Aug 19, 2022 | Blog
As labor shortages and warehouse delays continue to cause headaches across the supply chain, more fulfillment centers are seeking out ways to streamline the shipping process.
One innovative solution has been an investment in warehouse robotics. While this technology can work to reduce the risk of human error, they’re also expensive. Most fulfillment centers wont have the luxury of adopting large, high-end robots to handle their picking and packing.
The thing that makes warehouse robotics so valuable is their capacity for automation. Workers can easily customize these machines to fit their specifications and have confidence they’re tasks will be executed without the need for more input. Luckily, there are cheaper automation tools available that make shipping easier, without the overhead that comes with robots.
Let’s take a look at warehouse automation beyond robotics, and see what affordable options there are to modernizing a fulfillment center.
What is Warehouse Automation
When people think about automation in the warehouse, they might think of a fleet of robots and self-driving forklifts picking items and carrying them across the fulfillment center. However, with today’s technology, warehouse automation can be achieved on a much smaller, and more affordable scale.
Warehouse automation is actually defined as automating the movement and processing of products when they arrive, are stored, or are shipped out of the facility. Automation also works to take some of the strain off your existing warehouse staff. By taking over some of the more tedious or laborious tasks, warehouse operators are better equipped to overcome challenges like labor shortages and turnover.
Rather than spending thousands of dollars on expensive new equipment, your brand can reach this level of automation with the right picking software.
Automation and Warehouse Management Software
Automation via warehouse management software, or digital automation, leverages the data collected throughout your warehouse’s fulfillment and helps recommend or push strategies that could optimize the process.
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages that come along with warehouse software that provides automated functionality.
Integrations
One of the key necessities for modern warehouse management systems is the ability to seamlessly integrate with other software platforms. Rather than manually input each third-party platform you work with to fulfill orders, quality software providers allow this to happen automatically.
If FedEx is your primary carrier, for example, your software should be able to integrate your orders and provide detailed shipping information without needing someone to actually enter that information themselves. Not only do automated integrations save time, but they also reduce the risk of human error, like entering mistaken or incorrect information into a platform.
Improved Safety & Security
Protecting the information of both their brand and customers is a top priority for today’s eCommerce brands. With so many bad actors looking to make a quick buck online, software providers have begun to emphasize their platform’s ability to identify and avoid potential scams.
Between firewalls, email filters and other digital security strategies, establishing these safety protocols on your own can get complicated. That’s why so many retailers turn to third-party software providers who can automatically implement data protection infrastructure.
eCommerce data threats can sound scary and difficult to understand, but by working with the right software provider, your brand gets an automated security system, giving you and your customers a greater sense of data integrity.
Data Management Efficiency
One of the most common hurdles for brands that run their own warehouse is organization. The placement and accessibility of your SKUs play a huge role in the overall efficiency of your warehouse. Finding the optimal approach to sortation, however, can take a lot of time and effort.
Luckily, this process can be made much easier with the help of automated software. Whether you’re receiving, moving, picking or packing items in your warehouse, modern software providers can offer strategies for placement to enhance the performance of your staff.
This level of data management is extremely valuable for anyone seeking to fulfill orders faster while ensuring things like accuracy and quality.
In addition to sorting, automated software can also leverage data to identify bottlenecks or slowdowns in the warehouse. When these delay points are identified, warehouse managers can take steps to solve the issue before the problem can impact the customer.
Conclusion
In the modern supply chain, automation isn’t something that’s reserved for only major retailers like WalMart or Amazon. In fact, small to medium sized eCommerce brands can now access the same data and automation tools used by the major players in the industry.
Warehouse management software providers like ShipHero specialize in helping scaling brands reach their full potential with automation tools and top-tier data management strategies.
Talk to our software experts today and learn more about how our warehouse software is built for eCommerce brands to stay safe and optimized for the modern supply chain.
Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO
ShipHero
About the author: Aaron Rubin is the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.
Follow Aaron on Twitter & LinkedIn.
