As ecommerce growth is at an all-time high, multichannel selling is promising a revenue potential that is too significant to ignore. But as the sales channels multiply, ecommerce order fulfilment gets more complicated than before.

‍

Nowadays, ecommerce brands are managing fulfilment through multiple providers, vendors, or systems. This complexity of fulfilment workflows, guidelines, and service providers can significantly hinder productivity, create excess costs and lack operational visibility. Eventually, they will reach a stage where further growth is impossible without a streamlined ecommerce model.

‍

In this blog, you will learn what is a full-stack ecommerce solution, the need for a full-stack ecommerce solution, and Eshopbox as the ultimate full-stack ecommerce solution.

‍

What is a full-stack ecommerce solution?

‍

A full-stack ecommerce solution is a combination of technology, infrastructure, manpower, and service providers. It provides ecommerce brands with the most efficient way of selling products, storing inventory, processing multichannel orders and delivering them to customers.

‍

The full-stack ecommerce solution also enables ecommerce brands to optimise returns management while ensuring seamless ecommerce order fulfilment.

‍

Moreover, helps ecommerce brands to manage the post-purchase journey to enhance the customer experience, such as real-time order tracking, proactive notifications for order status, and an easy process for initiating returns and exchanges.

‍

Now that you know what a full-stack ecommerce solution entails, let’s understand why you need it.

‍

The need for a full-stack ecommerce solution

‍

To increase your sales velocity, it is essential that you sell on not one but multiple sales channels like Shopify, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio, Nykaa, Snapdeal, Tata Cliq, and more. As different sales channels attract different shoppers, you can easily increase your ecommerce sales altogether.

‍

However, to sell on multiple sales channels, you need to get onboarded with each channel, comply with their unique requirements, keep track of inventory on each sales channel, and partner with many service providers (for technology, shipping, cataloguing, and more). This can get complicated and time-consuming.

‍

You need an end-to-end platform with the following characteristics:

1. A full-stack ecommerce solution consists of multiple services that are deeply integrated with each other
2. All the fulfilment services are rarely owned by a single provider. A full-stack ecommerce solution is an ecosystem where all the vendors and service providers are managed by one company
3. The composition of the full-stack ecommerce solution is determined by the need of an ecommerce brand, not by service availability
4. A full-stack ecommerce solution gives complete visibility of fulfilment operations to the brand
5. The unified platform also integrates business intelligence through advanced reporting, analytics and insights

‍

As the new era of same-day and next-day delivery has set fulfilment standards really high, customers expect fast delivery as a standard service. By managing inventory placement across the country, you can achieve fast shipping. But, as you're selling on multiple channels, inventory allocation for each sales channel can be a struggle. A full-stack ecommerce solution can enable you to split your inventory across multiple ecommerce warehouses without committing to one sales channel.

‍

A tech stack lets you leverage the most efficient, fast and cost-effective delivery. The algorithm used by the full-stack ecommerce solution provider will automatically select the ecommerce warehouse with available inventory closest to the customer. It will also opt for the most suitable shipping carrier. This means you can manage your inventory efficiently and reach your customers by reducing transit time and shipping costs. Moreover, you can maintain optimum inventory levels and avoid stockout as the full-stack solution will help you ensure timely inventory replenishment.

‍

Thus, you no longer have to juggle between different sales channels as a full-stack ecommerce solution can make multichannel selling simple, streamlined, and profitable.

‍

Eshopbox: A full-stack ecommerce platform

‍

1. Offers pre-built and custom integrations

‍

For quick and efficient onboarding, you need a full-stack ecommerce solution that has established integrations with marketplaces as well as shopping carts. It should enable you to synchronise your inventory and orders between sales channels and warehouses to automate your ecommerce operations through a unified platform.

‍

Here’s how Eshopbox can help you integrate:

• Eshopbox has pre-built integrations with marketplaces, shopping carts, ERP, accounting software, and analytical tools—to automate your ecommerce operations, completely.
• With 2-step integrations, you can connect with these applications instantly. Moreover, you can manage products listings, orders and returns from Eshopbox’s actionable dashboard.

‍

‍

2. Has a distributed network of fulfilment warehouses

‍

Distributing inventory across multiple fulfilment centres throughout the country to keep it closer to customers is known as inventory splitting. A full-stack ecommerce solution should enable you to do so in the most efficient manner to ensure fast order delivery by reducing transit time and shipping costs.

