When discussing e-commerce, fulfillment and order tracking have emerged as top priorities. Globally, these areas have become hot topics, with countless businesses striving to improve processes and keep up with growing demands. However, logistics continues to be one of the biggest barriers to effective order tracking, even in regions where the infrastructure is somewhat supportive.
The current state of fulfillment and order tracking
Most e-commerce platforms offer basic integration with courier services, ensuring that order tracking is at an acceptable level. For greater flexibility in integrating sales channels and improving scalability, headless commerce can be a key solution. Learn more in our blog 'Headless commerce: the future of e-commerce architecture'. However, fulfillment lags behind, remaining a significant challenge. Whether it’s a big marketplace or a network of smaller vendors, the issues are still there. Businesses often struggle with real-time stock status and synchronization between what is displayed online and actual inventory levels. For many, the process involves moving goods internally between central warehouses and distribution points, adding complexity to order fulfillment.
The challenge becomes even more pronounced as the scale of operations increases. A survey revealed that 66% of B2B buyers find fulfillment and order tracking challenging, especially as sales volumes grow. While receiving nine out of ten products may have been manageable in smaller transactions, scaling up to orders of 10,000 items amplifies the issue. The same percentage error becomes a much bigger problem when larger volumes are involved, impacting sellers who rely on complete deliveries.
Customer expectations: B2B vs. D2C
An interesting insight is that 41% of B2B buyers expect to receive their orders within 24 hours. This figure reflects an alignment in expectations between B2B and D2C (direct-to-consumer) purchases. Buyers no longer differentiate between the two; the seamless and quick experience they’re accustomed to with D2C now shapes their expectations in B2B commerce. Whether an order is for hundreds of thousands of products or a few pallets, buyers expect efficient service with minimal delays.
Yet, reality falls short of these expectations. In practice, achieving 24-hour delivery for most B2B transactions remains challenging, and only 24% of customers even expect delivery in under two hours. While this is theoretically possible for small-scale, local transactions, it’s far from achievable for the majority of B2B or D2C purchases.
The pressure to optimize
The push for faster delivery times underscores the need for B2B commerce to optimize its operations. B2B marketplaces are setting new standards in order fulfillment.
See how they drive efficiency in our blog 'The rise of B2B marketplaces and why order fulfillment matters'. Meeting customer demands requires more than just technological upgrades; it demands a comprehensive approach that involves logistics, warehouse management, and process optimization. This includes internal logistics, the organization of central warehouses, inventory management software, and a streamlined order journey from initiation to final delivery. Moreover, the tracking must extend beyond just online orders to include other sales channels, whether through apps or tools used by sales teams and partners.
The technological boom has raised customer expectations significantly, but aligning them with internal processes remains a challenge. High expectations require robust systems and collaboration between multiple stakeholders, from technology providers to internal teams.
Prioritizing fulfillment and tracking
As B2B e-commerce continues to evolve, fulfillment and order tracking will remain a top priority. Current resources and tools are available but often underutilized. The transformation of B2B e-commerce is expected to accelerate, surpassing the pace of B2C development due to the knowledge already gained in the e-commerce sector. Social media is playing a growing role in the expansion of B2B sales. Read about best practices for leveraging social platforms in our blog 'The role of social media in B2B e-commerce'.. As businesses adapt to meet rising customer expectations—now mirroring those of D2C—incorporating these insights will be key to staying competitive and meeting evolving demands.
To wrap it up
Businesses that prioritize fulfillment and order tracking will position themselves for long-term success. The need to bridge the gap between rising customer expectations and internal processes will push B2B commerce to new heights, emphasizing the importance of logistics, effective communication, and technological integration.
If you're looking to optimize your e-commerce processes or need a hand with getting started, don’t hesitate to reach out!
