在线交付管理软件：购买，不构建

Agile, versatile, reliable:the advantages of workingwith a tried and tested deliverymanagement platformrather than building your own Introduction:Online deliverymanagement Delivery management is about much more than ensuring that theright goods reach the right customer on time, though that can becomplicated enough. Done well, delivery management can make the differencebetween a poor one-off buyer experience and a life-long customerrelationship. It needs to integrate with existing ecommerce,business process and warehouse management systems. All of these things are constantly changing. So it is critical that aretailer’s delivery management platform is not only able to keepup, but to set the pace in driving new customer innovations For many businesses, particularly those with an existing andcomplicated IT infrastructure, it can be tempting to think thatbuilding a bespoke delivery management tool is the most logicalsolution. But taking this approach can dent agility, reducecompetitiveness and prove far more labor intensive than initiallysuspected. This guide explores some considerations for retailers andwarehouses when deciding whether to build a solution forthemselves or buy in from outside. The experience era Over the years, omnichannel retailers,ecommerce businesses and their warehouseand logistics partners have invested heavily ina variety of technologies. These helps acquirecustomers, speed their journey through tocheckout, and process their payments. Theability for these systems to work well together isusually critical to business success. But what happens after the customer clicks“buy” often determines whether they will buyagain or go elsewhere. The manner, speed, andexperience around deliveries is a key “moment oftruth” for the customer relationship. In 2022, 53% of consumers abandoned thepurchasing process due to excessively longshipping times1. Out of online shoppers, 85% saythat a bad delivery experience would discouragethem from buying from the same retailer again2. Ecommerce - and therefore demand for deliveries- is growing fast. One study from the WorldEconomic Forum estimates that global parceldeliveries will climb by 78% by 20303. For retailers to gain their share of this growingecommerce market, they will need the ability tohandle ever greater volumes of parcels - and thecomplexity that comes with that. Offering customers the best experience meanshaving the logistical infrastructure and transportcapability to deliver on commitments. In otherwords, it’s during the delivery managementprocess where the retailers’ promises do, or donot, become reality. The “beating heart” of ecommerceand multichannel retail In their quest to win over customers andoutshine their competitors, retailers mustcontinually invest in all areas of their business,from in-store technologies to payments, andfrom the supply chain to warehouses. It is logical for them to opt to build certainsystems for themselves. This could be to savemoney. Or the business could conclude itsenvironment is too sophisticated for an off-the-shelf solution. Or it might seem a simpleundertaking. Delivery management might seem like a primecandidate for in-house development: superficially,its function is merely to ensure that labels areprinted in the correct format for the carrierand that the booking process is sufficientlyautomated. Yet that overlooks the potential of how deliverymanagement can build and strengthen thecustomer experience. Done right, deliveries can drive loyalty, increaserevenues, and unlock novel business models- as well as improving business efficiency andimproving emissions performance. Here are six advantages that ready-built deliverymanagement solutions can have over internallydeveloped alternatives. Real carrier connectivity -out of the box1 Delivery management’s ability to buildcustomer loyalty and reduce costs hinges ondeep connectivity with the carrier (or carriers)the retailer uses to deliver parcels. Thoseconnections enable customer choice, powertracking alerts, and underpin returns. Providing the right range of delivery options canincrease conversions by 20%4as customers valuebeing able to make the choice for what works bestfor them. Many systems - including in-house ones - dependon retailers building those connections bythemselves, or hiring an integrator to do so, andthen updating them as carriers update theirservices. If their chosen carriers then extend their offer intonew areas – for example offering zero-emissionsdelivery vehicles, or PUDO (pick-up and drop-offpoints) - then the retailer must also revise thoseconnections, again by hand. Alternatively, managed carrier libraries automatethe carrier management process. If a retailerwishes to support a particular carrier or modeof delivery, they can simply select it from thelibrary, and add it to their checkout. No customintegration is needed. Harvey Nichols’ investment in nShift paysfor itself in less than six months Switching to nShift’s mu