A new research report released today by Saddle Creek Logistics Services explores how retailers, manufacturers and ecommerce companies are leveraging order fulfillment to improve customer experience.

“Fulfillment Trends Shaping the Future of Customer Experience” is based on an online survey of 150 industry professionals conducted in partnership with StudioID. The report explores the critical role order fulfillment operations play in delivering a premium experience for ecommerce and omnichannel shoppers.

“To deliver a memorable customer experience, you need high-performing fulfillment operations,” said Brian Mattingly, regional vice president, operations, at Saddle Creek. “More companies are recognizing that order fulfillment can be a competitive differentiator. They’re focusing on fine-tuning their operations to improve product availability, provide more responsive service, offer a variety of shipping options, and more.”

The report identifies trends and best practices in a number of areas, including information systems, robotics and automation, process improvement, customization and personalization, and shipping. Highlights include:

— In the past year, more than half of respondents have added or upgraded a WMS (59%) and/or OMS (52%) to improve customer experience while 45% have implemented a warehouse execution system (WES).

— In the next 12 to 18 months, robotics and automation is the top area fulfillment operations will focus on to improve customer experience.

— Process improvement will also be a priority, as 43% of respondents plan to focus on this area.

The complete report is available at www.sclogistics.com/fulfillment/CX.