Order fulfillment is essential to every business that ships goods from one place to another. They are steps that the business takes, starting from the moment they receive an order to ensure it’s delivered to the customers safely and on time. If your order fulfillment partner doesn’t know what they’re doing, then you might be losing out. This is why you’ll have to be extremely cautious while choosing your partner. Your supply managers need to spend time looking at various factors to select preferable logistics partners.
Most ventures fail to realize the essence of outsourcing order fulfillment until their processes begin to crumble. Other businesses fail to embrace 3PL because they invest in inefficient practices that significantly slow down their activities. Outsourcing order fulfillment to a professional third-party logistics partner helps you with the following benefits:
- Reduction of overhead costs
- Provides a gateway to scale production
- Saves time
Here are a few factors to consider if you plan to choose a third-party order fulfillment logistics partner.
Understand The Current Position of Your Venture and Where It’s Heading
As a business owner, you’ll have to be clear with your business ideas and how you would like them to be implemented. You’ll also take notes on the current position of your business venture and where it could be heading soon. Based on these stats, you’d be able to anticipate monthly production volume. It should help you in choosing your order fulfillment partner quickly.
As your order fulfillment provider, Sherpack will handle your shipment process professionally and relieve you of the burden of taking and shipping client orders in time for your customers. From the low order volume of a small or midsize order fulfillment of a fast-growing company, Sherpack can be an extremely cost-effective order fulfillment partner option for your business.
Pay Attention To Your Business’s Shipping Requirements
The business world is changing fast. Ventures are adopting a direct-to-everywhere strategy whose primary aim is to market their product on various online platforms. With online physical retail, you can interact with clients and prospects and have one-on-one conversations about your products.
E-commerce platforms and other marketplaces, however, exist in a realm of challenges which include shipping complexities. Whether you opt for online retails, pop-up shops, or B2B, you’ll encounter unique or collective shipping challenges. It’s crucial to establish a channel that best serves your business and choose your order fulfillment logistics partner. For instance, you may be operating a business that depends on 15 sales channels. In such a case, prioritize various shipping services to reach your multiple clients. However, as your professional order fulfillment partner, Sherpack strives to offer order fulfillment services that reduce a client’s burden to source multiple third-party partners.
We also still believe in people talking to people – and never forgetting the human element that exists within every interaction. This is why you’ll always be guided by one of our team members for your fulfillment needs. Our Fulfillment Trail Guides are ready to welcome you to the process and walk you through every step of the way. They’re also available to answer any questions or concerns you might have to make the process smoother.
Check Out Their Pricing If It Matches Your Business Budget
Shipping through third-party logistics partners has prices for everything. The prices include:
- Quantity of shipped orders
- Quantity of items picked
- Pallet storage
- Packing
You’ll determine the storage and the services that you need from each 3PL using these requirements. At Sherpack, we understand that price is an integral aspect to consider when choosing a logistics partner. Sherpack determines the pricing based on the type of services, products, and delivery model you’re looking for.
Fulfillment Partners Should Have Warehouses Nearby Your Order Location
It’s worthy to identify the specific states and cities with most clients using the orders from a given region. Prioritize on getting order fulfillment logistic partners with companies with established warehouses in those areas. Picking these distinct locations will place the parts within shipping zones that have lower prices. Besides, you’ll also achieve the following benefits:
- Your clients will get their goods in time
- Two-day shipping and cost-free shipping
- Access to the target market in a hassle-free manner
Your choice of a 3PL will depend on the area you want to fulfill the shipping within the shortest possible time. It will also be an opportunity for you to prepare to ship goods to regions experiencing a surge in demand. The distribution channels that you settle for should provide a solution to your business, such as reducing shipping rates and freight time for the company’s benefits. Choose a 3PL whose warehouses increase your proximity to the market and enhance expansion.
Consider The Data
If you’re planning on expanding your channels by outsourcing to an order fulfillment logistics partner, it’s worth having insights into the fundamental processes of warehousing.
- Master your product’s SKU setup
- Tie barcodes and UPCs to every product
- Keep a careful track of inventory costs for CoGS to enhance your profitability records.
Keeping inventory track for costs is a vital aspect of maintaining data. Business owners want to implement a system that can reconcile data from order fulfillment logistics partners with existing sales channels, producers, and warehouses in the supply network. And in such cases, Sherpack offers an array of opportunities to create a smooth delivery system, to meet specific client needs. We believe in customer satisfaction, and this is why we always find a way to meet your requirements and guide you to a successful fulfillment process.
The best way to win the loyalty of your clients is by providing fast, efficient, and affordable shipping options. Failure to embrace appropriate order fulfillment systems will make it challenging for your venture to have a breakthrough in the world of e-commerce. Surprise client check-outs will frustrate your business and edge you out of the stiff competition.
You can overcome these challenges by searching for reliable order fulfillment logistics partners. Sherpack is here to assist you in fulfilling your client’s multiple orders regardless of their location. We offer cosmetics fulfillment, supplement fulfillment, kitting, subscription box fulfillment, and so much more!
