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Ecommerce Fulfillment Software
Features, Integrations, Success Factors, Financial Outcomes
ScienceSoft applies 20-year experience in ecommerce and 11 years of expertise in building supply chain management software to help businesses design and develop effective ecommerce fulfillment solutions.
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Ecommerce Fulfillment Software: The Essence
Ecommerce fulfillment software enables automated processing of customer orders, analytics-driven stock planning and optimization, real-time monitoring of ecommerce fulfillment operations and inventory levels across domestic and foreign fulfillment locations. Such solutions can provide AI-powered guidance on optimal order fulfillment locations and order picking, packing and shipping routes to ensure accurate and timely order delivery to customers.
- Necessary integrations: ecommerce platforms, procurement software, accounting software, shipping carriers’ systems, a BI solution, etc.
- Implementation time: 7–12 months for custom ecommerce fulfillment software.
- Development costs: $100,000–$500,000+, depending on the solution complexity.
Ecommerce Fulfillment Software: Key Features
Based on ScienceSoft’s experience in ecommerce and supply chain management projects, we have summarized the features that form the core of the solution. However, each real-life use case for ecommerce fulfillment software is unique and the functionality is tailored to business specifics accordingly.
Order fulfillment planning and optimization
- Rule-based customer order prioritization for fulfillment based on customer value, order date, item category, service level, and more.
- Setup of order execution rules (e.g., automated order approval for shipment if the required number of items is in stock and the order is fully paid).
- AI-based suggestions on the optimal order fulfillment location (for omnichannel selling), the type and amount of packing required for an order, the optimal order picking route in a fulfillment location, order consolidation for shipment, order shipment route.
- Template-based creation of order fulfillment schedules with critical milestones like order packing, pickup, arrival at particular points, etc.
- Support for different order fulfillment scenarios, such as next-day delivery, same-day delivery, dropshipping, etc.
- Support of partial order fulfillment.
Stock planning and optimization
- AI-supported calculation of optimal stock levels (by period, inventory item, fulfillment location) and reorder points for each stock item based on the historical sales data, planned product promotions, demand seasonality, and other factors.
- Planning the expected stock supply dates based on the lead time specified by a vendor, inventory shipment status, working days calendar, etc.
- Multi-echelon inventory optimization based on the analysis of current demand, stock availability across fulfillment locations, inventory carrying costs, inventory lead time, customer commitments and service levels, and more.
- AI-driven recommendations on optimal time for inventory reallocation between different warehouses and order fulfillment centers.
Inventory receiving and putaway
- Inventory item identification and verification against purchase/transfer orders based on barcode or RFID technology.
- Flagging inventory items that require quality inspection.
- Automated generation of identification labels for inventory items, pallets, stacks, packages, etc.
- AI-based inventory storage suggestions based on the item storage requirements, expiration dates, demand forecasts, etc.
- Alerts on inventory items that have to be taken from a receiving zone directly to a shipping zone (for cross-docking operations).
Stock control
- Real-time stock level monitoring across multiple domestic and foreign order fulfillment locations using barcode or RFID technology.
- Alerts on low-level inventory.
- Automated calculation of the required inventory replenishment amounts.
- Barcode or RFID-enabled batch control to track expiration dates (e.g., of perishable inventory items).
- Reminders on inventory expiration dates.
Order picking and packing
- Order routing to an optimal ecommerce fulfillment warehouse.
- Automated inventory reservation.
- User-defined picking and packing rules.
- Automated creation of picking and packing lists for warehouse workers.
- Rule-based inventory kitting.
- Template-based creation of shipping labels.
Order shipment
- Setting up preferred carriers for particular item categories, user locations, etc.
- Automated generation and approval of customer invoices and package slips.
- Real-time shipment tracking.
- Planning the expected delivery time based on the lead time specified by a carrier and current order shipment status.
- Notifications to order managers on goods dispatch, shipment milestones, delays, etc.
Return management
- User-defined return policies to authorize return, exchange, and warranty cases.
- AI-powered validation of return claims against the existing return policies.
- Rule-based order return routing to a fitting warehouse.
- Real-time tracking of return order processing status.
- Alerts to the warehouse team on the returned inventory delivery.
- Automated workflows for return-related inventory processing scenarios (e.g., inventory item routing for quality check or return to the initial supplier).
