce can help you achieve operational efficiency and solve these challenges.
This blog will highlight some of the main BigCommerce order management challenges in managing your order-to-fulfillment process and how an OMS can solve them for you.
Order Management Explained and Why You Need It
Order management is the structured process for receiving, fulfilling, and tracking orders or services to meet customer expectations. This can include a complete product buying lifecycle from purchase to delivery. Efficient order management offers an exceptional customer experience, business intelligence, and resource optimization. However, managing orders in BigCommerce is tricky. With a robust OMS for BigCommerce, it becomes easier to manage your eCommerce store.
Workflow of the OMS:
- Receiving Orders: Gather orders from different sales channels.
- Handling Orders: Receiving payments and preparing orders for delivery.
- Pick & Pack: Picking and packing goods for shipment.
- Logistics: Shipping out orders and tracking information, etc.
- Post Delivery: Returns, refunds, and customer feedback.
Order Management in BigCommerce
The order lifecycle on BigCommerce starts with receiving an order. Order details can be displayed without signing in, using an email and text notifications link. BigCommerce integrates various OMS solutions, including NetSuite, Brightpearl, and Order Desk. These integrations help mitigate BigCommerce order fulfillment challenges and automate order routing in BigCommerce.
Common Challenges and Solutions in Order Management for BigCommerce
Customers may have bad experiences due to errors in the order handling, which can make them dissatisfied. On the other hand, merchants may struggle with general BigCommerce order management challenges like App integration complexity, Data portability, BigCommerce inventory management complexity, etc. So, how to improve BigCommerce order management and match pace with OMS trends? Here is the answer.
1. Managing Multiple Order Sources
Challenge: Orders can come from multiple channels and marketplaces. These orders can be complex to consolidate and manage.
Solution:
- Merchants can manage orders through BigCommerce omnichannel selling
- Sync inventory and sales data with POS platforms such as Square and Clover.
- Tap into BigCommerce’s native channel integration features to handle orders from marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Google.
2. Inventory Management
Challenge: Maintaining real-time inventory levels across multiple channels is tough. Also, how to overcome overselling in BigCommerce? This often comes to the mind of online merchants.
Solution:
- BigCommerce consolidates your orders and automatically updates inventory levels in real time.
- It allows the third-party integrations such as Skubana or Brightpearl to sync data from multiple warehouses and manage inventory more efficiently.
3. Order Fulfillment
Challenge: Picking, packing, and shipping orders consume more time and resources. If you have in-house fulfillment, you need to update each order stage manually. In addition, during peak seasons, managing orders and maintaining records to ensure the warehouse is well-stocked can be painful.
Solution:
- BigCommerce allows you to choose picking methods like single, batch or zone, based on your warehouse size and order volume.
- Use the right-sized boxes and packing material to automate the ordering stages.
- Integrate shipping carriers with BigCommerce solutions like ShipStation and Easyship to easily print labels and have an overview of orders.
4. Shipping and Tracking
Challenge: Bulk orders are difficult to manage because they require many changes from marketplaces to shipment plans. So, it’s critical to ensure orders are shipped correctly and customers are provided with tracking information.
Solution:
- Merchants can use third-party logistics (3PL) services integrated with BigCommerce, such as USPS, UPS, or FedEx.
- Use the USPS by Endicia integration to print shipping labels directly from the control panel.
- Provide customers with tracking numbers using third-party apps like AfterShip.
5. Post-Sale Experience
Challenge: Not only sales but also the experience after the sale matters the most. It helps your brand get promoted through word of mouth. But most eCommerce stores struggle with managing returns and providing excellent post-sale customer service.
Solution:
To address this issue, you can give your customers an easy return process and self-help services like:
- A clear and easy-to-find return policy that is friendly to the customer.
- Create a self-service returns portal for your customers with AfterShip and ShipStation.
- Check-in with customers post-delivery to reaffirm their purchase and keep them returning for more.
Best Practices in Order Management
- Centralized Order and Inventory Management: Aggregate orders from various channels in one place.
- Secure Transactions: Payment gateways should be PCI-compliant.
- Minimize Errors: Train staff on the BigCommerce control panel.
- Efficient Order Fulfillment: Introduce BigCommerce order processing automation in picking, packing, and shipping processes. Arrange your warehouse efficiently. Verify orders for accuracy before shipping to reduce returns.
- Improving the After-Sale Experience: Build loyalty by following up post-delivery with customers. Use custom packaging for a better unboxing experience. Handle returns well to convert them into good interactions with your customers.
FAQs
Indeed, BigCommerce b2b order management tools can make a big difference in terms of how fast and efficiently you process them. Such tools help automate manual tasks like order entry, allocation, fulfillment, and shipping. This, in turn, helps free your staff to focus on other, more important tasks like customer service or sales.
The BigCommerce App Marketplace offers integrations with various solutions for inventory management, shipping, and other fulfillment needs.
Some of the B2B OMS solutions are:
1. Standalone order management software (OMS)
2. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software
3. Retail and B2B operations platforms
With so many options, choosing the perfect OMS can be confusing. You should also identify whether it will integrate with your existing platform or website. Additionally, you should ensure that you can keep track of inventory visibility and orders from your suppliers. Do some research, ask questions from the service providers, and choose the one that best suits your requirements and budget.
- Check on the items that can be sold as a backorder.
- Prepare in advance for your incoming inventory.
- Don’t pay for an order before it gets filled.
- Partial shipment can be a good option.
How can Ignitiv help?
Ignitiv can help you integrate top OMS such as BigCommerce, Shopify, and other major OMS solution providers. Their experts can provide end-to-end support, from choosing the OMS to post-implementation support.
Conclusion
A holistic and effective strategy is important to solve modern business challenges. In this scenario, a comprehensive OMS becomes vital to managing complex orders. Using an OMS in BigCommerce leverages built-in tools with third-party integrations. It can simplify the eCommerce order management process, enhance customer experience, and drive growth.
Are you struggling to manage orders? Integrate your OMS with BigCommerce, Streamline fulfillment & boost efficiency. Contact us now!
