Drop Shipping and Special Orders Made Easy with aACE

Drop Shipping and Special Orders Made Easy with aACE

January 10, 2019Posted inaACE Feature Highlights, Inventory Management, Shipping & Receiving

Drop shipping and special ordering allow you to offer a wide range of products to your customers without the overhead costs of storing and managing inventory. But tracking those sales in your business management solution can get complicated fast.

Fortunately aACE offers robust features to automate drop shipping and special ordering. To learn how aACE makes these workflows a snap, let’s take a look at how our fictional company, aACME Education Solutions, handles them in their day-to-day operations.

Drop Shipping

aACME sells multimedia projectors through their website, but they aren’t kept in stock at aACME’s warehouse. When Mara Harvey receives an order for six projectors from the Southglen High School, she enters the order in aACE and checks the Drop Ship (“DS”) flag for the product.

DS Order Annotated

When Mara opens the order, a purchase order is generated and a notice is sent to the Accounts Payable user group. Denise James in the A/P department reviews the purchase order and sends it to the vendor, Aperture Technologies. Unlike a typical purchase order, where the ship-to address would be an aACME warehouse, this PO will be shipped directly to the school. The Drop Ship flag is checked to indicate that the ship-to address belongs to the customer.

DS PO Annotated

A few days later, the vendor ships the order to the customer and sends a bill to aACME’s Accounts Payable department. When Denise enters the vendor’s bill, aACE automatically generates the customer invoice.

aACME wants all of their customers to have a good experience, so when they receive several complaints about drop shipments from Aperture Technologies arriving sloppily packaged, they quickly act to make sure those mistakes aren’t repeated. aACME manager Jason Dunn navigates to Aperture’s company record and checks the “Do not allow drop shipments flag” to prevent further orders from being shipped from this vendor directly to customers.

DS Company Record Annotated

Now when Mara enters an order for an Aperture Technologies product, if she tries to check the Drop Ship flag, she’ll get an error stating that the product cannot be drop shipped. Instead it will be sent to aACME’s warehouse as a special order, where it can be inspected and repackaged before being delivered to the customer.

DS Order Error

Special Orders

aACME also sells scanners for electronically scoring multiple-choice tests, but since these items don’t sell quickly, aACME doesn’t typically keep them in stock on warehouse shelves. Instead the scanners are ordered on an as-needed basis. In the product’s record, the Special Order flag is checked, meaning that the product will be special ordered by default.

SO Line Item Code Annotated

When Mara Harvey receives an order for five of these scanners for the Brightside Charter School, she enters the order in aACE. The Special Order (“SO”) flag for the product is automatically checked since the product is flagged as Special Order. Products that aren’t normally special-ordered can also be flagged as special orders as necessary.

SO Order Annotated

When Mara processes the order, a purchase order is generated and a notice is sent to the Accounts Payable user group. Denise James again opens the purchase order and sends it to the vendor; this time, however, the Ship To address is one of aACME’s warehouses.

SO PO

A few days later, the shipment of scanners arrives from the vendor. When aACME employee Kristie Hernandez marks the shipment as received, a notice is sent to Mara so that she can come and inspect the goods. Additionally, aACE automatically generates a pending outgoing shipment to send the scanners to the Brightside Charter School. This pending shipment is also visible in the order’s Shipping screen.

SO Shipments

Once Mara has approved the products, Kristie repackages the scanners and prepares them for delivery to the customer. When the shipment to the school is processed, aACE automatically generates the customer invoice.

 

aACE makes managing drop shipments and special orders easy and accurate by automating key aspects of the processes and reducing the need for manual data entry. Check out our customer success stories to learn what else aACE can do for your business.

Low Inventory? No Problem! aACE Makes Backorder Management a Breeze

Low Inventory? No Problem! aACE Makes Backorder Management a Breeze

December 21, 2018Posted inaACE Feature Highlights, Inventory Management

Most businesses experience this at some point or another: orders are pouring in and your inventory can’t quite keep up with the demand. If you can’t manage backorders properly, your customers may get frustrated or go somewhere else.

Fortunately, aACE is here to help. To learn how aACE makes managing backorders easy, let’s follow our fictional company, aACME Education Solutions, as they handle backorders in their day-to-day operations.

To keep the unfortunate occurrence of out-of-stock items to a minimum, aACME has set target balances and replenishment balances on their inventoried items. The target balances tell aACE the maximum number of items that should be kept on their warehouse shelves. The replenishment balances tell aACE when to automatically generate a purchase order to bring the inventory back up. aACME’s textbooks have a target balance of 125 and a replenishment balance of 50.

aACME has 45 math textbooks in stock, with 80 more on order from the publisher. Before that shipment arrives, the sales department receives an order from the Montboro School District for 50 math textbooks. When Account Manager Mara Harvey enters the 50 textbooks into the order, a dialog box pops up informing her that the quantity exceeds the available inventory.

