E-commerce sellers generally find themselves in a tough situation when it comes to automating order fulfillment and e-commerce automation. Both manual and automated order fulfillment have their pros and cons. In this blog, we will try to understand the differences and learn how to automate order fulfillment on the Shopify Store. 

How to Fulfill Orders on Shopify? 

So before learning how to automate order Fulfillment on Shopify, let us first understand the process of fulfilling orders on Shopify! It comes in 3 simple steps lets discussed. 

1. Receive Orders 

This is the first step, and this is where your journey of order fulfillment begins. You must check all the details as soon as you receive an order. 

2. Choose Fulfillment Service to Process Orders 

The next step is to choose the fulfillment service type. There are generally four kinds of fulfillment services. You may choose any of them according to your business model. Let us see how you can choose order fulfillment partners. 

3. Self-Fulfillment

If you choose this option, you need to follow the following steps yourself. 

• Verify payment from the customer.
• Look for inventory availability.
• Prepare the order for picking and packing.
• Ship orders yourself.

Fulfillment by Shopify: 

If you do not want to do things by yourself, you may switch to fulfillment by Shopify. This service helps store and ship products from multiple geo-locations. Plus, Shopify takes care of every aspect of processing orders. 

Dropshipping: 

You can choose dropshipping if you want the manufacturer to process the entire order.

Third-Party Logistics (3PL): 

If you have any 3PL partners, you can opt for this option, where 3PL(third-party logistics) manages the inventory and fulfills orders from Shopify or other e-commerce stores. You even have Amazon 3PL for the Shopify store. Whomsoever you choose as your order management partners, ensure you connect with value-trusted partners. 

4. Generate Shipping Labels

Now, you have to create and print shipping labels. Here are two methods to generate shipping labels: 

• Manually
• Using integrated Shopify apps

5. Update the Order Status

Finally, you have to follow these steps in your Shopify admin panel

• Mark the order as fulfilled.
• Provide the customer with tracking information.
• Notify the customer. 

How to Automate Order Fulfillment on Shopify? 

Now that you have understood the basics, let's understand how you can go to the next level. Here are the steps to automate your order fulfillment process . This process is quite easy, though. You need to give some instructions to the Shopify store. Just click a few buttons, and you are done!

Here are the steps- 

1. Enter your Shopify Admin 

2. Click Settings 

3. Click on the General button

4. Click on Order Processing

5. You will find an option After an option has been paid. 

6. Toggle on the Automatically fulfill the order’s line item.  

Benefits of Automating the Order Fulfillment Process

Reduced Human Error 

Any error in processing the order, like in the quantity of the ordered product or the wrong expected delivery, could become costly. These mistakes generally happen when a merchant opts for manual order fulfillment. However, these human errors are minimized if the seller automates order fulfillment. 

Enhanced Online Order Management Speed 

Automation comes with speed, and this speeds up the process to a great extent. The sellers can cater to more orders in less time and more accurately. This will enhance the entire order processing and help improve e-commerce order management. 

Accurate Stock Levels 

The biggest challenge of manual order fulfillment is that it does not reflect real-time stock levels. Automating order fulfillment provides accurate stock levels of any product. It prevents issues like overselling and stockout. This makes the seller deliver on time and helps build trust with the customer. 

Cost Reduction 

The initial investment in automation might be a little higher. However, if one makes a proper analysis, the ROI, in most cases, is higher. 

Higher Productivity Means Higher Profits  

When the process becomes fast and efficient due to automation, order fulfillment becomes highly productive. The increased productivity in processing orders leads to higher profits. 

Risks while Automating the Order Fulfillment Process

Automation has several advantages. However, one needs to be aware of the risks as well. Here are the top 3 risks you should consider before going for automation. 

• Lower Control On Orders - The biggest issue with automation is that it gives you minimal control over the orders placed. There is no scope to build personal relationships with your customers.

• Order Fraud - There is a high chance of getting fake orders through suspicious accounts when you automate the order fulfillment process. This may increase your losses. 

• Data Integration - So when you choose automation, you have to integrate data of the orders for successful processing. This requires proper planning, and there are chances of data being compromised. So, do your proper research and analysis. 

Benefits of Manual Order Fulfillment Process

• Build Personal Connection: Manual Order Fulfillment allows you to customize the packaging to give a personal touch. You can do it through handwritten notes as well. 

• Better Quality Control: You can see what is being sent to your beloved customers. You can inspect the quality of each order and ensure better quality. This builds more trust with your clients.

• Flexibility: If you deal with products that are difficult to handle and require customization, you need more flexibility. 

Cons of Manual Order Fulfillment 

While manual order processing has some benefits, it is often less efficient. It comes with many drawbacks as well. 

• Errors: It's human to err! Hence, you must be ready to make mistakes if you manually fulfill orders. 

• Time-Consuming: Manual order processing is done by humans. Hence, the process becomes slow and time-consuming. 

• Poor Customer Experience: When it comes to business, the customer experience matters the most. 

Manual or Automatic Fulfillment: Which to opt?

To automate or not is a big puzzle. We have seen that both automation and manual order fulfillment have their pros and cons. Hence, we’ll break it down so you can get the best of both worlds. For some orders, manual fulfillment is good, while for others, automation is good! Imagine yourself creating a personal connection with the customer using custom packaging while serving your existing buyers swiftly through automation. Sounds good? But unfortunately, you can choose only one option at a time. Either automation on or off (which enables manual orders). Feeling sad!  Well, you don't have to! WebBee helps you get both options based on your needs. You can choose certain conditions for manual fulfillment and vice versa. 

Get The Best Solutions For Shopify Order Automation !! 

Automating the order fulfillment is completely a choice. Sellers must choose it after proper analysis. Automation can certainly give you a competitive edge. So, it is worth learning how to automate order fulfillment on Shopify. You can use Shopify order fulfillment through Amazon MCF as well. If you are still facing issues, you can reach out to us !!, and we will help you with expert e-commerce solutions.  Amazon MCF by WebBee provides the best Shopify order fulfillment solutions to improve your e-commerce automation journey.