Order fulfillment spend management
- Automated calculation of order fulfillment cost based on the required delivery date, shipment distance, item weight and size, etc.
- Planning of order fulfillment spend by period, item category, location based on the analysis of historical spend data (e.g., inventory supply and carrying costs, order transportation costs, etc.) and forecasted customer demand.
- Real-time tracking of order fulfillment spend.
- AI-powered suggestions on order fulfillment spend optimization opportunities.
Order fulfillment tracking and analysis
- Real-time monitoring of order fulfillment status (picked, packed, dispatched, in transit, delivered, etc.).
- A full history of fulfilled orders by period, location, customer, inventory item, and more.
- Tracking essential ecommerce fulfillment KPIs, including the number of orders (by period, customer, ecommerce channel, etc.), percentage of on-time deliveries, average cost per fulfillment order, the number of returns, and more.
- Scheduled and ad hoc order fulfillment reports.
- Forecasting of order fulfillment demand (by period, location, stock item, etc.).
Security and compliance
- Multi-factor user authentication.
- Permission-based access for various user groups, including order managers, warehouse managers, inventory managers, etc.
- Document e-signing.
- Intelligent order fulfillment fraud detection.
- Comprehensive audit trail for all ecommerce fulfillment activities.
- Customer data retention and deletion policies.
- Compliance with SOX, SOC 1 and SOC 2, WTO regulations, region- and industry-specific regulations.
Essential Integrations for Ecommerce Fulfillment Software
ScienceSoft recommends integrating the ecommerce fulfillment solution with relevant business-critical systems to maximize visibility of order fulfillment operations, streamline and speed up their planning and execution and improve productivity of involved employees. Essential integrations include:
- Online selling channels (e.g., a company’s ecommerce website, social networks, third-party marketplaces): for accurate order fulfillment planning and execution; to provide customers with up-to-date information on product availability, order status and location.
- Procurement software: to trigger purchasing of inventory items.
- Accounting software: to record customer invoice data in the general ledger and A/R ledger.
- Shipping carriers’ systems (for companies that rely on outsourced order shipping): for facilitated tracking of shipment progress.
- Promotion management software: for accurate stock planning taking into account potential demand spikes.
- Financial planning and analysis software: for accurate financial planning.
- BI solution: for facilitated analytics and reporting of ecommerce fulfillment insights.
Success Factors for the Ecommerce Fulfillment Solution
Relying on 11-year expertise in designing and building supply chain management software and 20 years of expertise in the ecommerce industry, ScienceSoft’s consultants have defined important factors, which can bring maximum value from ecommerce fulfillment software implementation.
AI-powered prescriptive analytics
To get intelligent recommendations, for example, on the optimal order fulfillment location, inventory reorder points, the type and amount of order packing, order picking and shipping routes.
Smooth integration with business-critical systems
For seamless data flow between ecommerce fulfillment software and a company’s ecommerce website, procurement software, accounting software, a BI solution, etc.
The use of barcode and RFID technology
To eliminate error-prone manual stock counting and enable precise automated tracking of inventory level and location.
Mobile access
To enable the employees involved in ecommerce fulfillment processes to manage the required tasks on the go.
Ecommerce Fulfillment Software Implementation Costs and Financial Outcomes
The cost and duration of ecommerce fulfillment software implementation vary greatly depending on:
- The number and complexity of a solution’s functional modules, including the degree of automation.
- The volume of data that needs to be migrated from the spreadsheets and/or existing order fulfillment software.
- The number and complexity of integrations (with a company’s ecommerce website, procurement software, an accounting system, etc.).
- Data storage type (a centralized database or a private blockchain).
- Required application types – web, mobile, desktop – and a number of platforms supported (for mobile).
- Ecommerce software availability, performance, security, latent capacity and scalability requirements.
According to ScienceSoft’s experience, a full-fledged custom ecommerce fulfillment solution with comprehensive analytics capabilities may cost $200,000–$500,000.
Want to know the cost of your ecommerce fulfillment solution?
Key benefits of ecommerce fulfillment software
Off-the-Shelf Ecommerce Fulfillment Solutions ScienceSoft Recommends
SAP Order Management Foundation
Best for
Large enterprises involved in international ecommerce.
DESCRIPTION
- Automated order capture from e-selling channels.
- Rule-based order routing to different domestic and foreign fulfillment locations.
