Question

Discuss the major characteristics of e-fulfillment and the impact of this new paradiagm on a transportation service provider offering container trucking service only.

Answer 1

The major characteristics of e-fulfillment would be as follows:

-       It includes online checkout process, payment provider and an order management system

-       It is crucial for customer experience as the customers have to wait for the product to come after the purchase has been made

-       It is a great competitive advantage if implemented seamlessly. Sellers with reliable and consistent fulfillment process gain this advantage.

The impact of this on the transportation service provider is immense and players have to incorporate some technological and process changes into their systems. The major ones would be as follows:

-       Detailed Inventory Management: Careful planning and management of product inventory across all channels would ensure real time stock visibility.

-       Complete Order Management Tool – Transportation partners must offer the latest and most innovative technology interface to provide a complete view of orders placed and product demand.

-       Fulfillment Completion that is seamless – Flawless fulfillment of orders would ensure a good customer experience and the player should be capable of scaling to accommodate seasonal demand and sales during promotions.

-       Real time reporting and Order tracking – Enhanced view of the pending and completed orders would be required. This would be a crucial aspect for the e-commerce business.