If you are a new Amazon seller in Egypt, you have a thousand and one decisions to make. What are you selling, and for how much? Are you reselling or creating your brand, relying exclusively on Amazon Egypt, or making your e-commerce website? Your fulfillment strategy is among the many things you must decide on as an Amazon seller.
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A Bit About Fulfillment in E-Commerce
Fulfillment in e-commerce is simply a fancy word about getting their stuff to your customers — i.e., how you fulfill your buyers’ orders.
Simple, right? Unfortunately, it’s not. There are so many moving parts and variables to getting your products from where they are (say, your warehouse) to your customers’ doorsteps. Here are some of them:
- Storage: Where are you keeping your products? Typically, you keep products in a warehouse, but you may have a separate fulfillment center for items that are merely waiting for sorting and dispatch. Naturally, you must consider how much inventory your warehouse can hold and how much stock you must have on the ready so storage crosses over into inventory management territory.
- Sorting, packaging, labeling: Fulfillment centers receive copies of orders, and employees gather the items that comprise a single order, package them as needed and appropriate, and then label them with the buyers’ details.
- Shipping: How will you get the sorted, packed, and labeled package from your fulfillment center to your customer? Are you going to do it yourself (end-to-end)? It’s possible if you serve only one city. Most likely, though, you’re using intermediaries and carriers for delivery. What’s the delivery pricing, and how long before customers receive their parcels? You must also have a way to track shipping journeys; are you using delivery management software?
- Reverse logistics: If your buyer wants to return an item for replacement or refund, how will you accommodate them? What is your return process like?
- Customer inquiries: How will you let your customers know their order is on the way or has been delayed? Will customers be able to track their orders without calling you first?
The above are examples of the specific matters you must resolve when fulfilling e-commerce orders. It requires masterful planning and skillful execution. If you can deliver shoppers a seamless fulfillment experience, they will likely place new orders and remain your customers. A quarter of buyers are unlikely to shop again from a store that took more than three and a half days to deliver their parcels.
Fulfillment by Amazon
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a fulfillment strategy available on Amazon Egypt. Your other options are easy ship and self-ship.
FBA is the strategy a seller chooses when they want their products to ship from Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Products under FBA have “fulfilled by Amazon” in their product descriptions, and they are packed in and shipped out from Amazon fulfillment centers.
In easy ship, you store products and pack parcels, but Amazon picks them up for delivery.
Self-ship refers to fulfilling orders yourself from your own warehouse or fulfillment center and using carriers you have personally chosen.
You can see that FBA is the most comprehensive solution — a solid, no-sweat, set-and-forget solution. Because Amazon handles storage, shipping, customer service, and even returns, you can focus on marketing and sales to increase revenues and drive profits.
The Benefits of FBA
FBA gives you a selection of benefits that can help you scale your business quicker and much more effortlessly.
1. Prime Eligibility and Faster Shipping
Enrolling in FBA grants your products automatic Amazon Prime eligibility. This means quicker, often free shipping for customers, which increases your product’s appeal among seasoned Amazon shoppers. Moreover, many Prime members filter their searches to show only Prime options, giving you — a Prime-eligible seller — an edge over non-Prime-eligible competitors.
2. Hassle-Free Storage and Shipping
No need to worry about cramped warehouses. Are you a window treatment company? You can offer your entire range of curtains, blinds, drapes, and wallpaper styles if you want; your inventory is stored in Amazon’s warehouse, and as long as you have brisk turnover, inflating storage fees should not be a concern.
You don’t even have to think about shipping estimated times of arrival. With FBA, Amazon handles the entire fulfillment process, from packing to delivery, which is especially beneficial during busy sales periods.
3. Round-the-Clock Customer Support and Reverse Logistics
Amazon has a distributed, available 24/7 customer service team that handles all inquiries for fulfillment clients. Surely there’s no way you can provide better coverage than Amazon’s gigantic customer support network?
When you work with Amazon fulfillment, you can rest easy knowing Amazon’s customer support team is on top of customer concerns. The always-on support, meanwhile, reassures buyers, enhancing trust and boosting sales.
4. Global Expansion Made Simple
Thinking of going international? Amazon’s vast global network allows you to sell beyond borders without the complexities of setting up operations in your target foreign markets. Through their cross-border fulfillment, you can reach new audiences, expand your brand, and grow internationally much easier than if you must handle fulfillment yourself.
Get Orders Fulfilled by Amazon
Amazon FBA in Egypt simplifies fulfillment, allowing you to rapidly grow your customer base, especially among Prime members. Since Amazon is the undisputed king of e-commerce logistics – providing consistently fast shipping and even outperforming logistics companies – shorter shipping timeframes than you can provide yourself are guaranteed. It also allows you to extend your reach to international markets and ensure delightful customer experiences.
Of course, FBA does come with certain fees and costs, so careful planning and a strategic approach are required to turn FBA into a critical driver of your store’s success.