Aug 10, 2022 | newsroom
Partnership will offer best in class pricing and service to shorten delivery times and increase satisfaction for e-commerce brands and customers
NEW YORK, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Veho, the customer-first logistics platform that powers next-day delivery for e-commerce brands, has announced a partnership with ShipHero, the leading shipping and logistics platform for over 5,000 e-commerce brands and 3PLs. Currently active in multiple Texas markets, including Austin, Dallas Fort-Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, Veho and ShipHero will bring best-in-class on-time delivery and customer satisfaction to support e-commerce clients and end customers across Texas.
The partnership between ShipHero and Veho provides merchants and their customers with customer centric fulfillment and delivery solutions. E-commerce merchants that leverage ShipHero’s state of the art 3PL services can now enjoy Veho’s next generation, platform-driven, delivery services for their customers. The two organizations are dedicated to the customer and this partnership puts them at the forefront of the e-commerce experience.
“At Veho, exceptional customer service is core to our brand and our company. With our ShipHero partnership, we have found a brand that is as equally obsessed with the customer experience as we are and committed to building the e-commerce ecosystem of the future,” said Itamar Zur, co-founder and CEO of Veho. “We look forward to giving our Texas-based e-commerce customers a new solution with exceptional service at the forefront.”
As an official carrier partner for ShipHero, Veho’s technology and logistics expertise will help ShipHero stabilize pricing for its clients, minimize dependency on major national carriers, enable domestic zone skipping and get deliveries to the end customer faster and more efficiently. ShipHero offers a fully outsourced fulfillment solution with exceptional delivery times (up to 30% faster than many in the industry), eight owned and operated warehouses in major metro areas, and a like-minded commitment to helping clients find the best ways to ship parcels faster while also saving time and money.
“At ShipHero Fulfillment, our goal is to provide our customers with low-cost e-commerce fulfillment in three days or less,” said ShipHero COO, Maggie M. Barnett, Esq. “Veho helps us achieve this goal within Texas and we are looking forward to expanding our partnership with them to more regions in the future.”
ShipHero Fulfillment also opens up options for clients and customers. “Working with Veho helps us diversify our final mile delivery network,” said ShipHero’s Head of Transportation, Karen Schwartz. “We appreciate that Veho allows us to find alternative options to national carriers, as well.”
Veho facilitates next-day delivery from a brand’s distribution center all the way to customers’ doors via its technology platform and a network of independent, crowdsourced drivers. Veho’s proprietary technology powers a platform that seamlessly matches demand for deliveries with driver-partners, enabling them to collect packages from Veho hubs and deliver them to consumers on dense last-mile routes—including offering convenient doorstep pick-ups at a customer’s request.
With real-time customer support, 99.9% on-time delivery rates, and an average 4.9-star customer rating, the Veho platform provides an outstanding customer experience that ShipHero can leverage for their e-commerce clients and their customers.
About Veho
Veho is a technology company that is revolutionizing logistics to enable fast, transparent, and personalized deliveries that increase customer satisfaction and drive customer lifetime value. For e-commerce brands, Veho’s platform facilitates personalized delivery and returns that protects brands’ premium experience from their warehouse to their customers’ doorstep. By leveraging live customer communication, in-market warehouse locations and a dynamic marketplace to seamlessly match demand for deliveries with last-mile driver-partners, Veho provides e-commerce brands with a complete solution to make delivery a new competitive edge. For more information, please visit https://shipveho.com.
About ShipHero
ShipHero is a US based, leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce fulfillment solutions that gives online retailers and third-party logistics providers the tools to ship more efficiently anywhere in the world. With more than 5,000 customers located around the globe, ShipHero offers online retailers a suite of services ranging from warehouse management software to outsourced fulfillment as a service. Some notable customers include Glossier, Mars, Universal Music Group and Canadian Tire. Additionally, ShipHero is the official fulfillment network partner for Shopify, and is rapidly scaling a network of warehouses throughout the US to meet the growing demands of today’s online retailers.
