In the Ecommerce Track sessions at Descartes Evolution 2019, we discussed how retailers and 3PLs Transform the Customer Experience. Both can enhance their end customers' experience by leveraging Descartes Logistics and Supply Chain Technology. Highlights included the growing importance of real-time connectivity to business partners and sales channels, the increasing need for cost-effective and service-oriented warehouse and fulfillment, as well as shipping and home delivery capabilities. We also outlined how important it is to meet Customs and trade compliance requirements to provide extraordinary customer experience and sustainable growth. For all who couldn’t attend – here is a brief summary of this years’ Ecommerce Track.
We kicked off the track with the End-to-end vision session, reviewing major ecommerce industry trends and how our customers implement strategies to provide an outstanding customer experience throughout their supply chain. We discussed best practices around new delivery options and speed vs. accuracy, how to set-up streamlined order fulfillment processes while managing peaks as well as returns to meet and surpass customers’ expectations by using Descartes pixi™ Warehouse Management System (WMS). We also showcased how to increase international delivery rates by displaying landed costs. using Descartes CustomsInfo™ Manager at check-out and how to provide real-time status updates during the last mile using Descartes Route Planner with the Glympse solution set.
Our customers shared first-hand insights in the case study sessions. Calcuso, a “new age” school equipment supplier, showed how they are transforming the customer experience by using Descartes pixi™ Warehouse Management System (WMS), increasing productivity and rising employee motivation through real-time KPIs in the warehouse. ECU Worldwide shared their view on ecommerce opportunities for customs brokers and freight forwarders and explained how ECU has changed its logistics operations to succeed in the fast-paced international and domestic ecommerce market using Descartes Broker Forwarder Solutions. This session was then followed by a case study from B+S Logistik and how they made the leap from a classical contract logistics service provider to a fast-growing ecommerce company being able to pick, pack and ship ecommerce orders using Descartes pixi™ Warehouse Management System (WMS).
In the trade compliance case study, we conducted a Q&A session supported by our partner Vigilant Global Trade services on how ecommerce companies and 3PLs master compliance hurdles by unlocking potential in international trade using Descartes Trade Compliance Solutions. The session triggered a high involvement with the audience, navigating through how implementing intelligent denied party screening solutions, duty calculations and displaying landed costs at check-out improves the end customers experience when buying from abroad.
In our 2nd Annual Ecommerce Benchmark presentation, we revealed the latest tactics and strategies how leading ecommerce companies in North America and Europe are picking up on them. The biggest impact on ecommerce supply chains will be technology advances, real-time data exchange and the rising need to cost-effective fulfillment processes due to shrinking margins. Top performers are already tackling these trends and are investing in warehouse and fulfillment technology to make the difference and become a leader.
Two sessions dedicated on Descartes Ecommerce Fulfillment Solutions covered “The Global Parcel Explosion” where we shared what challenges and opportunities the unstoppable growth reveals for existing players or appearing new business models and how this is changing the supply chain landscape. In the session “Growing challenges of reverse logistics” we outlined how to handle returns more efficiently, how customers can make use of our mobile applications, and how companies can improve margins through analyzing collected data. In a session on B2B Collaboration in Ecommerce, we shared insights on how our customers use the Descartes Global Logistics Network™ (Descartes GLN™) to exchange information with the business partners, automate the purchasing processes, and enable drop shipping capabilities in collaboration with suppliers. A best practice session on combining several Descartes solutions highlighted the benefits of the Descartes Warehouse Management and Descartes Routing Solutions and how owning the supply chain process until the point of delivery reveals key business opportunities.
In the roadmap session, customers and partners had the opportunity to gain insights on the latest product updates and discuss roadmaps with Descartes’ product managers. New this year is the Descartes Feature Ideas Portal which will be launched for all products. The portal will be accessible for customers and partners to enter, comment, and vote for new features and improvements.
My takeaways from this year’s Evolution and the trends in Ecommerce Logistics:
- Ecommerce companies are leveraging the latest logistics technology to meet and surpass customer expectations and build strong relationships for sustainable growth strategies.
- Real-time connectivity to business partners and sales channels as well as the customer-facing supply chain is evolving as a key differentiator.
- When ecommerce companies use technology along their supply chains, they can be more productive, which translates into higher margins within a crowded market environment.
- Logistics-focused companies are or will be, influenced by ecommerce growth. Since the market offers huge potential, it is critical to developing a strategy to ensure success.
If you missed the event and want to learn more, reach out to your account manager today. Registration for Evolution 2020 in Ft. Lauderdale is already open, so don’t delay and get your team signed up to attend.