Mara could choose to put all 50 textbooks on backorder so that the entire order will be filled once the inventory is replenished. She also has the option of splitting the line item so the customer receives some of the items from the current inventory, with the rest placed on backorder. She calls her contact, Sam Patel, at Montboro to explain the situation; with all the necessary information at her fingertips in aACE, she’s able to present Sam with all of his options. Sam lets Mara know that they are not in a rush but that they’ll take as many textbooks as they can now and the rest when they’re back in stock.

Order with Back Order Dialog

Mara clicks ‘Yes’ to split the order based on the available inventory. aACE automatically updates the quantity of the textbooks in the first line item to 45 and creates a second line item for the remaining 5. This second line item is marked with the backorder (“BO”) flag, and aACE automatically generates an outgoing shipment for the 45 textbooks in stock.

Order Items with Back Order

But what happens when another order is placed for the same product?

Before the next shipment of textbooks comes in from the vendor, Mara receives another order for 80 math textbooks from the Full STEAM Academy Charter School. Since there are no more books left in the available inventory, all 80 textbooks are placed on backorder. Typically backorders would be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. In this case, however, the Full STEAM Academy needs the textbooks for the fast-approaching winter term, and they’re willing to pay a rush fee to expedite their order.

Mara changes the order’s fulfillment priority to Rush 50%, automatically adding a 50% rush fee to the total. Since the 80 backordered textbooks from the Full STEAM Order plus the 5 backordered textbooks from the Montboro order will use up all of the inventory that’s currently on order from the publisher, aACE automatically generates a purchase order for 130 textbooks to bring the available inventory back up to its target balance.

The typical lead time for the textbooks is two weeks from the time the Accounts Payable department emails the PO to the vendor to the time the new stock arrives in aACME’s warehouse. When the first shipment of 80 textbooks comes in from the publisher a few days later, aACE automatically allocates the new inventory to backorders, first in order of fulfillment priority and then in chronological order. Because the Full STEAM Academy’s order has the Rush 50% fulfillment priority, aACE fills that order first. A shipment is automatically generated to send 80 textbooks to that school.

Full STEAM Rush Shipment

Two weeks later, the shipment of 130 textbooks comes in. With the rush order completed, aACE generates a shipment for the Montboro School District’s 5 backordered textbooks. This brings the available inventory to the target balance of 125, with no additional POs outstanding.

Line Item Code after Back Orders

The table below illustrates the movement of inventory throughout this example, using red and green arrows to indicate the values that have changed with each event.

Chart-Inventory

If the managers at aACME want to see what items are on backorder, aACE offers different ways to access that information. In the Order Items module, they can quickly pull up a list of all backordered items, with links to the associated orders. Likewise, from the Line Item Codes module they can review backorders for a specific item, like the math textbook; aACE makes it easy to view a list of the orders placing demand on that item’s inventory with just one click.

Order Items

aACE streamlines backorder management, keeping your business moving and your customers happy. Now that we've seen what it's done for our fictional company, take a look at our Southwest Auto Accessories success story to learn how this feature helped a real aACE client gain visibility into their backorder process. Check out our other customer success stories below to learn what else aACE can do for your business today.

A Stable, Proven Solution for a Fast-Paced Manufacturing Business

A Stable, Proven Solution for a Fast-Paced Manufacturing Business

November 28, 2018Posted inSuccess Stories
“Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t comment on how much they appreciate this program.” -Claire Wade, Director of Operations, Skip Gambert & Associates

When Skip Gambert & Associates contacted the developers of aACE, they were in a day-to-day battle with their existing solution. It was unstable, did not accommodate their fast-paced manufacturing operations, and yielded unreliable data. Their experience with previous systems was not much better. Moving to aACE made a huge difference.

CHALLENGES & aACE SOLUTIONS

Order Entry

The large volume of shirts made each week necessitated that order entry be quick and painless, and it had to feed directly into their inventory system to reduce delays related to stock shortages. aACE is a fully-integrated business management solution that’s fast and easy to use.

Inventory Management

Tracking inventory for thousands of items, including rolls of fabric, left the managers at Skip Gambert & Associates with a daunting task. Inventory usage per shirt had already been estimated fairly accurately, but knowing when inventory was low or certain items were out of stock often came as a surprise. aACE tracks inventory in real-time so you always know what you have on-hand.

Production

Skip Gambert & Associates uses several manufacturing tools specific to clothiers, but none of those offered solutions for managing overall production or quickly accessing data crucial to providing a high level of customer service. If a customer called to inquire about the status of an order or to request a change, a time-consuming process ensued. aACE is an all-in-one solution offering a 360° view of your business so you and your customers always have the information needed.

Accounting

Skip Gambert & Associates needed to easily tie together their order management, production, and procurement solutions to accurately calculate cost and revenue levels by individual order, by customer, as well as overall business by day, week, month, or year. aACE's accounting software is fully integrated with the CRM and ERP portions of the solution so that you always have an accurate picture of your company’s finances.

RESULTS

Streamlined Operations

The Director of Operations at Skip Gambert & Associates worked closely with aACE developers to automate and streamline their operations as much as possible to eliminate waste and improve production efficiency.

