What Is eCommerce Fulfillment?
Online eCommerce fulfillment is exactly what it sounds like, items are picked from bins or shelves, placed into appropriate boxes. That item is then shipped via USPS, FedEx or UPS to your customer. The basic fundamentals of eCommerce Fulfillment are as follows:
Warehousing Goods
Managing Inventory
Picking and Packing
Shipping Goods
Your eCommerce fulfillment center or 3rd party logistics center (3PL) will handle all of the above and will help guide your business.
Third Party Logistics (3PL)
All 3PL's are not created equal in the world of eCommerce Fulfillment. Third party logistics centers will vary in size, staffing and shipping specifics. These are specifics that you need to be aware of before signing a long term contract.
Ask yourselves these 3 important questions before making this most important choice.
Can they source transportation?
It sounds simple enough that a logistics center would be able to provide or be able to source freight or parcel carriers but you'd be surprised with how many have no working relationships with any of the above sources.
Do they have an inventory management system?
Again this simple concept of being able to track your product inventory accurately and in real time seems like a simple enough proposition. Then again most off the shelf software solutions cannot handle the growing needs of your business. Good Luck trying to scale with a warehouse that looses your products inside of 4 walls.
Last but most important. What is their accuracy rate for pick, pack, and shipping?
Outsourcing your business to a 3PL should take the stress out of your life, if they cannot ship your products correctly....RUN. The idea that in today's world and with today's technological breakthroughs like RF scanning, it is virtually impossible to mis-pick or mis-ship an item. If the 3PL isn't using this software solution they aren't going to offer you a 99.8% (industry standard) accuracy rate. Simply said "wrong items equals annoyed customers" which means you loose revenue.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT eCOMMERCE FULFILLMENT PARTNER
So now it's time to jump into the eCommerce fulfillment world with a new found knowledge and understanding of how it works.
With so many options to choose from what should be the determining factors that make a 3PL the right fit for your business today and into the future.
Trust...
When it comes down to it, trust is the single most important thing to rely on in choosing the right fulfillment center. All fulfillment centers do the same thing essentially but if they have anything to hide you will see right through their charade. Please start by asking detail specific questions. They will sweet talk you like a magician to mis-direct you from the actual reality versus your perceived reality.
A line from a movie said "Guy puts a fancy guarantee on a box 'cause he wants you to feel all warm and toasty inside." the truth is those guaranteed 3PL's will nickel and dime you into bankruptcy. They will then pass the blame to you for their inadequacies. This is where Black Mountain Fulfillment comes into the picture. With an all new state of the art warehouse network in place your inventory from the moment it reaches our facility will be tracked and shipped with a mind blowing, industry anomaly of a 99.997% accuracy rate. Our ability to cross dock a shipment or kit the items prior to end customer receipt is just a few of the things that make us special. Call or email today for an even better understanding of our operation and what has set us apart from all other 3PL eCommerce Fulfillment centers in Las Vegas.
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