‍

Moreover, to rank higher in search results of marketplaces, order delivery speed is one of the heaviest weighted parameters. You can achieve this with lightning-fast fulfilment by splitting your inventory. Thus, choosing the right full-stack ecommerce solution will increase your product visibility and your ecommerce sales.

‍

Eshopbox has a distributed network of fulfilment centres across India—located in Mumbai, Haryana, Kolkata, Banglore, Dwarka, and Hyderabad.

• Multi-warehousing will allow you to gain a geographic footprint across India. This means you can achieve lightning-fast shipping speed, i.e, 2-day shipping and same-day shipping. Moreover, this will allow you to attain higher ranks in search results of marketplaces.
• Eshopbox's actionable dashboard and data-driven analytics also enable you to plan your ideal inventory distribution. By analysing your historical data, you can split your inventory with no manual effort, input or calculation.
• Eshopbox also traverses all the fulfilment centres and gives real-time insights into inventory location and volume.

‍

‍

3. Assists in attaining seller privileges

‍

Seller privileges are the quality badges by marketplaces that are given to businesses with exceptional seller metrics. Not all sellers are eligible to win the Amazon Buy Box and next-day delivery is one of the most critical metrics to win it.

‍

Additionally, you can win an F-assured badge on Flipkart with Regional Utilization, i.e. the percentage of local and zonal shipments out of your overall shipments. In simple terms, it means you need to be close to your customers for fast order delivery.

For both, you need a fulfilment network that can help you excel in these metrics by intelligently splitting your inventory across multiple zones.

‍

With Eshopbox, you are optimised for Amazon Prime, close to winning the Amazon buy box. Similarly, Eshopbox enables you to get an F-assured badge.

• Eshopbox takes care of Amazon and Flipkart's stringent fulfilment metrics criteria while ensuring one-day delivery by storing inventory across Eshopbox's zonal fulfilment centres.
• These seller privileges will help you build the trust of your customers to ensure higher conversions.

‍

4. Enables to use the same inventory across channels

‍

When you sell at multiple sales channels, you need to commit your inventory to some of them, such as Amazon while using Fulfilment By Amazon (FBA). That means you cannot use this inventory to sell on other sales channels. It will slash down your sales which could be generated by selling on multiple channels.

‍

Eshopbox has a multichannel solution that can help unify your fulfilment:

• When you store your inventory at Eshopbox Fulfilment Centres, you have the flexibility of using the same inventory pool across multiple sales channels, unlike FBA.
• You can still maintain the prime badge on Amazon. That means you can increase your sell-through rate by relaying your inventory to Amazon, Shopify and other sales channels simultaneously.

‍

5. Provides efficient inventory management

‍

Inventory management is crucial to ensure that you're never understocked or overstocked. While selling on multiple sales channels, tracking your inventory across multiple locations and multiple channels are challenging. You need a reliable inventory management system (IMS) that enables you to scale your business sustainably.

‍

A full-stack ecommerce solution can help you maintain item level accountability of your inventory by integrating with your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or any other business management systems. It will also help you compile real-time inventory data to provide data-driven insights.

‍

Eshopbox syncs your inventory across multiple sales channels in real-time to have the following benefits:

• Full visibility of your inventory levels across all sales channels through a unified view.
• Management of your inventory by conducting daily cycle counts and inventory audits. Ultimately, it provides comprehensive inventory reports and key distribution metrics to help you track inventory accurately.
• In case of a return, Eshopbox ensures quick turn arounds and adds inventory back to your active inventory. Thus, it acts as a single source of truth for your entire inventory management cycle.

‍

‍

6. Gives access to a strong shipping network

‍

To drastically improve your shipping speed and last-mile delivery, you need expedited courier services. For that, you have to tie up with national carriers with a proven track record. However, availing of the fastest delivery options from these carriers can be expensive as it’s unlikely for you to get access to discounts and negotiated shipping rates due to low order volumes.

‍

Here’s how Eshopbox can help you gain access to a strong shipping network:

• Eshopbox leverages a robust shipping network to reach customers across 29,000+ pin codes in India while saving 45% on shipping costs.
• Eshopbox has strong tie-ups and discounted rates with multiple courier companies, you can take advantage of bulk delivery discounts and provide fast order deliveries while minimising shipping expenses.