Improved Customer Service

Each shirt‘s production status is now displayed on the order line item, allowing customer service to quickly report the status of an order to an inquiring customer. Customers are also emailed automatically at pre-set intervals, allowing them to be easily updated on their order’s progress.

Simplified Order Processing

Users can now move a shirt into the production stage with a single click, saving them a substantial amount of time. Additionally, the status of an order is automatically updated based on the production status of each line item.

Faster Shipping

Orders are automatically marked “Ready for Shipping” when all shirts have completed production. The shipping department builds shipments by client, facilitating batch shipments, and shipping an order automatically closes it.

Credit Card Integration

By integrating credit card processing with aACE+ XCharge, Skip Gambert & Associates was able to save time by eliminating the need to process credit cards using a separate, standalone terminal located on the other side of the office. Now every user has a virtual terminal right inside the order window, saving the equivalent of 150+ hours per month.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Here is what Claire Wade, Director of Operations at Skip Gambert & Associates, has to say about their aACE implementation:

"For too many years we suffered the inadequacies of 'canned' programs. We worked with programs that weren't stable, and others that simply couldn't offer us the ability to extract information necessary to operate efficiently. We had priced 'custom' programs from a variety of vendors, all ranging in cost from $25,000 to $100,000. It was dreadfully discouraging.
"We were familiar with FileMaker and I contacted them about our situation. They referred us to aACE. Some 10 months after going live with aACE, we are all absolutely thrilled with the accuracy and stability of this program. To date our numbers are correct, from the yardage on our shelf to the money in the bank. This in itself makes the program incredible and invaluable.
"I would recommend aACE to anyone who wants to eliminate their time spent troubleshooting problems with other programs. We have twelve users, and a day doesn't go by without someone commenting on how much they appreciate this software."

 

Do you or someone you know need a change from one-size-fits-all ERP tools? Check out our feature highlights to learn more about whether aACE business management software for Mac and PC can help accelerate your company.

How eCommerce Automation Improves Your Bottom Line

How eCommerce Automation Improves Your Bottom Line

November 7, 2018Posted inArticles, Articles and White Papers

There is one commodity e-tailers have very little of regardless of their product catalogs. There is likely even less of it than the inventory of their most popular items that they can’t seem to keep in stock.

This valuable and hard-to-come-by resource is: Spare time. It seems there’s always too little of it available in a given day to tackle all the tasks that need to be completed.

This is where automation comes into the picture.

Between store operations, fulfilling orders, and marketing a website, there are never enough hours in a day to run a business and maintain a well-rounded life outside of it. But, by automating as many processes as possible, e-tailers can focus their time on higher priorities while still seeing an increase in sales and customer loyalty as a result.

There’s a reason why 91% of businesses agree that automation is vital to their overall success.

It has saved them 200 million decisions and 1.6 million hours of work, per Shopify. eCommerce automation has also generated $2 billion in pre-scheduled sales.

Here are 7 immediate benefits of eCommerce automation that you should consider implementing today. Doing so will help you get the highest return on investment for your time.

Make the Most of Email Marketing

Email marketing is still the No. 1 growth channel for eCommerce, according to the latest reports from BigCommerce. It is a fast and free way to connect with your customers and leads. According to recent studies, you will connect with them; research finds that people check their inboxes at least 15 times per day.

There are some easy ways to incorporate automated email marketing, such as welcome emails, drip campaigns, newsletters and “thank you” emails. Each serves a unique purpose to draw customers to your site, too.

Don’t forget to personalize the emails you send. Research from Aberdeen finds that personalized email messages improve click-through rates by an average of 14% and conversions by as much as 10%.

Set-and-Forget Social Ad Campaigns

Social media is one of the most effective ways to drive consumers to your online store and has proven to be a powerful marketing and branding tool for e-tailers.

These recent statistics show how valuable social channels can be for eCommerce:

  • Facebook influences over 52% of consumers' online and offline purchases (The Drum, 2018).
  • Link clicks account for 92% of all user interaction with Tweets (HubSpot, 2018).
  • 50% of Instagrammers follow brands, making them the social networkers who are most likely to do so. (Brandwatch, 2017).
  • 93% of Pinterest users visit the site with an intent to purchase (Marketing Land, 2015).
  • 74% of consumers use social networks to make a purchasing decision (ReadyCloud, 2018).

Each social channel has its own advertising capabilities, but they all allow you to set campaign start and end dates. This means that promoted posts can align with any other campaigns you set and forget. It’s true social automation that saves you time, effort and money.

Auto-Launch New Products

By using an automated launch system like Shopify’s Launchpad, you can release new products at set times. This takes the stress out of debuting products on your site, so you can focus on other areas of managing your business.

Shopify’s latest report is centered on Frankie’s Bikinis, which auto-launched a new line and realized a return of over $150,000 in revenue in a single hour, with a popular style selling out in under two minutes. As you can see, the powerful nature of automated product launches is undeniable.

For total optimization, sync product launches with automated emails and social advertising to watch a holistic campaign effortlessly come to life.

Keep Inventory Up-to-Date

Inventory is a tricky business when you’re an e-tailer. There is a delicate balance you must maintain between having enough of each product so that it doesn’t sell out and in not keeping so much that it wastes valuable storage space.

