Fulfillment is the process of following through a transaction from ordering through delivery. Fulfillment procedures differ significantly
dependent on whether customers request products or services. Fulfillment falls into two broad categories - product fulfillment and
service fulfillment. Product Fulfillment is the process of product manufacturing, warehousing, assembly, quality control and delivery of
product directly to customers without the finished product going back through the company that has created the product. Service Fulfillment
doesn't involve delivery of physical goods. For instance, Membership fulfillment is a typical example of service fulfillment.
Service Fulfillment is the process of making particular services available to the subscribed members. Service fulfillment involves setup of
customer profiles in computer systems, coordination with various service providers, quality control and delivery of services to the customers,
for instance e-mail customers username/password for accessing membership computer systems, or mail the membership cards to the customers.
E-Fulfillment
The shift to e-business has brought with it a new expectation: e-fulfillment. Digital products (software, ebooks) can be delivered online.
E-fulfillment, Web fulfillment, Internet fulfillment and online fulfillment are used interchangeably.
Efficiency, intelligence and availability are the major benefits of E-fulfillment. The benefits of E-fulfillment are the results of digitalization
of business information and availability of global network (Internet). Digitalization of business information (inventory, sales, fulfillment and etc.)
improves the efficiency of information capturing, storing and processing and facilitates extracting business intelligence from data. Information on
the Internet can be accessed and transmitted without geographical boundary and time constraint.
Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management is the combination of the process and information technology that integrates the suppliers of raw materials or components,
the manufacturers or assemblers of the finished products, and distributors of the products or services into one cohesive process to include
demand forecasting, materials requisition, order processing, order fulfillment, transportation services, receiving, invoicing, and payment processing.
SCM usually refers to the redesign of supply chain processes in order to achieve streamlining. It is generally performed only by large corporations
with large suppliers. B2B exchange can extend Supply Chain Management to all trading partners regardless of size by providing a central location to
integrate information from all supply chain participants.
Related Topics
Inventory Management - Overview
What is Fulfillment - Definition, Product Fulfillment and Service Fulfillment
Fulfillment Company, Fulfillment House or Fulfillment Center
Global Fulfillment - Challenge for Going International
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