Aug 3, 2022 | newsroom
But having simply more data isn’t the answer; better and more timely data is required, says Maggie Barnett, chief operating office of ShipHero, an e-commerce fulfillment outsourcer. “It’s becoming increasingly more important to have quality data at your disposal, especially on the warehouse floor,” she said in a report from Shopify entitled Supply Chain Trends That Will Shape the Future of Ecommerce. “With the widespread application of automation, AI, and other technologies, it’s critical to have data that can help those technologies become even more efficient and intelligent.”
Read more at Focus Investment Bankers
Jul 25, 2022 | Blog
When any industry experiences rapid growth, it tends to draw the attention of scammers and con artists looking to make a quick buck. Unfortunately, the recent surge in online shopping has shown that eCommerce is no exception.
At the onset of COVID-19, retailers and buyers alike were turning to digital marketplaces for the first time, creating a large pool of inexperienced internet users exchanging information and payments without knowing how to spot eCommerce fraud warning signs.
According to Statista.com, losses from online fraud climbed to $20 billion in 2021 alone, signaling a strong need for brands to make a stronger effort when protecting their customers from eCommerce scams.
What is eCommerce fraud?
eCommerce fraud is a criminal activity that involves stealing money or information from an online transaction. Also known as payment fraud, these scams typically target online retailers using misrepresentation, falsified orders or stealing customer information.
Whatever form eCommerce fraud takes, it always has a significant and negative impact on the retailer’s bottom line. In addition to directly impacting profit margins, a breach of customer data can permanently damage a brand’s reputation, with customers regarding them as an unsafe option and turning to competitors for their shopping needs.
Examples of eCommerce Fraud
eCommerce fraud takes many forms, and in order to properly protect yourself and your customers, it’s important to have an idea of what scams could be out there.
eCommerce Credit Card Fraud
As an emerging trend in online scams, card cracking is becoming a major threat for online brands and their customers. Card cracking involves stealing a customer’s debit card information under false pretenses, usually over social media.
These scammers typically message social media users with the promise of easy money or direct deposits that they’re owed from a financial institution. Assuming these messages are legitimate, users gladly send over their debit card info expecting to make a quick buck. Instead, their information is either sold to other fraudsters, or used to buy items on the victim’s dime.
Card cracking can be tough to spot, but there are a few warning signs. If a new customer account starts making large volume purchases, or sends those orders to a number of addresses not tied to the card itself, it’s possible there’s a scammer on the other side of the transaction. Stolen card information is also commonly used in conjunction with other online scams, such as account acquisitions.
Account Acquisitions & Takeovers
Once a customer’s information is stolen, it can be used to either create a new account under a falsified name, or infiltrate an existing account to make purchases. This form of eCommerce fraud is known as account takeovers, and are often the result of substandard cyber security practices.
Hackers get access to these accounts by setting up phishing scams, which trick users into logging on to a copycat website and handing over their credentials in the process. Once this layer of security is breached, accounts can be accessed and customer information can be stolen.
As security protocols like two factor authentication become more commonplace, the tactics used to take over customer accounts have become more sophisticated. Rather than attempting a break-in for one account at a time, today’s hackers will use an army of online bots to attempt millions of these attacks each day.
How to Prevent eCommerce Fraud
With so many bad actors looking for ways to make money off of you and your customers, protecting customers from eCommerce fraud requires a little bit more than just a strong password. Let’s take a look at some of the steps you can take within your own site’s infrastructure to make sure hackers are stopped in their tracks.
PCI Compliance
PCI Compliance refers to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which sets a threshold of security protocols that online merchants should meet to safely process and store customer information. Meeting this set of standards helps ensure transactions can be made without the risk of scammers infiltrating the system.
Setting up protocols for PCI compliance can be complex, but most warehouse management software providers come with these protections included. If you’re new to the world of online data security, working with a reliable software provider might be the best way to protect your customer information.
Internal Security Audits
Even when using software providers to help protect your brand’s data, it’s important to keep online security top of mind. Regular housekeeping strategies like security audits can help identify weak points before hackers get a chance to take advantage.
