Wasp Barcode Technologies: The Barcode Solution People

E-Commerce Boom Spurs Need for Better Labeling Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly shifted e-commerce in 2020, maybe more than any other time in history. While traditional retail sales continue to decline, online sales have skyrocketed.

Par for the course, I recently decided to purchase clothing online for the first time in my life. I also canceled my gym memberships, and I’m now in the process of building a home gym. In order to complete my home gym, I must order gym equipment. As a result, I find myself right back online looking for what I need.

This behavior has become the overwhelming trend for most of our society. People are looking for ways to maintain a normal lifestyle, while reducing their exposure to the virus. 

Traditional retail activity as we once knew it has become more of a last resort, as opposed to the necessity it used to be. E-commerce sales have grown 129% year-over-year since the COVID-19 threat began. While the increased activity is great for business, keeping up with the demand is a challenge.

As we continue to shift our resources from retail to e-commerce, the massive demand is starting to create order fulfillment issues. Order fulfillment issues usually arise when the demand for a product or service heavily outweighs the supply, or the sheer volume prevents orders from being processed in a timely manner. In some cases, a simple enhancement in technology can make a world of difference for companies who deal with these discrepancies. Currently, many businesses carry enough stock to handle the demand; however, some lack efficiency in their internal processing.

One of the most common pain points for companies who struggle with processing is the ability to quickly and cost-efficiently produce accurate labels. When orders are coming in fast, it’s extremely important to have a labeling solution that can keep up with the demand. Keeping up with demand isn’t only about speed -- it’s about precision. Correct and clearly read information on packaging and shipping labels is imperative to a streamlined fulfilment operation.

Poorly printed labels cause picking, packing and shipping issues. Receiving an order is great. Shipping the wrong product is not. Picking and packing an order to ship to a customer quickly doesn’t matter if the carrier rejects the shipment because of an unreadable shipping label.

Now we’re not just talking about an operational issue. We’re talking about a customer experience issue. Poor experience not only leads to returns, it can lead to defection and negative communications from those affected customers to other potential customers. That’s bad for business but it can be avoided.

Wasp Barcode Technologies has introduced several innovative and versatile labeling solutions that are designed to meet the needs of those experiencing a boom in e-commerce. From the WPL308 On-Demand Desktop Barcode Printer to the WPL614 Industrial-Grade Barcode Printer, Wasp has the technology to keep up with the changing times.

As the e-commerce demographic grows larger and orders increase significantly, companies across the world would greatly benefit from implementing a barcode label solution that can keep up with the pace.

If your business would like to improve its performance, or simply learn more, contact your IT reseller or Wasp directly.