Commerce Operations
Physical Goods manages the operating work that connects storefronts and marketplaces to inventory, orders and fulfillment.
Scope of work
The operating work between inventory and the channels where it is sold.
- Shopify operations
- Manage the agreed operating administration behind a Shopify storefront: product information, catalog readiness, inventory availability and order workflows. Keep the information required for fulfillment consistent with the physical product and provider arrangements. The company retains responsibility for its brand, offer, pricing decisions and commercial strategy unless a specific administrative task is included in scope.
- Marketplace operations
- Coordinate operational requirements across the agreed marketplaces, including catalog information, inventory administration and fulfillment handoffs. Different channels may have different shipment or order requirements. Make those responsibilities visible to the providers executing the work, rather than assume one storefront workflow will satisfy every channel.
- Orders & exceptions
- Define how an order moves from the sales channel to the system and provider responsible for fulfillment. Coordinate issues such as missing information, stock discrepancies, failed handoffs and returns. Establish who can correct an order, who makes customer-policy decisions and which exceptions need escalation to the company.
- Inventory administration
- Keep channel availability connected to the agreed inventory record. Coordinate stock adjustments, replenishment information and discrepancies between systems and warehouses. Administrative work should support a usable view of what can be sold and fulfilled; it cannot replace accurate physical receiving, counting and inventory handling.
- Launch operations & reporting
- Prepare products, inventory, order handling and provider arrangements for an operational launch. Check the dependencies between channel readiness and stock being physically available. Maintain reporting on the agreed operating measures and exceptions so the business can see what requires action across channels and fulfillment providers.
The physical handoff matters
Commerce systems and physical fulfillment must agree on products, quantities, order states and responsibility for exceptions. Physical Goods can coordinate that relationship across the storefront, marketplace, warehouse and supporting providers. The engagement defines administrative access, approval authority and the operating scope we manage. Where specialist integration or development work is required, it should be assigned and coordinated explicitly rather than implied by routine storefront administration.
Working questions
- Does this include marketing or customer acquisition?
- Physical Goods does not ordinarily own paid media, advertising creative, social management, PR, influencer campaigns, or customer acquisition. Commerce Operations concerns the systems, administration and physical handoffs behind selling. Marketing strategy and demand generation remain with the company and its appointed resources.
- Can you work alongside our existing team?
- Yes. The scope can address a particular operational gap or connect recurring work across an internal team and outside providers. Distribution & Fulfillment covers the physical inventory, warehouse and carrier work; U.S. Distribution can establish or manage the local operating requirements.