Why Multi-Channel Fulfilment Trips Businesses Up
Selling on more than one channel? Good.
Trying to fulfil orders from all of them using disconnected systems and clunky processes? Not so good.
With varying order types, shifting delivery promises and changing workflows, everything still needs to be picked, packed and dispatched right, every time.
Things get chaotic. Mistakes creep in. Customers get annoyed.
That eats into your profit.
In the UK, online shoppers returned £27bn of purchases in 2024, with £6.6bn coming from serial returners.
(The Guardian, 2024)
So how do you tighten things up?
Let’s look at five smart moves that actually work and actually fix the problem.
1. Start With One System That Talks To Everything
Spreadsheets can’t do this. Neither can bolt ons.
You need a central system (an ERP) that connects to every channel and gives one view of every order.
No duplicate entry.
No jumping between tabs.
Just one place to manage it all.
That’s how you cut errors before they happen.
2. Get Orders Out Faster With Barcode Scanning
Still using paper pick lists? Stop.
Barcode scanning in fulfilment improves accuracy to 99.9%, reducing costly returns and wrong shipments.
(Source: Journal of Business Logistics, 2020)
That’s fewer returns.
Fewer wrong items.
Fewer headaches for your team.
3. Sync Stock In Real Time (Not Overnight)
If your stock levels only update once a day, you’re already behind.
Live updates mean every channel knows what’s in stock and what’s not.,
A 2023 CAPS Research survey found 71% of companies now track inventory accuracy as a core KPI.
(Source: CAPS Research, 2023)
That stops overselling.
It also stops your team wasting time fixing issues that should’ve never happened.
4. Automate The Stuff You Shouldn’t Still Be Doing
Typing in order info? Manually printing labels?
There’s no need. Let automation do it.
Shipping rules. Channel specific workflows. Auto pick and dispatch.
Set it once, let it run.
That’s how you scale without hiring 10 more people.
5. Track What’s Working (And What Isn’t)
Fulfilment isn’t just about shipping things out.
It’s about learning what’s slowing you down.
Where are the bottlenecks?
Which products always get returned?
Which channels take longer to fulfil?
Your system should tell you.
If it doesn’t, get one that does.
Why It Matters…
You don’t need five systems, a dozen spreadsheets and a full time admin just to get orders out the door.
You need a smart ERP that:-
- Connects every channel
- Tracks every order
- Syncs stock in real-time
- Automates fulfilment
-
Keeps your warehouse sharp and efficient
That’s what Stok.ly Cloud ERP does.
No errors. No headaches.
Just fast, accurate fulfilment at scale.
Click here for more information about Stok.ly Cloud ERP
Call us on 01432 804333
Author: Iain Coplans CEO Stok.ly