E-commerce, the electronic trade of goods and services, is reshaping the world of logistics and forcing logistics providers to step up, says Detlev Duve, Managing Director of DACHSER South Africa.
“E-commerce entrepreneurs require a logistics partner that understands this new dimension of logistics and can provide end-to-end services.” According to Duve, with the right logistics partner, retailers can reap the business benefits of improved communication, transparency into the supply chain, improved customer satisfaction, cost reduction and efficiency improvements. “The logistics partner employees act as a local extension of your business, from procurement to distribution.” From the moment an online order is placed to the when it is picked, packed and shipped, every step in the process must be handled efficiently, consistently, and cost-effectively. “Evolved logistics partners provide solid warehousing infrastructure and value-added services that enable e-commerce businesses to outsource this entire process,” says Duve. “This saves costs as businesses avoid the needless inventory management and complex handling that is outside their core competence.” When looking at a logistics partner, Duve advises businesses to ensure that the provider can deliver tailor-made solutions that fit their unique needs and requirements. He added that “in the world of e-commerce, same day or next day delivery is a necessity, so ensure they are capable of this, with a proven track record.”Value-added services are essential to an end-to-end fulfilment service. “Value-added services include the quality control of goods at the time of pickup at the supplier’s warehouse, product finishing tasks, sleeving (foliation) or re-packaging into new cartons. Evolved logistics companies can perform all necessary tasks.
Depending on the industry and the scope of the project, the following project-oriented and process-oriented value-added services are used: Product-oriented value-added services• Quality control
• Product refinement
• Assembly/disassembly work
• Packaging/repackaging Process-oriented value-added services
• Order management
• Labelling/price marking
• Processing of returns or complaints
• Sleeving “E-commerce is driving changes in customer needs and changes in the industry,” concludes Duve.
