As our users know, marketplace order management is essential for e-commerce success. Take SellerActive customer Island Watch, for example. Even if you don't know the name, there's a good chance you've heard some version of the company's story—or maybe, experienced it yourself.
Marc Frankel started his e-commerce business the way many founders do: by turning his passion—quality timepieces—into a money-making opportunity. He opened his online watch store in 2003, and quickly realized the business had the potential to become a full-time job. But soon after Marc left his mechanical engineering career to focus exclusively on Island Watch, he ran into a classic retail dilemma: how to keep up with increasing demand without overextending himself. More sales meant more orders to fulfill, and more potential for overselling or other errors related to maintaining stock. As his business expanded onto more sales channels, Marc needed a system that could help him balance inventory across multiple marketplaces and eliminate overselling and stock-outs.
How did Island Watch overcome the challenge? Simple: by using marketplace order management software. A smart order management solution allowed Marc to automate the order process, so he could focus on sales growth. As a result, Marc is able to save hours every day, minimize order errors, and boost his sales with SellerActive’s automated repricing functionality.
Here's how your business can leverage marketplace order management software to automate key processes and replicate the Island Watch success story:
1. Marketplace Order Management Makes Multichannel E-commerce Possible
Using an order management system is the fastest and easiest way—and perhaps the only way—an online retailer can grow on multiple channels. If you've done business solely through your website shopping cart and want to expand to third-party marketplaces, for instance, or if you're an Amazon seller looking to start listing on eBay, you're going to need an order management system. Otherwise, get ready to spend hours of every day manually updating prices and inventory levels to keep things consistent on every channel on which you sell, and using multiple tools to keep in touch with customers.
Marketplace order management is the engine that powers multichannel e-commerce. It consolidates all of your orders—from every channel you sell on—into a single location. You can view everything at a glance: what's been purchased, the marketplace it was sold on, and where and when it needs to be shipped—as well as which products need restocking, which customer questions need answering, which items aren't moving and may need to be priced differently, and more. This gives you the ability to fulfill orders, choose shipping options, and communicate with customers instantly and painlessly. With listings and orders synchronized between eBay, Amazon, Jet, Walmart, and other major marketplaces, you'll satisfy more customers and boost operational efficiency.
2. Marketplace Order Management Saves You Time on Manual Tasks and Reduces Order Processing Errors
Speaking of efficiency: consider how much time it currently takes you to process a sale, from the time a customer clicks "buy" to the moment that product leaves your facility. If sales per hour outpace units per hour—if orders come in faster than you can fulfill them—you'll never be able to scale your business. However, if you attempt to improve efficiency merely by pushing your employees to work faster, you risk overtaxing them and increasing the chances of errors occurring.
An automated order management system minimizes order processing errors, busywork, and unnecessary duplication of effort. It makes your business more efficient without placing undue strain on your workforce. With a marketplace order management system in place, there's no need for manual data entry when something is sold. Instead, all orders received through all supported marketplaces flow into a single, comprehensive dashboard, where inventory counts are automatically updated. You'll minimize instances of overselling or out-of-stocks—if not say goodbye to these errors entirely.
In addition to keeping track of existing orders, an order management system can generate low-stock reports, so you can strategize proactively, and stay ahead of potential issues. This is particularly useful during and in advance of high-volume sales periods, such as the holiday season. In seconds, you can create sales reports and lists of products you need to restock, and export reports to designated partners and vendors.
3. Marketplace Order Management Streamlines Fulfillment
Whether you fulfill orders on your own or use a shipping partner, marketplace order management takes the guesswork and uncertainty out of getting items out the door. An essential feature of many order management systems, including ours, is integrated shipping technology. Be sure the solution you use offers multiple carrier options—if it doesn't, you may be losing the money you're saving through automation on shipping costs. SellerActive allows you to compare shipping rates, in real-time, across all major carriers, including USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and more. By providing our customers with a variety of shipping partner choices, we ensure users always find the best deal.
Another must-have feature of any marketplace order management system is batch processing. If you're processing hundreds of sales—or more—per day, there's no need to go through your orders one by one when you can save time by printing shipping labels for your pending orders in batches. Our software also filters dropshipping orders: you can organize your dropshippers into groups, so you can coordinate locations and vendors, and export your results by vendor for clean and easy order management.
Similarly, automated custom packing slips can cut down on hassle while enhancing your fulfillment process. Getting your brand out there shouldn't add extra time to shipping and handling. Go with a solution like SellerActive, which can provide you with a branded packing slip template that prints pre-populated with the necessary information each time you mark an order fulfilled.
Finally, Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) integration makes fulfillment of every order a cinch—whether you sold the product on Amazon or not. That's right: marketplace order management allows you to fulfill orders from non-Amazon marketplaces (such as eBay, Jet.com, or your own website) with your FBA inventory.
With these tools in place, your e-commerce business will not only save time, money, and energy, but improve customer service and quality of life for your employees and partners. With a happier team and more time on your hands, you can focus on growing your business—or rekindling your passion for the hobby that got you into business in the first place.
Ready to learn more about SellerActive's powerful order management tools?