Taking steps to frequently update software, change passwords and conduct sitewide malware scans can avoid future headaches and help keep your site’s reputation intact. Without these audits, hacked accounts can go undetected, allowing scammers to cause more issues over an extended period of time.
Understand the Warning Signs of Ecommerce Fraud
Even with reliable software partners and periodic security audits, hackers won’t stop trying to make a quick buck from an online store. eCommece fraud can take many forms, but there are a few warning signs that a scam could be underway.
Inconsistencies in data, for example, can sometimes point to fraudulent activity on your page. Accounts with addresses that don’t match their city, or mismatched names and emails can be a strong indicator that an account acquisition has taken place, or a user is misrepresenting themselves for a nefarious reason.
Other red flags might pop up when an account starts behaving unusually, or shipping items to multiple different locations. If an account that tends to buy one or two items at a time suddenly ships an expensive, large volume order, it’s a good idea to verify its legitimacy before the fulfillment process starts.
Conclusion
Although card cracking and account takeovers have become a regular occurrence in online shopping, that doesn’t mean your eCommerce store has to fall victim. By understanding the warning signs and taking preventative measures, you can protect your brand and your customers from eCommerce fraud.
If you’re looking for a warehouse management software provider that prioritizes data security, contact the experts at ShipHero today.
Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO
ShipHero
About the author: Aaron Rubin the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.
Follow Aaron on Twitter & LinkedIn.
Jun 8, 2022 | newsroom
B2B shipping can be a complex process. Between importing orders, printing container labels, and staying compliant with retailer requirements, eCommerce brands need a way to reliably ship wholesale orders while navigating a volatile supply chain.
In order to fully support wholesale fulfillment, ShipHero is excited to announce that our SPS Commerce integration is now available to software clients. With SPS Commerce in your tool kit, you’ll be able to ensure labels and packing slips are compliant while optimizing your warehouse for picking large orders. SPS Commerce also supports drop-shipping, giving you access to more retailers and a wider customer base.
Let’s take a closer look at the advantages SPS Commerce has to offer:
Drop-shipping
As consumers continue to shift their shopping habits to the online world, drop-shipping is becoming one of the most popular fulfillment methods for brands. With dropshipping, you can offer your products on a wide range of platforms, attracting a larger client base.
With ShipHero’s SPS Commerce integration, your eCommerce brand can take full advantage of the benefits drop-shopping has to offer:
- Increased Revenue
- Work with more retailers
- Cost-effective market testing
Meet compliance guidelines
It’s much easier to avoid chargebacks and time-consuming shipment rejections by using the SPS integration. ShipHero allows you to print branded case and pallet labels that meet the compliance requirements of the retailer. It also sends back shipping information to the retailer to alert them of product arrivals.
Full Case & Pallet Picking
With an easy-to-use interface and a direct integration with SPS Commerce, ShipHero is ready to take the stress of B2B shipping off your hands and make wholesale shipments easier to manage than ever before.
By offering full case and pallet picking to keep wholesale orders streamlined, ShipHero’s intuitive interface also helps identify optimal picking routes in the warehouse, keeping your fulfillment teams running smoothly.
When shipping B2B, there simply isn’t enough time to process every individual item included in a single shipment. With ShipHero, there’s no need to count each sku per piece. Instead, your warehouse staff can pick full cases and get them ready for labeling and shipment, streamlining large-order fulfillment and boosting your warehouse’s order capacity.
If you’re interested in learning more about how ShipHero’s SPS Commerce integration can take your eCommerce brand to new heights, schedule a call with one of our software experts by clicking HERE.
About ShipHero
ShipHero is a US based, leading provider of cloud-based eCommerce fulfillment solutions that gives online retailers and third-party logistics providers the tools to ship more efficiently anywhere in the world. With more than 5,000 customers located around the globe, ShipHero offers online retailers a suite of services ranging from warehouse management software to outsourced fulfillment as a service.
Some notable customers include Mars, Universal Music Group and Canadian Tire. Additionally, ShipHero is the official fulfillment network partner for Shopify, and is rapidly scaling a network of warehouses throughout the US to meet the growing demands of today’s online retailers.
