Outsourcing fulfilment is a big step, but it’s the fastest and most-cost effective way to scale up without committing to extra warehousing or staff, so you can focus on growing your business instead of picking and packing orders. By freeing yourself of this burden, you can use time more effectively, reduce operational costs and deliver an exceptional experience to your customers.
Why outsource eCommerce fulfilment?
Outsourcing fulfilment is a big step, but it’s the fastest and most-cost effective way to scale up without committing to extra warehousing or staff, so you can focus on growing your business instead of picking and packing orders. By freeing yourself of this burden, you can use time more effectively, reduce operational costs and deliver an exceptional experience to your customers.
When is the right time to look for an 3rd party eCommerce fulfilment partner?
It’s time to outsource if:
- You run out of time to despatch orders in time for your collection
- You are struggling to find space to store stock
- Customers complain they have received the wrong product
- Delivery and returns costs are high
- Sales have flatlined and you want to accelerate business growth
What should I look for in an eCommerce fulfilment house?
Choosing a fulfilment partner is a difficult but important decision. It’s imperative you trust the team you work with to not only fulfil your orders as well as you do – but even better! So how do you know which is ‘the one’?
1. Wide range of services
Make sure your fulfilment partner can give you everything you need all under one roof, including goods-in checks, quality assurance, speciality packaging, personalisation, international delivery, multi-carrier tracking and returns. Bear in mind that even if you think you don’t need a specific service, you might do in the future as your business grows.
2. Integrated with you
To make your life as easy as possible, you should be able to integrate your IT systems with the WMS at your fulfilment house, whether this be your eCommerce platform, order management system or marketplaces. This will help you retain visibility and control of your orders, and ensure the experience is seamless for your customers as well.
3. Top facilities
An experienced, professional fulfilment house will invest in the very best equipment and technology to ensure your orders are picked as efficiently and accurately as possible. This should also include high levels of security to ensure your stock is safe, as well as the cleanliness and tidiness of the building itself. Arrange a site visit so you can see for yourself the operation in action.
4. Reliable support and expertise
Your fulfilment partner should feel like an extension of your workbench, which means they should care about your products as much as you do. Do you sell clothes that need to be kept dust and wrinkle free? Do you sell gifts that need wrapping? Do you sell food that needs to be kept cool and dry? Go with your gut; work with an experienced team who offer a personal service that you can trust.
5. Costs
Cost will always be a deciding factor. The purpose of moving to a shared user environment removes fixed overheads, so look for a fulfilment house that only charges you for the space, time and services you use so you never spend more than needed.
6. Domestic & International
It’s important your fulfilment partner can provide you with a wide range of both domestic and international delivery options, as well as the expertise to tailor the delivery experience to customers in your target markets. This will help you fulfil customer expectations at home while maximising your potential for growth in international markets at the same time.
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The GFS Logistics team has helped hundreds of growing online sellers turn into successful, well-known brands. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.