The good news is that are are solutions to automate your inventory management, such as aACE Software. Inventory is integrated seamlessly throughout the entire aACE solution. The additional company-wide visibility allows each of your departments to plan more productively and accurately, eliminating costly mistakes and reducing the need for excess inventory. For aACE client Restylers’ Choice, that streamlined inventory management freed up 2,000 square feet of warehouse space and allowed them to eliminate a conveyor belt in each warehouse.

Create Flash Sales & Coupon Codes

More than 90% of shoppers have responded that they’re always on the hunt for deals online. What better way to draw them in than by hosting an event in your store that is full of bargains for them to explore? You can also get their attention by featuring coupon codes, which 68% of consumers say generate brand awareness and loyalty.

Flash sales are easy to automate. Simply set the discounted prices of items to only apply between certain dates and ship off the announcement in your next big newsletter. Given the aforementioned email marketing stats, you’re assured engagement, click-throughs and conversions by offering these valuable deals to your existing customers.

Retarget Abandoned Carts

Right now, cart abandonment costs retailers an estimated $4 trillion per year, and Baynard found the average cart abandonment rate is at almost 70%. However, with the right tools, you can automatically bring back consumers who were just shy of checkout on your site.

One such tool is the Facebook Pixel, which serves up advertisements across the Internet to consumers who have visited your site. This retargeting is done automatically, once the tool is installed, and will bring shoppers back to your site while delivering key metrics that you can use to improve your automation efforts.

Another way to retarget potential customers is by sending them a retargeting email. Though capturing someone’s email may be more difficult to do, it is well worth it, and it can be automated with tools like OptinMonster. SaleCycle reported $8.21 in revenue generated with every retargeting email sent.

As proven by statistics, automated retargeting really works. So make sure you add to your list of to-dos when trying to put your online store into autopilot.

What eCommerce Industry Members Say About Automation

"aACE software is easy to use, intuitive, logical, and easily customized. It is clear that the architecture of aACE has been very well thought out. We were able to automate some previously manual processes that is resulting in literally 100’s of saved labor hours each month." —Daniel Chapman, Founder & CEO, Redd Remedies
“Every eCommerce brand should prioritize their automation, whether that’s automated emails or on-site campaigns. It’s the name of the game and one that you’ll need to do without sacrificing too much of the human touch to execute it well.” —Kayla Lewkowicz, Marketing Manager, Privy

About the Author

Taylor Gilliam is the Director of Social Media at ReadyCloud, a cloud-based CRM solution built for your eCommerce world. She enjoys covering eCommerce topics and playing with her dog, Charlie. You can find her work on ReadyCloud’s Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter or give her a shoutout on her LinkedIn.

aACE Complete Does It All for Southwest Auto Accessories

aACE Complete Does It All for Southwest Auto Accessories

October 18, 2018Posted inSuccess Stories
“There’s nothing that we’ve come across that aACE hasn’t been able to handle.” –Lane Carter

Southwest Auto Accessories is a wholesale distributor of aftermarket automotive accessories. Co-founders Lane Carter and Clay Waterman had experienced aACE 4 at a previous company, so when they set out to start their own business they already knew they wanted to run it on aACE. They were able to get up and running quickly on aACE 5’s Complete Edition with the help of aACE partner All Solutions 360 (AS360). Soon they found that this version of aACE was even better than the last.

CHALLENGES & aACE SOLUTIONS

Enterprise-Class Tools on a Start-Up Budget

When they started Southwest Auto Accessories, Lane and Clay already knew that aACE would do everything their new company needed. Even better, aACE did it all at a price their new company could afford. “We weren’t able to buy a business management solution outright like a lot of other software companies require you to do,” Lane says. “aACE Complete’s subscription model fit our budget and helped us get going right away.” Having to buy a comparable solution just as they were starting out “would have hampered our growth,” Lane adds. “What we’re doing now works well.”

Streamlined Backorder Management

Lane and Clay did their due diligence by researching other solutions before committing to aACE, but found that when it came to managing backorders, aACE’s competitors just didn’t measure up. “A lot of people say that their system manages backorders well, but they don’t. We have a lot of vendors to this day who can’t manage backorders,” Lane says. “We’re able to manage our backorders extremely well on aACE 5.” aACE automates backorder management for a more streamlined experience, requiring fewer steps from users and providing greater visibility into backordered inventory.

Accurate Cost and Material Tracking

Tracking costs and material usage can be a headache, but aACE made it easy for Lane and Clay to know exactly where they stood. “We cut vehicle-specific paint protection kits,” Lane explains. “Once we put the order in the system, we’re able to monitor our material usage and get an actual material usage and kit cost using the Fulfillment tab. It lets us keep a very accurate cost of what we’re doing and what we’re producing. We feel good about being able to rely on that information.” The Fulfillment tab in each order record allows users to track jobs and tasks associated with the order, so they can be sure that each order is fulfilled on time and on budget.

