OPTIMIZATION AND AUTOMATION OF ORDER PROCESSING IN SMALL E-COMMERCE BUSINESSES USING IT SOLUTIONS BASED ON LEAN TOOLS: A SMALL BUSINESS CASE STUDY

Abstract

The article discusses the experience of optimizing the order processing of a small enterprise in the field of e-commerce based on Lean management principles. The basis for the study was the Mamalyuk children's goods store, where lean manufacturing tools (5S, Kanban, Value Stream Mapping, the 5 Whys method, Kaizen) were implemented and a proprietary CRM system called Houston was developed to automate processes. The SIPOC, IDEF0, and state diagram methodologies were used to analyze the current (“as-is”) and target (“to-be”) states of the process. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were identified: average processing time per order, number of errors (incorrect shipments, cancellations due to internal reasons), processing cost, and customer satisfaction level. Specific improvement results were achieved: reduction of order processing time from 15 to 5 minutes, reduction of cost from UAH 52 to UAH 17, reduction of errors and returns from ~5% to ~0.1%, and increase in customer satisfaction. Conclusions were made about the effectiveness of the Lean approach in small businesses, the possibility of scaling successful solutions, and directions for further process improvement through the introduction of artificial intelligence and additional automation were outlined.