Choosing the right partner can make or break your company’s logistics, customer service, and repeat purchases. Using a fulfillment center like Shipfusion frees you from navigating the fulfillment landscape with zero stress. Below are some insights on how Shipfusion can take your business to the next level.
In the past few years, the popularity of eCommerce has exploded. There are approximately 2 billion digital buyers around the world. If you want your eCommerce business venture to be successful, you need both a great website and the help of an eCommerce fulfillment center.
Third-party logistic companies like Shipfusion will fulfill the orders made on your eCommerce website for a fee. Are you looking for a great eCommerce fulfillment center to hire? If so, check out these great tips.
Assess the Cost
The main thing you need to do to make your eCommerce venture successful is to control costs. Without a firm budget, you run the risk of overspending and putting your online business in a bind. There will be some initial setup costs associated with hiring an eCommerce fulfillment center.
Some fulfillment centers have hidden fees to make extra money. Shipfusion always offers transparent rate cards upfront. Fees for long-term storage are usually one of the main things you need to keep an eye out for. Since your products will constantly be moving from the fulfillment center to consumers, long-term storage shouldn’t be an issue.
By taking the time to contact a few third-party logistic companies for quotes, you can get an idea of which one can provide the best deal on the fulfillment services you need.
Find Out About Shipping Speeds
One of the main problems that can tank your eCommerce store is slow shipping speeds. Modern consumers expect the items they order online to arrive promptly. Online eCommerce juggernauts like Amazon offer two-day and one-day shipping options to their customers.
Before you hire an eCommerce fulfillment center, you need to find out more about the shipping speeds they can offer. A well-established eCommerce fulfillment center will have warehouses spread out all over the United States.
This means they can provide great shipping speeds to their customers. Finding a fulfillment service with the capability is crucial to the long-term success of your eCommerce store.
How Will Returns Be Handled?
On average, 30% of all the products purchased online are returned. The last thing you want is to hire an eCommerce fulfillment center that takes a hands-off approach to returns. A good eCommerce fulfillment service will have a program designed to make returns management easier for their clients.
Some of the best fulfillment centers have software designed to process returns and identify serial returners.This may help this buyer feel more confident about their purchase, which may help you avoid returns from them in the future.
Where Are Their Fulfillment Center’s Located?
If you want to guarantee your eCommerce customers lightning-fast shipping, then you need to choose a fulfillment service with warehouses in the right locations. Identifying the places where most of your customers live can help you narrow down the vast array of fulfillment centers at your disposal.
For instance, if the bulk of your orders are coming from all orders in the US you will want to use Shipfusion’s flagship Chicago location. Doing this allows you to get your order processed and shipped in record time.
The more you know about your customers, the easier it will be to choose an eCommerce fulfillment center that can meet their needs.
Find Out About Packaging Options
As an eCommerce business owner, you need to realize just how important packaging is to consumers. Not all boxes and packaging materials are created equally. If your products show up in boxes that are damaged, flimsy or unappealing, it can affect your ability to generate repeat business.
This is why you need to find out more about the packaging options offered by the fulfillment services at your disposal. You also need to make sure a fulfillment center has plenty of quality insulation materials to put in your boxes.
These materials should include things like bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts and corrugated paper. Not only can these items protect the items being shipped, but they also provide the consumer with a better product presentation.
Ask About the Order Fulfillment Software a Service Uses
The average eCommerce business owner uses a lot of different tech tools to keep their company running efficiently. As you start to research different eCommerce fulfillment centers on the market, you will start to figure out the software used by these services is wildly different. It is important to find out how fast and reliable the order fulfillment software used by a service before hiring them.
Making sure the software in question can be easily implemented into your existing tech infrastructure is also crucial. Ideally, you want to choose a company that offers software with tons of features that make taking and filling orders easy for everyone involved.
Are Branding Options Available?
If you want to make your eCommerce store successful, you have to realize the importance of branding. Sending out your products in boring brown boxes can actually work against you. The average consumer wants boxes that are both appealing and adorned with the brands they are loyal to.
The best way to make reinforcing your brand easy is by using a fulfillment service that can offer branded packaging. With this branded packaging, you can attract the right kind of attention for your eCommerce store.
Choose a Fulfillment Company With a Great Reputation
You may be surprised to learn just how many different fulfillment services are currently operating around the world. If you want to find out more about a particular fulfillment service, then you need to do some online research. Looking at the reviews, a fulfillment center has received from past and current customers can be helpful.
These reviews give you an idea of how well a fulfillment center has performed for other entrepreneurs. With this information, you can decide whether a particular third-party logistics company is the right fit for your needs.
By using the tips in this article, you can find a fulfillment service you can rely on. For years, Shipfusion has helped eCommerce business owners fill and ship orders in a quick and efficient manner.
Shipfusion sets your business on autopilot and combines flexible, reliable fulfillment with powerful, real-time technology. Shipfusion has multiple fulfillment centers across the US and Canada– making it easy to manage your eCommerce business. For more information on how to set your business on autopilot, contact one of our fulfillment specialists today.