RESULTS

All-Inclusive Software Out of the Box

The version of aACE 4 that Lane and Clay had used at their previous company had been heavily customized to fit their workflows like a glove. But with aACE 5, they quickly realized that customizations were unnecessary — the software already did everything their new venture needed. “We had never used an out-of-the-box program like aACE,” Lane explains. “But the out-of-the-box solution that we’re on now has been absolutely exactly what we needed. It does everything that we need it to do and it does those things extremely well.” And because the software was perfect for them as-is, they could dive right in.

Fully-Integrated Shipping Solution

As a fast-growing company, Southwest Auto Accessories needed a shipping solution that could scale with them. They found that solution in the aACE+ ReadyCloud shipping integration. “When we first opened, we shipped maybe 20 packages that month, and now we’re probably shipping 20 packages a day,” Lane says, adding that ReadyCloud’s ReadyShipper has allowed them to speed up their shipping process as demand increases. “Once the orders are transmitted to ReadyShipper, processing a package to get it ready to ship takes seconds — it doesn’t take minutes, it takes seconds — to complete the transaction and have the package ready to ship.” He went on to say that the latest aACE+ ReadyCloud integration has improved on the version he’d used at his last employer. “We’re able to ship packages faster than we were on our previous aACE program. With aACE 5 integrated with ReadyShipper, we can ship 10 packages in 5 minutes now!”

aACE Partner Dedicated to Meeting All Business Challenges

Southwest Auto Accessories’ aACE solution was implemented by AS360, a long-standing aACE partner. With over 20 years of experience, AS360’s Bryan Anderson worked with Lane and Clay to ensure they were able to hit the ground running with their aACE solution at the same time their new business was taking off. Thanks to their prior knowledge of aACE, Bryan was able to have them operating their business from the solution in just 30 days — an incredible timeline for a software package this comprehensive. “Bryan and his team did the set-up for us and they did a great job getting it ready to go,” Lane says. “As far as getting our information into the system, getting customers loaded, getting product loaded — all of that was spot-on.”

But AS360 didn’t stop there. As Southwest Auto’s aACE partner, Bryan and his team have continued working with Lane and Clay to ensure that as their business grows, they have the infrastructure to keep up with demand. Though Clay had 30 years of experience in the automotive accessories industry, teaming up with Lane to start their own venture required him to take on a new role on the accounting and finance side of the company. It was a daunting prospect, but AS360 was there to help. “With some training from Bryan it became apparent that my fears of the accounting side of things were unwarranted,” Clay explains, adding that aACE’s accounting solution was easy to use even for someone new to finance. “While I still have a lot to learn on the accounting side, aACE 5 has made setting up and running our business so easy.” And his aACE partner has been there every step of the way. Bryan and his team act as Southwest Auto’s outsourced CFO, ensuring that their accounting is being done according to best practices now to prevent headaches later. And as Bryan trains Clay on those best practices, he’s able to use real-world examples in their aACE system so that Clay can see exactly what each workflow should look like.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Here is what Lane Carter, co-founder of Southwest Auto Accessories, has to say about their aACE implementation:

“We’re able to do exactly what we need to do every day with the out-of-the-box program. We haven’t found anything that’s limited us. We looked at a couple of other software companies at the beginning, and we just did not see anything that was going to work better for us than aACE was. We’re extremely happy with what we have.
“Knowing how aACE works and how it functions in the modules we were already familiar with allowed us to get into some other areas of aACE, because it was easy for us to understand. Especially the accounting side. At our previous company we had no experience with the accounting side of aACE, but Clay has been able to pick it up very quickly. Every part of aACE works pretty much the same way, so it was easy for us to learn how data flows through aACE, how to drill down to it, and how to find the information we need to get to where we want to go. Having a partner relationship is also an asset. Time is so valuable to us because there’s only two of us. Being able to turn to Bryan and his company for answers is a huge benefit.
“I would recommend aACE to anybody that does distribution or any kind of sales. I can see aACE working for anybody that’s selling products.”

 

And here is what Clay Waterman, co-founder of Southwest Auto Accessories, has to say about their experience with aACE partner AS360:

“Teaming up with Bryan Anderson and his team at AS360 has turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. Their knowledge, experience, and ability to support aACE is without question. And as my relationship with Bryan evolved, it became apparent that his past business experience and knowledge of finance and business management were an invaluable resource for a small business like ours. More importantly, he is willing to share those experiences to help others. Throughout the entire process Bryan has been steadfast in his resolve that we do things the right way – no short cuts. I truly value his opinion and experience; that’s why we utilize him and AS360 as an outsourced CFO. It’s great to have someone on the outside looking at the numbers and offering insight.
“Relationships are important to me. How we treat one another has long term effects on our personnel relationships and our businesses. My experience with Michael Bethuy and his staff at aACE as well as Bryan Anderson and his staff at AS360 have been top notch, first class all the way. They have been great people to do business with and I’m thankful to have them as business partners supporting Southwest Auto Accessories.”

Do you or someone you know need a change from one-size-fits-all ERP tools? Check out our feature highlights to learn more about whether aACE business management software for Mac and PC can help accelerate your company.

