Introduction to ecommerce fulfilment
Any small e-Commerce business must start somewhere, and in the early days that often means taking on every aspect of running the business from ordering stock to picking, packing and shipping. When a business starts to experience substantial growth, it is time to reflect and see which tasks can be delegated elsewhere.
Once you start employing staff and outsourcing tasks such as web design, accounting and marketing it might also be time to consider handing over the order fulfilment side of things too. This is where we can help you to understand what that is and how it can help your business thrive.
When you outsource order fulfilment to a specialist e-Commerce fulfilment company you can relieve yourself from the hassle of managing your stock, order picking, packing and final mile delivery. By handing it over to product fulfilment services experts who will ensure they get the most out of the process for you delivering a fast, reliable and secure e-Commerce warehousing and fulfilment service.
What is e-Commerce fulfilment?
e-Commerce fulfilment refers to the process of making sure the stock you have stored, which you then sell online, is delivered to your customers who have placed an order with you. It covers the picking of the items, the packing of the orders and ultimately the safe final mile delivery of said items to the customer.
Your order fulfilment can be carried out in-house by you or your staff, but this is not recommended for growing businesses as it can prevent you from focusing on other important tasks such as research and development of products to increase future growth. Order fulfilment can therefore be outsourced to an expert third party e-Commerce fulfilment company, who will carry out every area of the order fulfilment process for you. These companies are often referred to as third party logistics (3PL) providers.
There is also a type of shipping option called ‘drop-shipping’ whereby products are shipped to the customer straight from the supplier. However, order fulfilment differs from this; items will go from the supplier to a fulfilment warehouse to be stored until someone places an order for them. A 3PL will manage the storage of these items until the time when an order comes in for them.
How do orders work with a 3PL?
The process of order fulfilment at an e-Commerce warehousing facility can be categorised into 4 areas:
- Receiving
An order is received at the fulfilment warehouse as soon as your customer has placed it. This is usually achieved by the 3PL integrating with the platforms where you sell your products such as Amazon. This will allow for a fully automated flow of information between the point of sale and the fulfilment warehouse centre.
- Picking
This refers to the selection of correct items, as displayed in the order, from the warehouse stock. It is possible that the warehouse fulfilment centre where your stock is being stored is also the chosen place for multiple other companies. Therefore, orders are picked meticulously to ensure the correct item is sent to the customer.
- Packing
Staff at the order fulfilment centre will package your goods ready for shipping. How the products are packaged will be prearranged with you to ensure continuity of brand, and that the aesthetics are to your agreed standards. The e-Commerce warehousing staff will package these goods according to these requirements, also ensuring that the items are protected against any potential damage that could occur throughout the final mile delivery journey so that they reach your customer in perfect condition.
- Shipping
Once the order is picked and packed the e-Commerce fulfilment centre will then ship the item using the desired postage method (standard, next day, express etc). This makes sure that the turnaround from ordering to shipment is as quick and efficient as possible to uphold your reputation and keep your customers happy.
How can Xpediator help with outsourcing your e-Commerce warehousing and fulfilment services?
Xpediator Plc is a fast-growing international freight forwarding and courier company providing warehousing logistics and transport support solutions. Exploiting the global growth demand for freight management services, Xpediator has three specialist divisions:
Freight forwarding services: Providing international freight forwarder solutions by road transport solutions, air courier and sea freight services. The group also operates with specialist home and retail logistics options, which offer end to end freight management services across the UK and central Europe with final mile delivery solutions for retailers.
Logistics and warehousing activities: Consisting of the leading palletised freight network in Romania, international freight forwarding services and further port centre logistics and warehousing activities in the UK.
Transport support solutions: Delivering a one-stop-shop service for transport companies in Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bulgaria.
We understand that choosing the right 3PL e-Commerce fulfilment provider is a huge decision for a growing business and is integral to the continued success of the business. Here at Xpediator, we have a culture of collaboration where working together to achieve goals is something we incorporate within our expert supply chain logistics company. When we work with you we will also work collaboratively to help you achieve the best for your organisation and the future of your business.
To discuss how Xpediator can help you propel your business by providing specialist freight forwarding services, e-Commerce fulfilment and warehousing activities, please do not hesitate to get in touch here.
