Ten useful tips for your e-commerce logistics

If marketing is the mind of your e-commerce, logistics is its beating heart. This is why it must always be kept under control and running smoothly. But it's not enough to simply throw down a one-time logistical strategy when setting up your e-commerce and use that one on forever. Logistics requirements, as well as marketing and communication requirements, are constantly changing. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create this small guide that includes 10 useful tips to keep the logistical heart of your e-commerce up and running at all times.

1. Get to know your customers

As we have explained in other articles, a move that has beneficial effects on almost every aspect of your e-commerce is looking after your customer's shopping experience. Create a call to action to invite your users to become loyal customers. This way, your customers can enjoy an improved user experience and you can rely on purchasing habits in order to adjust the different logistical factors to suit them.

2. Know your products

It may seem obvious, but being familiar with the size of the product packages, their weight, and their storage conditions will allow you to establish a well-ordered and efficient warehouse. Furthermore, you can arrange your products according to which are the most in demand, so that you have quick access to them and can optimize your operations in terms of time and space.

3. Get to know your collaborators

The human factor in logistics is crucial. Using professional software to manage the warehouse helps a lot, but it would be useless if there were no specialized personnel to operate it. Make sure your employees or collaborators are professional if you rely on third party warehouses. During busy periods, don't be afraid to hire more staff and distribute the tasks in a targeted manner to each worker, especially according to their skills.

4. Know your growth potential

Even if you have 100% faith in the potential of your project, a rocket start is not always the best strategy. An excessive amount of orders may be as much a blessing as a curse. All that depends on is where you are in terms of your business growth. You should ensure that your business growth is not too slow but not too explosive, and that you are prepared for success.

5. Expand your sales channels

When you feel the time is right, you can consider expanding your product sales channels by relying on external marketplaces or collaborations with other online stores. Before implementing such a strategy, you should also prepare a logistics management counter-strategy.

6. Create ad hoc marketing strategies for your logistics needs

It is not always the logistics that has to be adapted to marketing needs. You may decide to create marketing and call to action strategies aimed at certain products that you do not want to leave the warehouse for one reason or another, based on the available stock.

7. Make the most of technology

Year after year, technology is becoming increasingly user-friendly in ways that are incredibly effective. This applies as much in everyday life as at work. For logistics management, choose professional software to organize seamless workflows that will allow you to quickly and efficiently manage tasks such as orders, returns, inventories, tracking, stock and much more.

8. Automate wherever possible

Some e-commerce logistics workflows can be automated for a number of reasons. Whenever possible, and while keeping the process under control through software, it is best to automate certain tasks in order to free up your time for other tasks.

9. Precision and lateral thinking

The two main requirements for optimizing the logistics of your e-commerce are precision and problem solving. Punctuality and order as your motto is one of the safest roads to optimal logistics, but it is not enough by itself. Even if they are precise, ordered and punctual, problems will still arise, and it is in those moments that a creative approach to problem solving can really make a difference. Keep these two factors in mind when choosing who to entrust with the logistics management of your e-commerce.

10. Keep the customer informed about their order

One of the gestures most appreciated by users who have just placed their order on your online store is keeping them updated on the status of their order. This is one of those processes we were talking about above that can be automated thanks to dedicated management software.

Once the order is generated, thanks to modules like this installed on your e-commerce, you will give the new customer a pleasant experience that encourages them to order from you again.