With advancements in technology, customers have gained some technical advantages when it comes to making online purchases. They type, click, and swipe their way to the goods they need. If you own an e-commerce business your success will not only rely on your product’s quality, but also depend on the quality of your order fulfillment service.
Although there are advantages to packing and shipping orders on your own – personalized experience, economy, and flexibility – as your e-commerce business grows and gains momentum, it becomes challenging to track all your orders as well as inventory.
And when shipping is compromised, it interferes with an essential part of your business- the movement of products from your online store to customers. Regrettably, most companies do not focus more on e-commerce fulfillment, and as a result, they end up losing customers due to delivery delays or even inventory deficits.
To stay competitive and ensure a positive customer shopping experience, it’s important to partner with an order fulfillment company you can trust. One that turns your e-commerce store into a source of passive income and not a pain in the neck- so to speak.
Here are some other benefits you can expect with the right third-party logistics partner:
1. Concentrate on growing your e-commerce business
There’s a good chance you did not start your e-commerce business because you enjoy packing boxes. Even if your filling and wrapping techniques are out of this world, it is the other skills that you bring into your business that will make it unique.
Additionally, your time becomes scarce with the growth of your online sales volume. Even with a small yet efficient and talented team, you still do not need to spend many business hours packing and shipping orders.
Outsourcing an order fulfillment will save you more time, allowing you to focus on growing your business. And wouldn’t you rather handle online marketing, product sourcing, and sales instead of back-end logistics?
2. Enhance your customer service
It is easier to maintain customers compared to finding new ones. Studies show that companies lose approximately $62 billion annually because of poor customer service. Presently, with stiff competition in the market, customer service is one-way e-commerce businesses can differentiate themselves.
Most order fulfillment companies provide 24/7 support through phone or email, leading to easy returns, refunds, and exchanges. Also, an order fulfillment partner can give you guaranteed delivery dates or same-day delivery options. Again, this works to enhance their customer experience.
3. Provide personalized packaging
An order fulfillment partner thinks inside and outside the box. For most e-commerce businesses, first-time customers get their products when they arrive at their doors; presently, battered brown boxes wrapped in duct tapes will not cut it.
Personalized packaging choices enable you to create your custom shipping inserts, coupons, and boxes, upgrading your packaging to make it fresh and exciting each time customers make purchases. Typically, this is based on spending behaviors, demographics, anniversaries or birthdays,. This assists in creating loyalty as well as turning shoppers into brand advocates.
4. Get the best technology and inventory management
The other benefit of an order fulfillment partner is that it has technology, experience, and industry leadership that can make your e-commerce business run effectively. This comprises seamless integration with your sales channels and other management tools that optimize inventory optimization and carrier selection tasks.
5. Lowers your operating costs
It is costly to perform your own shipping, purchase packing supplies, hire employees, maintain quality control, and rent space. With an order fulfillment partner, you can avoid these overhead costs and start sharing resources and space with other sellers.
By taking advantage of economies of scale, you can obtain the best terms and prices! Additionally, you often pay one flat fee with a fulfillment center, only for services you utilize, like picking, packing, and shipping orders. Simple Global has simple fulfillment pricing for eCommerce brands. Our cost estimates are $2.00 for under 1,000 picks and $1.85 for 1,001-2,000 picks. This will lower your operating costs.
6. Efficient distribution and storage
A fulfillment company enables you to organize, store, and ship your e-commerce business orders more efficiently. It will do all the work of managing, storing, and receiving your products, and it will offer easy access for tracking the levels of your current stock.
Having an order fulfillment partner eliminates the risk of shipping errors. In addition, a fulfillment partner’s inventory technology, streamlined pick and pack methods, automated processes, and advanced return and receiving procedures will ensure efficient and accurate fulfillment processing.
7. Scale your business with fewer headaches
With the growth of your e-commerce business, shipping becomes more worrying, particularly if you sell your products through many paths. Consider the number of steps between receiving an order and delivering it to your customer’s door, and you will realize that fulfilling orders can be challenging.
However, when you have an order fulfillment partner by your side, you would not have to worry regarding hiring new fulfillment personnel, looking for low-cost warehouse space, managing extra inventory, as well as packing and distributing. Rather, you will have the confidence you want to grow your eCommerce business as soon as possible without adversely affecting customer experience.
8. Enter new markets
Undoubtedly, online shopping is one of the fastest-growing sectors. However, most e-commerce businesses aim at tapping into the global market but hesitate due to the risks involved. Having an order fulfillment partner is the best way of entering into new markets without establishing traditional stores across the globe where you intend to sell your products. Additionally, you can take advantage of the distribution location and excellent shipping rates of the fulfillment partner.
9. Faster delivery
If you do order fulfillment in-house, the probabilities are it is done from a convenient place for you. However, chances are that your business isn’t in a location that offers optimal costs and transit times to your shoppers. Working with an order fulfillment partner will enable you to save on shipping costs and accelerate the delivery of orders to your customers.
10. Fulfillment experience
Remember that you are not looking forward to becoming a fulfillment expert, but you are attempting to manage your e-commerce business. By outsourcing your packing, shipping, and storage to a reputable and experienced fulfillment partner, you will take advantage of their equipment, software, and personnel. An order fulfillment partner understands your business well. Therefore, partnering with an order fulfillment company will make the fulfillment process easier.
Take action today!
In an ever-evolving and increasingly competitive online market, order fulfillment has to move quickly like e-commerce businesses. Along with the above order fulfillment benefits, you can count on Simple Global for total transparency in the fulfillment process by utilizing our cutting-edge order fulfillment software known as ONE, which integrates with marketplaces like Shopify, eBay, and Amazon. With ONE, you will save time by updating information and adding products within one platform.
We are transforming how fulfillment is handled! Call us now for more information concerning how we can assist your e-commerce business to improve its efficiency as well as boost its customer experience as your order fulfillment partner!
