Over the last few weeks, we’ve been digging into Shopify’s recently released Commerce Trends 2023 report and dissecting their tips for brands to overcome the supply chain crisis. A few weeks ago we looked at how to build a more resilient supply chain by diversifying product sources, while last month we explored how to modernize your supply chain through digitization. In both cases, we analyzed Shopify’s advice before offering our own unique point-of-view as a supply chain visibility platform that works with hundreds of merchants.
This week, in the last installment of this blog series, we’re looking at how to digitize your supply chain using Shopify APIs and automations. In its report, Shopify specifically talks about its inventory states API, which lets merchants integrate their inventory management system to gain a real-time view of their stock, and Shopify Flow, its ecommerce automation platform that lets users streamline and automate the end-to-end fulfillment process.
While these features and functions are popular for Shopify sellers, there’s an important lesson to remember to maximize their value. And that is:
You Need To Optimize the First Mile of Your Supply Chain
While Shopify’s report explores two crucial components of supply chain management, inventory management and fulfillment, the truth is that the tools they recommend are futile if you don’t have products in your warehouse. And unfortunately, this is a real danger for organizations stuck using outdated processes to manage their stock and supplier relationships.
For example, many brands still rely on spreadsheets and email to manage purchase orders, track inventory, and communicate with their supplier base. But did you know that 64% of SMBs issue 25 or more purchase orders per month, with 40% issuing 50 or more purchase orders on a monthly basis? Furthermore, according to Anvyl data, of all POs issued in 2022, there was an average of 5 files uploaded per order. And 56% of those orders had revisions made to them.
For an SMB placing 50 POs with dozens of suppliers on a monthly basis, that’s 250+ files that need to be managed, tracked, and updated. That’s a tall task for even the most prominent organizations – and an especially challenging duty for businesses still dependent on manual processes. It wouldn’t be surprising if an update slipped through the cracks, or an unexpected delayed delivery caused a ripple effect that impacted your end customer and your bottom line.
Overcoming Complexities With Anvyl
At Anvyl, we aim to address these complexities by offering Shopify merchants a one-stop shop to communicate with their suppliers, improve collaboration, and increase visibility. This is all while providing automations and key insights to help them see around corners and make better-informed decisions.
Our supply chain management suite features an added layer of intelligence that allows supply chain teams to make smarter decisions and optimize their operations. Our flexible intelligence layer achieves this through powerful automation that does the work of manual tasks, using AI and machine learning to know when to take action and predict delays and lead times with greater accuracy.
At Anvyl, we pride ourselves on being our customers’ central source of truth for all their order information and supplier relationships. To learn more about Anvyl’s mission to bring intelligent and connected supply chains to customers around the world, contact us today!
