Fulfillment is all the steps a company takes between receiving an order and placing that order into the customer’s hands. It includes receiving, packaging and shipping orders for goods.
To fulfill orders, fulfillment companies typically integrate their software with your e-commerce store to streamline the process. Thus, every time a customer places an order with your business, your fulfillment service company will be notified of it as well.
Delivery services like UPS and FedEx may get the job done, but due to the volume and concentration of deliveries given to logistics companies, there are many benefits to reap from using them— all of which have contributed to fulfillment’s growing popularity in the last 2 years.
Fulfillment companies deliver packages from many businesses. This means that the total deliveries increase in volume and the geographic locations are more concentrated. Due to these two factors, logistics companies can offer discounted shipping costs and faster delivery speeds for all your packages.
Without needing to rent warehouses, equipment, or staff employees, you can save time, resources, and money.
Fulfillment services are able to reduce shipping times due to the concentration and volume of the deliveries. Many of these services have a same day or next day shipping guarantee. According to Marketing Profs, 49% of shoppers claim same-day delivery options can convince them to buy from one business instead of another online. Companies with same-day delivery tend to gain an advantage over 85% of their competitors.
By outsourcing fulfillment, you can spend the time previously used on self fulfillment to grow your business and your employees can be used to improve other areas such as customer service.
As e-commerce grows to be the most prominent method of purchasing items, a huge portion of your customer service relies on your shipping speed— a speed that should guarantee the customer the item within 48 hours of ordering. This is a speed that only fulfillment companies can ensure.
“Your success does not only depend on the quality of your product— it also depends on the quality of your order fulfillment service.” - Shopify
Is it time for your businesses to consider outsourcing fulfillment services? Let’s chat.
