You could have the best product in the world, but if it does not reach your clients on time and safely, it is not going to matter much in the long run. Therefore, the success of your e-commerce business depends a lot on the fulfillment company you choose to partner with. They can contribute to your growth if you make the right choice, but the wrong one could lead to a poor trading experience, which means you will lose out on repeat customers and may even taint your reputation.
How do you choose a reliable fulfillment company for your ecommerce business? Here are some of the essentials to consider that can help you choose the right one:
Shipping speed
Modern consumers are not going to wait for days, weeks, or months for getting their orders. Therefore, you need to work with an order fulfillment provider who has an effective and efficient process that can get your products to your clients quickly. Statistics show that 53% of ecommerce customers abandon their purchase due to slow delivery times, which means you cannot afford to make mistakes in this regard.
Location of warehouses
As mentioned above, customers want to see lightning-fast shipping speeds and the proximity of the fulfillment warehouses to the location of customers is of the utmost importance. Hence, when you are shopping for an order fulfillment company, make sure you look for one that has warehouses that are strategically located because this will allow them to deliver quickly.
Moreover, if you want to sell your products worldwide, you should ensure that the fulfillment company offers global shipping, or operates in the area where you want to target customers.
Order fulfillment software
An ecommerce business already has a lot on its plate, as it has to use a number of digital applications, tools and other platforms for running its operations. The last thing you want is to deal with another software that has a learning curve, or is slow or disorganized. You need to look for an order fulfillment company that offers you a user-friendly and advanced fulfillment software that offers a host of capabilities and features. Reputable companies like TradeshipUSA offer real-time fulfillment solutions for ecommerce businesses in one software that can seamlessly integrate with your business.
Costs
It is understood that you will have to deal with costs when you are handing off the responsibility of fulfillment to a third-party logistics provider, but how much are they? Yes, you save on overhead, labor, packing supplies and more in the long-term, but this does not mean that you do not want to shop for the best deal.
Fulfillment companies can offer better rates because the volume of products they ship can help them get discounts and they can pass on the savings to you. Always compare the costs of different fulfillment companies before you choose one in order to find the most cost-effective option.
Consider these essentials and you will be able to choose the right order fulfillment company for your e-commerce business.
You must be logged in to post a comment.