Future trends in order management
04 Minute Read
As technology and consumer expectations evolve, order management trends are rapidly reshaping how businesses operate in the digital economy. Staying ahead of these trends is crucial for companies looking to thrive in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced marketplace.
Looking forward, we expect new technologies and trends to make order management even more profitable and efficient.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation improve accuracy and help you run a smarter business. Together, they create smarter, faster, and more efficient workflows across the order lifecycle.Optimizing your workflows stops waste and removes redundancies in your order management system. However, you need a solid understanding of where inefficiencies come from, and that requires a thorough audit of your existing order management processes.
Workflow visualization tools can help with this. Use process mapping services, flowcharts, or visual stream mapping to gain more insights into your order workflows and how their changes affect customers.
Workflow optimization is a helpful order management best practice, but automation takes these efficiencies to the next level. With more businesses transitioning to a recurring model, it’s important to consider how to implement certain layers of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) into order management.
The customer life cycle is shorter with subscriptions, and every order could lead to a recurring relationship. Automation and AI can help cut down on order-capturing time and save costs. That’s not to mention the boost in customer experience.
Automation and AI can fit easily into your order management system through third-party AI-powered virtual agents. These services connect with a company’s CRM or inventory management system through an application programming interface (API). They access the order management data like a live agent would, automating order placement, returns, and more.
AI and automation are perfect for:
If you ship physical products to your customers, you know how much effort goes into picking and packing. Fortunately, voice-activated and mobile solutions are making it much easier for employees to do better work, faster.
Voice-activated and mobile solutions use voice recognition technology and mobile-friendly platforms to streamline order management processes. These solutions allow businesses and customers to interact with order systems through spoken commands or mobile devices, making order placement, tracking, and updates more efficient.
This order management trend is excellent for accessibility, making order management much more manageable for on-the-go employees. Hands-free options simplify navigation and retrieval, and it doesn’t hurt that these systems give employees real-time access to order information.
Integrating voice-activated solutions with augmented reality or virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies can decrease training costs by as much as 30% and boost employee retention by 40%.
More businesses will likely embrace this order management trend through:
Sustainability and green logistics focus on reducing the environmental impact of order management while maintaining efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It includes practices like eco-friendly packaging, optimizing delivery routes to reduce emissions, and sourcing materials responsibly.
The best part about this order management trend is that what’s good for the earth is also good for an organization’s bottom line. For example, reducing packaging keeps waste out of the landfill and reduces costs — it’s a win-win. Plus, 78% of consumers say they care about sustainability, so embracing this order management trend will help you better align with customer expectations.
There are plenty of ways to embrace sustainability throughout the order management process, including:
Eco-friendly packaging: Transition to biodegradable, recyclable, or reusable packaging. Reducing packaging size and weight will also minimize manufacturing and shipping costs.
Route optimization: AI-powered tools can identify the most efficient delivery routes, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Energy efficiency: LED lightbulbs, low-flow water fixtures, and solar panels are eco-friendly additions to any physical space.
Carbon offsets: Give customers the option to offset the carbon footprint of their delivery or subscription. These donations go directly to environmental projects, helping to offset the impact of shipping.
Every organization has a different definition of sustainability. What matters most is that your organization is consistent and genuine. Customers can see right through greenwashing, so be authentic in your efforts to go green.
Thanks for signing up!
You'll receive a weekly digest of must-read articles and key resources.