What is SAP?

Initially known as System Analysis Program, and later abbreviated to SAP, this company has become one of the leading producers of software business management processes. It grew from a small five-person team to over 105,000 employees world wide. With more than a hundred applications produced by SAP, you can connect all aspects of your business together into one digital platform. 

How Does the SAP Fulfillment Process Work?

With SAP Sales Order Fulfillment, you can manage the orders filtering in through your business. It begins at the creation of a sales order and is highly communicative with the customer so they can monitor the status of their purchase. With SAP Sales Order Fulfillment you can create delivery documents, invoices, release credit blocks, reject sales orders, generate account documents, and much more. 

What Does an Order Fulfillment Provider Do?

When it comes to shipping goods to your client, you will need to do this yourself, or find a fulfillment provider. Many companies opt to utilize a third party fulfillment provider due to the high cost of building out a logistics process. An order fulfillment provider will sort, store, pick, pack, and ship orders for your business from its physical fulfillment center.

What Are the Benefits of Using an Order Fulfillment Provider?

With an order fulfillment provider, your high quality order processing and shipping process will make things simple for those who wish to purchase from your brand, which will generate repeat business. And as a business you get to strategize with a company who has deep knowledge about the logistical industry. The best fulfillment providers will look at your order history and help you consolidate your inventory to key locations and create more efficient logistical processes to save you money. 

Check out ShipHero’s fulfillment services! 

Factors to Consider While Selecting an Order Fulfillment Partner for SAP

Order Fulfillment Speed

Companies like Amazon have made speed a huge purchasing factor for your clients. If they put an item in your cart, and see it won’t ship to them for 5-7 days, they are highly likely to leave your platform all together and go try to find the same product elsewhere. When it comes to providing top tier service and staying top of mind, you need to make faster shipping a priority. An order fulfillment partner can help.

Storage and Fulfillment Fees

The cost of a fulfillment partner’s services often accrue in different fees. The top being the cost of storing your inventory and fulfilling your order. This may appear as a monthly overall cost based on your average order volume, or a small fee per order. Either way, they are fees to be aware of when looking for a fulfillment provider. However, compared to the cost of building your own logistical process and investing in the buildings, equipment, and people needed for it, many business owners feel these fees are worth the price. 

Pricing

When searching for a fulfillment provider, make sure you are keeping an eye out for what best fits your budget. Pricing is highly different between companies. Some offer you a free trial. Others offer a demo. Some want a full understanding of your inventory and order volume before they will quote you. Others have transparent pricing on their website where you can generate a quote yourself. Because this pricing will vary between companies, be sure to pick a provider who is forthcoming with any fees or overage costs you may incur. 

Returns Management

A customer is less likely to buy from your store again if they have something they need returned, and the returns process is extremely hard. A good fulfillment partner will help you create a process to handle these returns smoothly for your client. They will also communicate with you on if you want the item to be restocked or shipped to the manufacturer if there was a defect. 

eCommerce Platform Integration

A high quality fulfillment partner will integrate into the order processing technology your company currently uses. Without this integration, orders could get lost, manual data entry may be required, and it could slow down your order process. Which makes eCommerce platform integration essential for your business. Some fulfillment providers will even have engineers on site who can help build these connections between your platforms if a native connection does not already exist. 

Ease of Use

It’s important you as a business owner get as much time in your day as possible. Which means whatever platform your company uses shouldn’t be difficult to figure out. Fulfillment providers will work with you to access their solution and tie their programs into your own. But those programs should be relatively simple for you and your teams to use. Keep this in mind when a fulfillment provider is showing you their solution. 

Additional Software For Your eCommerce Business 

If you use SAP, you know there are many different integrations you can utilize to amp up the effectiveness of your eCommerce business. And as we grow within the digital age it’s important to understand what options are available to you. Softwares which improve your marketing, your cart check out rate, give you an ERP system, aid your sales team, or aid in the customer experience help when expanding your business. Below, is a list of software which will help you fulfill orders and enhance your eCommerce business. Let’s take a look! 

Best SAP Fulfillment & Software Integrations 

1. ShipHero

With fully outsourced fulfillment options, ShipHero helps their clients develop a powerful logistics solution. They offer both order processing software and high quality outsourced fulfillment which will help you impress your customer every step of the way. 

Pros

• Fully outsourced fulfillment solution 
• eCommerce Integration 
• High quality customer support 

Cons

• No QBO integration (anticipated in 2023) 

Pricing

• $0 Setup
• Pick, pack, box & postage included in cost
• Can request a quote on website 

Check out ShipHero’s fulfillment services! 

2. Zoho Inventory

With Zoho, you can manage and fulfill orders, streamline multiple sales channels, and oversee your warehouses all in one platform. This inventory management software focuses on helping growing business across the US. Their app works on both Android and iOS devices so you can be connected to your business wherever you may be. 

Pros

• Warehouse management
• Multiple shipping integrations
• High number of out of the box integrations 

Cons

• Focused on US businesses only 

Pricing

• Free to sign up
• Pricing plans include several different options to choose from 

3. DiCentral

As a global leader in EDI (electronic data interchange) DiCentral can help businesses expand their supply chain. They are a leading provider of supply chain solutions around the world. 

