As the UK moved to COVID lockdowns, shoppers swiftly made the switch online and searches for ‘local’ business websites surged up 42% on 2019 – and while nearly a fifth of us prefer to shop completely online, over a third still want to visit a shop, which makes an omnichannel supply chain so vital.
Oriental Global Logistics (OGL) is the eCommerce subsidiary of Global Forwarding, providing supply chain, freight and logistics support to online customers.
Post-pandemic, nearly 40% of shoppers still prefer to shop locally and while that fifth prefer to shop completely online, a sizeable third of us would either prefer to check a product out in the store and buy it online, or vice-versa by using click-and-collect.
The customer journey has become increasingly hybrid, as consumers convert online or offline as they see fit and they expect merchants to provide more options, for them to complete their purchase.
The supply chain is at the core of successful omnichannel strategies, with three critical processes:
– End-to-end information flow
– Fulfilment
– Transport
End-to-end supply chain visibility should be seamless among functions and location – without silos. Integrated inventory pools give consumers real-time and accurate visibility of availability, with optimised allocations across channels and locations, to ensure availability.
Unlike retail logistics, eCommerce is primarily concerned with individual units, rather than full truckloads or pallets and and buyers expect very short lead times, with cost more important than speed in store replenishment.
Omnichannel requires logistics providers that can deliver small shipments quickly, reliably, and relatively inexpensively. And – for complete supply chain support – they also need to manage large volumes of product moving simultaneously to, from and across regions, in complex global supply chains, with information management and regulatory compliance support.
Our eCommerce subsidiary, Oriental Global logistics, work with online vendors of all sizes, delivering inventory from source to DC, serving their customers and sharing critical data through their innovative tech platform.
Our eCommerce solutions embrace:
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- End-to-end supply chain visibility
- Multi-modal freight forwarding
- Flexible warehousing
- eCommerce fulfilment
- Courier management
- EU distribution
- Cross-border clearance services
- Last-mile delivery
