OMNI-CHANNEL FOR RETAIL WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AT A RAPID RATE DRIVEN BY CONSUMER DEMAND

The ability to make a secured purchase from anywhere, any time with any device is an ideal environment for our fast paced and data driven society. Customers expect to have instant information on shipping costs and order status as well as complete visibility within seconds of a transaction. It is estimated that over 55% of smartphone owners use their devices to shop which is now a $125 + Billion dollar industry. This new way of shopping can have big impacts on a company’s shipping processes, and often requires an upgrade to a more robust and integrated TMS. Omni-Channel order fulfillment can also become difficult. Successfully fulfilling orders requires real time status feeds and better integration between all of a company’s systems.

Because omni-channel customer experience is now a brand differentiator, the online ordering and delivery experience is paramount. Retailers will need to rely on their TMS solution to ensure they can deliver products to the right customer on time every time. Whether providing domestic or global shipping options, the retailer must have the right shipment execution solution in place to fulfill all orders.

Retailers should look for the following features to be included in their TMS solution:

• Electronic routing guide that will pick the best route given the shipping inputs/business rules
• Automated business rules and workflows to control multi-carrier and multi-modal shipping costs, and optimize shipment consolidation through zone skipping and grouping
• Large carrier network to include both regional & global carriers
• The ability to track inbound and outbound shipments
• Complete visibility
• Centralized rate shopping tools for quick and easy carrier price comparison and selection
• Shipment footprint data for reporting, analysis and tracking
• Immediate generation of shipping labels and documents

PRECISION Transportation Management Software gives you all these tools and more. Want to know more? Call us today at (312) 239-1630 or visit our website.