Order Fulfillment

Yes, Ryder provides e-commerce order fulfillment with swift and efficient pick, pack, and ship capabilities. Our tailored pick and pack fulfillment services are designed to cater to the requirements of both emerging brands and established retailers. We offer flexibility in handling direct-to-customer e-commerce fulfillment for any SKU profile, utilizing pallet, bulk, or each-picking strategies to ensure high-speed and highly accurate product fulfillment. Read our case study with Mugsy to learn more.

Cost per Order (CPO) in e-commerce is a metric that measures the average cost incurred by a business for processing and fulfilling a single customer order. It is a key financial indicator that helps e-commerce companies assess the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their order fulfillment processes. CPO is calculated by dividing the total costs associated with order processing and fulfillment by the total number of orders.

In e-commerce fulfillment, certain costs are occasionally overlooked, but they can significantly affect the overall expenses and profitability of a business. Typically, when calculating order costs, e-commerce businesses account for the cost of goods sold (COGS), shipping costs, storage costs, and more. While they are necessary costs to calculate, there are also additional costs that you need to incorporate. Here are some commonly overlooked order costs:

• Marketing and Advertising: The costs associated with paid advertising, content creation, and distribution.
• Returns Processing: The costs associated with handling product returns can be substantial and are sometimes underestimated. This includes restocking items, processing returned goods, and managing customer service inquiries related to returns.
• Customer Service: The resources and personnel required for addressing customer inquiries, handling order-related issues, and providing support are often overlooked. Effective customer service is crucial for customer satisfaction but may contribute to hidden costs.
• Technology Integration: While technology and software streamline order processing, inventory management, and other aspects, the costs of implementing, maintaining, and integrating these systems are sometimes underestimated. This includes expenses for software licenses, updates, and technology infrastructure.
• Payment Processing Fees: Fees associated with payment gateways and credit card processing can add up. Some businesses may overlook these fees when calculating the true cost of processing orders.
• Chargebacks: Chargeback fees, which occur when customers dispute transactions with their credit card issuer, can be overlooked. These fees can result from issues like fraud, customer dissatisfaction, or other disputes.
• Customs and Duties: For international orders, customs and duties can be overlooked. Businesses may face unexpected expenses related to tariffs, taxes, and customs clearance, impacting the total cost per order.
• Storage and Holding Costs: If inventory is held for an extended period, storage costs can accumulate. These include rent for warehouse space, utilities, and insurance, which may be overlooked when calculating order fulfillment costs.
• Promotional Offers and Discounts: While promotional offers and discounts can attract customers, businesses should consider the financial impact on the overall cost per order. Offering free shipping or significant discounts may affect profit margins.
• Environmental Packaging Compliance: As sustainability becomes a more significant concern, businesses may incur additional costs to comply with environmental packaging standards or to adopt eco-friendly packaging materials.
• Quality Control: Ensuring the quality of products before shipping is crucial to customer satisfaction. Quality control processes, such as inspections and testing, may incur costs that are sometimes underestimated.

Determining your Cost per Order (CPO) involves considering all expenses, encompassing customer acquisition, fulfillment, and shipping costs. To calculate the cost per order, you start by summing up all order-related expenditures—covering expenses for customer acquisition, fulfillment, packaging, shipping, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), and storage—over a defined period. Subsequently, you divide the total order expenses by the number of orders received during that specific timeframe. The formula for cost per order is expressed as follows: (Customer acquisition costs + packaging costs + fulfillment costs + shipping costs + COGS + storage costs within a given time period) divided by the total number of orders during that same period.

Reducing your Cost per Order (CPO) in e-commerce involves implementing strategies to optimize various aspects of your order fulfillment process and overall business operations. Several strategies to help decrease your CPO include:

• Reduce Shipping Rates: Work with a 3PL that has access to lower shipping rates with major and regional carriers based on their shipping volume. Also, consider a 3PL with intelligent rate shopping to select the lowest cost service to meet your service requirements.
• Optimize Packaging: Use efficient and cost-effective packaging materials to minimize both material and shipping costs. Right-sizing packaging to fit products more compactly can reduce dimensional weight charges from carriers.
• Improve Inventory Management: Streamline inventory management to avoid overstock and stockouts. Implement just-in-time inventory practices to minimize storage costs and ensure that products are available when needed.
• Implement Technology Solutions: Invest in technology solutions, such as order management systems and warehouse management systems, to automate and streamline order processing. Automation reduces labor costs and improves accuracy.
• Bulk Purchase Supplies: Purchase packaging materials, such as boxes and tape, in bulk to take advantage of volume discounts. This can significantly reduce per-unit costs for these materials.
• Evaluate Supplier Relationships: Regularly review and negotiate terms with your suppliers. Consider consolidating orders or seeking discounts for larger order quantities to reduce the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS).
• Address Returns Efficiently: Develop efficient processes for handling returns. Quick and accurate returns processing can minimize the impact of returns on overall costs.

All of these can be done cost effectively with the help of a third-party logistics provider (3PL) like Ryder, which offers comprehensive e-commerce fulfillment solutions that includes warehousing, order fulfillment, inventory management, proprietary technology, SmartRate shipping, and trained staff.

A micro-fulfillment center (MFC) is a small-scale, highly automated distribution facility designed to efficiently handle e-commerce order fulfillment in close proximity to the end customer. Micro-fulfillment centers are characterized by their compact size, advanced automation technologies, and strategic locations, often situated in urban or suburban areas to reduce the last-mile delivery distance. A MFC is typically 10,000 to 30,000 sq. ft. with approximately 5,000 to 15,000 high-velocity SKUs.