Want a Boost in Profits? Check Your Returns Policy

Want a Boost in Profits? Check Your Returns Policy

October 10, 2018Posted inArticles, Articles and White Papers

Editor's note: Michael Lazar is an Executive at aACE integration partner ReadyCloud. We're delighted to share his expertise in eCommerce with our audience.

One of the most painful parts of running an eCommerce store is returns. It’s no secret that returns are looked down upon by online retailers in general. After all, don’t returns represent a loss?

What if the reality was that returns were actually the secret to improved sales? They wouldn’t be such a pain any more, would they?

Hand-in-Hand

If we really analyze things, sales and returns aren’t enemies. They’re inseparable best friends; friends in the sense that they actually cooperate and help each other out. We’ll get into details on that later, but for now, let’s consider the importance of returns.

Consumers want to be sure that if their purchase doesn’t work out, they won’t be stuck with a product that doesn’t fit or wasn’t what they were looking for. Who would buy with too much risk? No one. No one wants to be stuck with jeans that they can’t even button up.

Most returns (and one in three items purchased online ARE returned!) happen because the item didn’t fit, the wrong product was shipped out, it wasn’t what the customer was expecting, or it came damaged. Returns are a very normal and necessary part of the online buying experience.

Preventing Unnecessary Pain

Now, that isn’t to say that returns can’t be costing you money if you’re not being careful. But looking at it in a positive light, returns can be a learning experience and an opportunity to increase sales.

Most serious eCommerce retailers have implemented apps and other methods on their sites that help buyers to make an informed decision before they hit ‘‘buy’’. Return rates can be decreased by improving product descriptions as well as upgrading your site with other tools to help buyers make better choices – like multiple images, videos, zoom buttons or even short tutorials for technical products.

The Fine Print

Even after trying to ‘return-proof’ your shop, you won’t be able to prevent all returns. Sometimes it’s just inevitable. Regardless of whether or not you want to set up a returns process, it’s a must. The fantastic shopping experience that online buyers are looking for includes both the purchase and return experience, which means that you probably need to polish up your return process.

And it’s not just the process that needs to be easy. The return policy itself – that legal fine print – is so important to consumers that they actually read it. They’re looking for a smooth, convenient return process, and if that’s not available, they’re likely to buy from someone else. In fact, a UPS study found that there’s nearly an 80% chance that potential customers will leave your site if the return policy is convoluted and appears to make returning an item a lengthy, involved process.

In the long run, if you make even the returns a fantastic experience, customers will come back to you – and not to your competitors. And that means more sales.

What Consumers Want

You can get ahead by making your return policy similar to that of a brick and mortar retailer. The advantage of shopping locally is that you get exactly what you want, you take it home instantly, and you can return it easily.

So, why do people even choose eCommerce stores?

Convenience. They can sit around at home, or on their lunch break, and browse and buy. They are probably in love with your selection or your prices. And, thus, they’ll buy from you – if you have a decent return process and policy.

The risk of buying online is not getting what you were hoping for, and if you can eliminate that, then you can bring in more customers – and more profit.

You should ask yourself if your return policy is as convenient, fee-free, and easy as returns at local stores. If it isn’t, then you may be in trouble. Take a look at your competitor’s policy. Are they giving a better experience to the customer than you are? That’s why they prefer the competition.

ReadyReturns Infographic

The Reality of it All

According to several sources, the importance of having that smooth-ride policy is something you just can’t keep ignoring if you want to have success in the online shopping world.

Don’t Fear Returns

Stop being afraid of returns. They aren’t your enemies, and they aren’t going to put you under.

It’s really a no brainer. Would you really want to purchase something from your store if:

It didn’t fit?

You didn’t like it?

Or the description was completely off?

Would you lose money when trying to return it? If you wouldn’t have a good experience no one else will either.

Take the time – make the time – to analyze your online store. Check the product descriptions. Go over the return policy. And smooth out the wrinkles so that you’ve got an easy, hassle-free and fee-free return process.

You won’t lose time or money on it. Actually, if you review the facts we’ve just presented, you’ll understand that an easy return policy improves sales, loyalty and long-term retention while reducing cart abandonment rates across the board.

Now that’s something all online retailers can get on board with.

About the Author

Michael Lazar is an Executive at ReadyCloud, an eCommerce CRM software suite that includes premium plugins like ReadyReturns, an automated online product returns solution for e-retailers. As a nationally syndicated author Lazar enjoys covering topics that are related to eCommerce returns.

Automate Your Essential Workflows with aACE Task Groups

Automate Your Essential Workflows with aACE Task Groups

October 3, 2018Posted inaACE Feature Highlights, ERP / MRP, Production / MES

In every business there are processes that must be carried out the same way each and every time. aACE Task Groups allow you to create templates for your standard workflows, helping to ensure that your operations run smoothly and according to schedule. And if one step in your process is delayed, aACE’s Task Anchoring feature automatically shifts the rest of the tasks to accommodate your new timeline. To learn more about Task Groups, let’s take a look at how our fictional company, aACME Education Solutions, uses them in their day-to-day business.

