Attire Accessories - Dec 2017/Jan 2018 (Issue 67)

98 ATTIRE Running a fashion or giftware business requires managing an array of complex processes. Ordering and receiving. Pricing and invoicing. Selling and tracking. Shipping and servicing. The list goes on. When you begin selling on new channels, particularly online marketplaces, the complexities of each process get exponentially trickier, so it’s important to simplify each step. This is even more critical in today’s landscape, where customers anticipate a consistent shopping experience no matter how they shop, and they don’t necessarily understand the huge omni-channel fulfilment operation that’s set into motion when they click the Buy Now button. Customers, whether they purchase a product on your e-commerce site for home delivery or order a product to be delivered to your nearest brick-and-mortar location, want immediate inventory availability, fast shipping and a seamless end-to-end buying experience. Alongside that, this period of the year, with the increase in gifting opportunities, adds additional pressure, as customer demands begin to intensify and the emotional attachment to the buying process heightens feelings. Consumers want to get the best gift, and quickly! With that in mind, today’s retailers must find profitable strategies to deliver on their customers’ increased expectations, amid significant fulfillment challenges and complexities. Here are five best practices that help streamline accounting, inventory, and fulfilment so that your team isn’t stretched and customers have a consistent experience when it comes to knowing their order shipping status. 1 Embrace SKUs for common reference Product management across multiple sales channels can be dizzying. You’re likely to offer a different subset of items (and possibly patterns or sizes) on each channel, and each channel runs its own software. The only way to connect the differences is with stock keeping units (SKUs) , which serve as unique identifiers for the products you sell, giving a common point of reference for each across all channels. 2 Tailor prices by channel A benefit and challenge of selling on multiple channels, from your catalog/call centre to Amazon, is that you’re selling BrightPearl’s CEO Derek O’Carroll reveals the five best practices for omni-channel fulfilment Meeting customers’ expectations Derek O’Carroll

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