Pros

• Integrate with any industry
• Has several systems you can use (ERP, WMS, accounting) if you don’t have your own
• Highly flexible EDI

Cons

• Needs a high amount of training
• Errors can be hard to fix 

Pricing

• Offers basic, standard, professional, and enterprise packages
• Offers a free demo 

4. Procurify

This is a procurement and purchasing software which helps your team track, control, and analyze your business spending. With this program you no longer need to use spreadsheets for your purchasing needs. You can generate purchase orders from virtually anywhere. 

Pros

• Develops transparency in your organization
• Improves your operational efficiency 
• Standardize your workflows 

Cons

• Not many advanced filtering features
• Reports have low customization options 

Pricing

• Offers different package types per your business needs 
• Allows for customer pricing plans if needed 

5. Prodsmart

This is a manufacturing solution which helps you enhance your production and can be used in a modular way. It empowers your shop floor workers and is built with a data security mind. Their systems will help you track your orders, shipping, and give you real-time visibility into production. 

Pros

• Clean design and ease of use 
• Highly customizable 
• Professional and helpful customer support 

Cons

• Some steps get repeated through the process

Pricing

• 14 day free trial
• Offers a product demo
• Transparent pricing and modular options 

Check out ShipHero’s fulfillment services! 

6. Sana Commerce

This company has a solution which will help you expand to meet your customer and market expectations. While not a fulfillment provider, this platform provides an integrated shopping cart software for both Microsoft Dynamics and SAP. 

Pros

• Integration with SAP is easy to set up
• Well thought out training materials 
• Robust product 

Cons

• Lack of reporting and analytics 

Pricing

• Offers a free demo
• Packages include essential, pro, and advanced options 

7. Pepperi

With their B2B eCommerce platform, your sales channels can all funnel into your own branded eCommerce app. This program helps you understand buyer trends so you can strategize key promotion plans. Their goal is to help you increase your sales and improve your margins with Sales Force Automation (SFA). 

Pros

• Can extract helpful customer information 
• Can be used on web and mobile (iOS, Android) 
• Accepts payments 

Cons

• Updates can sometimes break the software
• Can be complicated for first time users 

Pricing

• Pay as you go pricing model 
• Free demo available
• Customized quote for business needs 

8. Tradogram

This cloud-based procurement management software allows you to gain control of your purchasing. It is highly customizable and offers tools for managing and improving your purchasing processes. With it you can manage supplier lists, item catalogs, user permissions, approvals, budgets, inventory, and even build custom reports. 

Pros

• Highly customizable 
• High quality support team 
• Easy to use and to teach 

Cons

• Limited reporting capabilities

Pricing

• No contract required 
• Offers basic, premium, and enterprise packages 

9. inSitu Sales

This software is designed for wholesalers who look to enhance the capabilities of their sales team. With it you can create sales orders, mobile invoices, estimates, and take payments. You can also generate sales routes and track sales representatives with live GPS. And it integrates directly into your ERP solution to streamline the ordering process. 

Pros

• Offers mobile invoices for sending sales orders & receiving payment
• View of inventory picklist
• Deep integrations into several ERP systems 

Cons

• Works best if you are a wholesaler 

Pricing

• 14 day trial available
• Offers free demo and onboarding 
• Tiered subscription pricing options available 

10. k-eCommerce

With k-eCommerce, SAP users have access to ePayment solutions worldwide. It is built for sales with the goal to drive continual growth. It has an ERP integration with SAP to help you automate and unify your business processes.

Pros

• Helps you secure your website
• Integrates with SAP and Microsoft Dynamics
• Ovvers payment solution integrated into your ERP

Cons

• Slow support response to program bugs 

Pricing

• Can request a quote on the website

Final Thoughts

There are several solutions available to help your eCommerce business rise to the next level. As you compare businesses to find the right solution, keep in mind a good fulfillment partner should amplify your business and key software can give you time back in your day. Which should make it easier to reach your clients with your product and enable your supply chain to become a well oiled machine. 

Order Fulfillment for SAP FAQs

What Is SAP Order Fulfillment?

This is a fulfillment app which allows you to monitor sales orders in key stages, collaborate with your third party fulfillment partners, and address any issues which may arise. 

What Is the Fulfillment Process in SAP?

Once a sales order has been created it starts the fulfillment process. From there, your order gets sent to your fulfillment provider who picks, packs, and ships the product out. Through the program, they can confirm receiving the order as well as send you tracking information. That way you can ensure the customer can monitor the status of their order. 

How Can I Improve My Order Fulfillment?

While there will always be aspects of your order fulfillment you can improve, here are a few which can make a big impact if you get them right. 

• Make sure your fulfillment systems are fully integrated together
• Ensure your warehouse locations are specific to the location of key customers
• Continually measure and review key warehouse metrics 
• Look for ways to simplify your order fulfillment processes 

If you start with the above and review these strategies with a fulfillment provider who has in-depth experience in the logistical industry, you will streamline your fulfillment processes quickly.