A Day in the Life

aACME Education Solutions refurbishes electronic whiteboards for use in schools and college classrooms. Because these whiteboards aren’t being sold new, each one goes through rigorous repairs and inspections—and it’s vital that each step is followed to the letter. That’s where aACE’s Task Groups module come in.

When a production order for the refurbished whiteboards is opened, aACE automatically generates a job associated with the order. Because the “Electronic Whiteboard Refurbishment Process” task group has been linked to the Refurbished Electronic Whiteboard line item code, the job is automatically populated with a pre-set list of tasks as specified in the task group.

 

Jobs

 

The first task, Gather Components, is configured to begin as soon as the job is opened. Tasks can be assigned to either a department or a specific user; because this task has been assigned to the Fulfillment Department, aACME’s Fulfillment Manager Evan Phillips is automatically assigned to the task. On the production floor, Evan can apply time and materials to the task using the aACE Job Shop app. In the task group, we can see that this first task is set to end one business day after the job starts. Two hours of labor have been budgeted for this task, and it has been assigned the line item code L-PRODUCTION. That is the line item code to which Evan’s time will be applied when he works on this task. When Evan marks the task complete, the next task, Test Whiteboard, will automatically begin.

 

Task Group

 

In the aACE+ DayBack calendar, we can see that all of the tasks associated with the job have been scheduled according to the amount of time they were allotted in the task group. But what if troubleshooting the whiteboards takes longer than expected? aACE’s anchoring features make rescheduling a snap. Because each task is set to begin only when the task before it has been completed, moving the Test Whiteboard task up a week will also move all of the tasks after it by the same amount of time.

 

Calendar-1

 

When the production team has finished the whiteboards, they need to be inspected. This task has been assigned to Allen Wright, aACME’s Quality Control Officer; when he’s ready to begin, the task will appear in his Tasks module with a green status indicator. In the task’s detail view he can view related tasks as well as apply time and materials to the task. He can also leave comments and activity notes that will appear in all task records associated with the job.

 

Task

 

If the manager who placed the order wants to check in on how it’s progressing, the order’s Fulfillment tab shows which tasks have been completed, which tasks are in progress, which have yet to start, and when they are all scheduled to begin and end. Gone are the days of following up with other departments to find out when a job is going to be done—aACE provides all of that information at a glance!

 

Order

 

Now that we’ve seen how aACE’s Task Groups work for our fictional company, take a look at our Gable success story to learn more about how this feature has helped a real aACE client better track their orders. Discover even more ways that aACE works for everyday businesses when you check out our other success stories below.

"aACE transformed our order fulfillment process during implementation by helping us see trouble spots in our processes."
- Derek Navratil, IT Administrator, Essential Water Solutions
Upgrading Business Operations Software? Be Aware of These Dangers

Upgrading Business Operations Software? Be Aware of These Dangers

September 19, 2018Posted inArticles, Articles and White Papers

Plans to deploy new technology for your company can create both excitement and resistance. Some of your team may look at new software tools like a present or a new challenge. This may be especially true for those most involved with deploying the upgrade.

However, the people who will be most affected by the change might have other feelings. As with any change, there can be a lack of interest, misunderstanding about goals, or even resentment over the extra effort required to learn the new tools.

Amid these different reactions, how do you keep your organization unified? How do you organize your company for a successful step forward to increased productivity and growth? To answer questions like these, Bloomberg Tax writer Xing Gao has collected insights from three leaders in business innovation: Michael Baccala of PwC, Harry Bains of NBC Universal, and Robert Giglietti of GE. As a top site for information, news, and insights about business, Bloomberg.com has published the highlights of the webcast interview.

One of the first points established is that your company has to confront the potential problems. Positive attitude and optimism are helpful in any business effort, but if it comes to the point that difficulties are being ignored, then a focus that is positive could create results that are negative. As Baccala says, the challenges are ultimately what your organization needs to consider.

Among the various challenges, one of the most critical is getting your team to understand and accept a new vision of their work. Bringing in new software is essentially rearranging the work environment. And it requires rearranging people's thoughts and feelings. A new work culture needs to prepare the way for the new work environment or you increase the risk of employees fighting change instead of contributing to success.

No one can deny the fact that "The Way We've Always Done Something" is a real mindset with real impacts on the business. Whether it's a tradition of relying on Excel, QuickBooks, NetSuite, or any other software package, the old way of doing things can short-circuit your efforts to establish something better. As Giglietti explains, you must escape the mentality of patching and repairing, creating a new vision of replacing.

Central to your new vision for the business, a communication plan can make a huge difference in the transition. Bains declared simply, "You have to get the message out to the employees." This messaging could be a series of emails focused on how the new technology will make their work obligations easier to fulfill. It might be a town hall-style meeting to discuss how automating basic tasks will open the way for grappling with more complex and valuable issues. However you personalize the content and the format, time spent on conveying these ideas to your team will be time well-spent.

A final recommendation is about preparing ways to measure the benefit of the new technology. The most meaningful gauge might be cost targets or greater time investments in higher-level tasks or something else entirely. But you need to identify these measures before the deployment. Gather some numbers of how things are currently going for a baseline. The measurable improvements after the deployment can help anchor the new tool within the new company culture.