- Real-time order fulfillment monitoring.
- Calculating and tracking essential order fulfillment KPIs, e.g., an order fulfillment rate.
- Trend-based forecasting of ecommerce fulfillment demand.
- Multi-echelon inventory optimization.
- Cloud-native integration points for sales channels.
- Native integration with SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP S/4HANA, SAP Subscription Billing, SAP Customer Order Sourcing, SAP Intelligent Returns Management.
Cautions: Order shipment management, return management, and ecommerce fulfillment spend management require add-on modules.
Pricing
Upon request to the vendor.
NetSuite Multichannel Order Management
Best for
Midsize and large omnichannel retailers.
DESCRIPTION
- Inventory planning based on the historical sales data and current customer demand.
- Automated order capture from relevant e-selling channels and data validation.
- Analytics-based order routing for fulfillment to the most economically or geographically feasible location.
- Support for complex order fulfillment scenarios, such as dropshipping and split shipments.
- Configurable rules for order picking, packing and shipping.
- Real-time monitoring of customer orders, warehouse operations, inventory availability across fulfillment locations, order shipment status, and more.
- Smooth integration with shipping providers’ systems.
Cautions: Substantial customization efforts to meet unique ecommerce fulfillment needs.
Pricing
Upon request to the vendor.
Brightpearl Multichannel Order Management
Best for
Fast-growing e-commerce businesses.
DESCRIPTION
- User-defined rules for automated order routing to a fulfillment location, order picking, packing and shipping.
- Support for multi-location order fulfillment, dropshipping, partial fulfillment, and more.
- Template-based creation of customer invoices.
- Real-time stock monitoring across order fulfillment locations.
- Configurable workflows for various inventory processing scenarios upon order return (e.g., putting the inventory item back in stock, writing it off or routing for quality check).
- Ecommerce fulfillment analytics.
- Plug and play integrations with popular ecommerce marketplaces, such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, Amazon and eBay, and shipping providers’ systems.
Cautions: Complicated and costly customization to smoothly integrate with legacy corporate systems.
Pricing
Upon request to the vendor.
When to Opt for Custom Ecommerce Fulfillment Software
ScienceSoft recommends building a custom ecommerce fulfillment solution in the following cases:
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You need ecommerce fulfillment software providing specific functionality, for example, custom order aggregation and processing rules, custom formulas to calculate order fulfillment costs, or AI suggestions on optimal order picking, packing and shipping scenarios. |
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You want to avoid costly and complicated integrations with your legacy corporate systems (procurement software, accounting software, a BI solution, etc.). |
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You need a flexible ecommerce fulfillment solution that is easy to evolve, e.g., with advanced capabilities like AI-powered order fulfillment analytics or RFID-enabled stock monitoring. |
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You have large teams involved in ecommerce order fulfillment processes and want to avoid costly subscription for market-available products. |
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You require a blockchain-based ecommerce fulfillment system for facilitated traceability of events and transactions across order fulfillment planning and execution. |
Implementation of Ecommerce Fulfillment Software with ScienceSoft
In ecommerce since 2003 and in supply chain management software development since 2012, ScienceSoft helps companies build reliable ecommerce fulfillment solutions.
Ecommerce fulfillment software consulting
- Analysis of your ecommerce fulfillment needs.
- Suggesting optimal features, architecture, and tech stack for an ecommerce fulfillment solution.
- Preparing an integration plan with an ecommerce website, procurement software, accounting software, a BI solution, etc.
- Implementation cost & time estimates, expected ROI calculation.
Ecommerce fulfillment software implementation
- Ecommerce fulfillment needs analysis.
- Conceptualization of an ecommerce fulfillment solution.
- Architecture design.
- Development and testing.
- Integrating the solution with relevant corporate systems (an ecommerce website, procurement software, accounting software, a BI solution, etc.).
- User training.
- Continuous support and evolution (if required).
About ScienceSoft
ScienceSoft is an international IT consulting and software development company headquartered in McKinney, Texas. We help organizations build reliable ecommerce fulfillment software to ensure timely, accurate, and cost-effective customer order fulfillment. Being ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified, we apply a mature quality management system and guarantee that cooperation with us does not pose any risks to our customers’ data security. If you are interested in getting a robust ecommerce fulfillment solution, feel free to turn to ScienceSoft’s team.