‍

7. Enables to deliver an incredible customer experience

‍

According to research by Oracle, 89% of customers switched to a competitor because of poor customer experience.

Creating an outstanding shopping experience is crucial for your ecommerce brand. You need a platform that prioritises one thing—delighting your customers. However, nurturing customer relationships can become more challenging when you are selling on more sales channels.

‍

With Eshopbox, you can enhance the customer experience by delivering an exceptional customer experience as well as post-purchase experience. When you’ll selling on marketplaces, Eshopbox enables you to delight your customers with fast delivery and incredible order accuracy.

‍

On the other hand, when you’re selling on your brand website, Eshopbox curates a fantastic customer experience with a self-service customer portal:

• Lightning-fast shipping speed across sales channels by distributing your inventory across India
• An Amazon-like experience with real-time order tracking with a branded tracking page to give customers complete visibility of their online orders
• Proactive shipping notifications for order updates via SMS and email
• Easy returns and exchanges as customers can initiate a return on the self-service portal within a few clicks

‍

8. Gives access to advanced reporting and insights

‍

Reporting is crucial to driving your business towards ecommerce success. You need data-driven reports and insights to steer your ecommerce business in the right direction and make informed decisions. You must mine data from each sales channel and attain a holistic view of your business. However, it can be time-consuming and complicated.

‍

With Eshopbox, you get access to the actionable dashboard, analytics, periodic reports and key metrics to gain visibility into your performance and make informed decisions.

• Real-time inventory and order view for complete visibility
• Inventory forecasts to schedule replenishment
• Zone-based sales data to plan inventory splitting
• Sales performance reports to find out your sales velocity, return rate and many more ecommerce metrics

Thus, Eshopbox integrates business intelligence into a single dashboard—helping you get a big picture of your business.

‍

‍

9. Leverages automated reconciliation

‍

Reconciliation is the most complicated aspect of the ecommerce landscape. You must be hiring a bookkeeper or accountant to reconcile your payments from each channel or doing it all by yourself.

However, many errors can occur while reconciling payments manually. Let's see how.

‍

Different marketplaces have their unique fee structures. Marketplaces deduct various fees before paying you for sales— these fees also vary from product to product.

It becomes a herculean task to track various fees applied by all the marketplaces and reconcile them against the agreed fee structure.

Even if you sell on your website and use a payment gateway, the fee varies on the different modes of payment—debit card, credit card, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and more.

‍

Eshopbox enables you to keep track of your payments and fees with automated reconciliation across sales channels—Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Tata Cliq, and Shopify. This will help you to track the fees charged to you and the payment received from the service provider and identify:

• Orders for which you have received payment
• Orders for which you are awaiting payment
• Orders on which fees are charged more than provisional fees
• Orders for which your payment is overdue

‍

10. Helps in returns management

‍

No matter how hard you try to minimise your ecommerce return rate, you cannot make it zero. Getting returned products back in your inventory can be costly and time-consuming.

‍

Fortunately, with Eshopbox, it's easier to make them simple and cost-effective. Eshopbox can help you manage returns efficiently by:

• Ensuring a quick and easy process for initiating a return
• Aligning return shipping of the product and conducting quality checks
• Making sure that the returned product is restocked in your available inventory and is re-sellable quickly
• Turning refunds into exchanges with easy one-click exchanges

Thus, Eshopbox is the perfect full-stack ecommerce solution that enables you to master every aspect of ecommerce—selling, fulfilment, returns, reconciliation, and customer experience.

‍

Bottom line

‍

Multichannel selling maximises your product visibility at every possible touchpoint with your customers. However, the latter part of the fulfilment makes it challenging. Adding more and more channels and service providers makes ecommerce fulfilment a complex operation that can easily result in missed timeliness, errors, slow order delivery, high costs, and a poor customer experience. You need a solution that owns the entire ecommerce journey—an end-to-end ecommerce solution to keep your business resilient. A competent partner like Eshopbox can help you with a full-stack solution to solve today’s fulfilment problems and stay ahead of the curve in future. Ultimately, it can help you reach your maximum revenue potential.