Insightful business owners will recognize the pattern created by this advice from experienced sources. These principles of communication and culture development can help any software deployment be a success, even though your specific application of the principle will be unique.

 

The transition to new accounting, CRM, or ERP software gets easier the more you can show your team how the tool fits into their best practices. Then the updated software is less of a package dropped on top of the business. it's more of a tool customized to fit your organization's unique niche and value-proposition. aACE 5 is built on FileMaker, which makes it one of the most customizable and most cost-effective business operations products on the market today. It's an ideal match for mid-size companies interested in cross-platform, cloud-based solution, from wholesale distribution to light manufacturing. Learn more about what aACE 5 can do for your business by reading what current aACE clients have to say.

"Instead of simply maintaining our system, they took the time to understand our processes and worked with us to build a customized aACE system suited to our needs. The results exceeded our expectations, saving us several months of man-hours while improving the quality of our products." ~ Tae Koo, Manager of Design and Production, McGraw-Hill
Nine Tips from Experts to Help You Navigate the eCommerce Tax Revolution

Nine Tips from Experts to Help You Navigate the eCommerce Tax Revolution

September 12, 2018Posted inArticles, Articles and White Papers

Running a business can be stressful, like sailing on the open ocean. Waves and winds are constantly changing, forcing you to continually adapt. And one of the largest recent waves across the U.S. market is the Supreme Court decision on South Dakota v. Wayfair.

The details of this decision are fairly involved. In overview, the journey started in 1992, with Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, regarding the standard for sales taxes and interstate commerce. The final appeal challenges South Dakota’s application of its sales tax to internet retailers who sell into South Dakota, but who have no property or employees in that state. The Court's June decision in favor of South Dakota's legislation was given alongside recommendations for legislators to come up with long-term solutions.

To help you navigate this huge change, Scott Peterson of Avalara has written an article for RetailTouchPoints.com. The central principle he explains is that the recent and ongoing changes in tax legislation require your business to confront tax issues with a thorough, reliable process. Like an ocean, the waves are never steady, so you must establish a system to cope with this ongoing fluctuation.

The nine main features of a well-balanced tax handling process are:

1. Understand each state’s tax laws and know your nexus - Physical presence as the test for nexus has been joined by "extensive virtual presence". Obviously that puts a lot of attention on what the exact meaning of "extensive" is. States are starting to pass more laws basing sales tax obligations on the number of sales or amount of monies.

2. Heed changing filing requirements - States are gradually shifting to e-filing. Make sure that your tax process keeps you updated about current payment options and requirements.

3. Track required prepayments - An increasing number of jurisdictions are turning to PRE-payment for larger tax liabilities and existing pre-payment laws have schedules ranging from 1-4 payments a month. Your process must be flexible and must stay tuned in to the evolving demands.

4. Reconcile your sales tax payable account - The process you adopt must keep the books accurate as well.

5. Regularly confirm filing frequency for each state - Government agencies are more frequently using email and notifications on your tax account to handle communications. But even if a message gets lost en route, you will still be held accountable. In your tax process, include a way to proactively verify your deadlines.

6. Accurately tax new products - This variation to your processes arises directly out of your success. So, well done! But a new product line might entail new complexity for taxation. It's entirely possible that a product is taxable in one state, but exempt in another. As you roll out the new product, make sure its tied into your tax process to verify all the details. Similarly, when you expand sales to a new state, don't assume that the tax obligations will be the same as what you're used to.

7. Stay current with exemption certificates - An easy audit target is tax exemption certificates that are incorrect, misplaced, or expired. In your tax process, be sure that a step is focused on keeping these records watertight.

8. Respond to notices promptly - When a government agency tries to contact you, they take themselves very seriously. Not responding in a timely manner can result in levies, liens, and suspensions. Along with the large-scale changes, your tax handling process must address needs that arise on a day-to-day basis.

9. Use exact location, not ZIP codes - As states continue to refine their taxation requirements, it may be increasingly common for a single postal code to have multiple sales tax rates. Not only does your tax process need to stay up to date on these developments, but your calculations need to be accurate. It's the only way to avoid audits, penalties, and return reconciliations.

As Peterson suggests in conclusion, your protocols for handling tax responsibilities don't need to re-invent the wheel. There are a variety of tools already developed to automate sales tax chores and protect your company from audits. Leverage these technologies to ensure tax compliance and boost your company growth.

 

Going one step farther in your company progression, after a solid taxation process and high quality tax-handling tools, the pinnacle is to have tax functionality integrated into your business operations software. This is where the benefits of computerized automation shine even brighter. Your tax support keeps your business ship-shape while the accounting, CRM, and ERP software accelerates your business velocity. You can concentrate more of your team's attention on the tasks that boost profits. Learn more today about how the aACE business suite integrates with AvaTax.

"aACE was able to customize a few key components for us very intelligently that now just work. Exactly the way we need them to." ~ Derek Navratil, IT Administrator, Janibell Inc.