Companies scramble to put their e-commerce solutions to work. They have a nice-looking website, easy to use, good products to sell and consumers are ready to order online to get their product into their homes or businesses.
There are several out of the box e-commerce solutions in the market such as Shopify and Woo commerce that integrate with many accounting software. There are also a few more advanced customizable solutions.
Ecommerce Solutions and Order Fulfillment Services
Before you launch the website and start shipping, you for sure have the product available to ship at your own warehouse or an order fulfillment center.
The decision to have your own warehouse or a 3pl company to handle the fulfillment depends on various considerations such as:
– The Financial ability to have your own warehouse. Do you have the money to rent or purchase a warehouse? Can you afford the employees and the other fees associated with having the warehouse?
– Will you be able to hire the employees that have the expertise to handle the fulfillment process?
– Will you be able to handle the demand from one location or do you need several locations. Many companies end up working with various 3PL Companies since the demand is too high or the location of their own warehouse is not suitable for some customers who might want to pick up the product.
-Target markets: If you are located in California with the majority of your orders being shipped to Florida where the customers demand next day delivery, you should consider working with one of the Order Fulfillment Companies in Florida.
-Type of product being sold such as, size, weight might dictate if you should work with a 3Pl company or not.
International Order Fulfillment
If you are shipping internationally you probably will save a bundle and handle the fulfillment process more efficiently by working with a Third Party Logistics Company that is also a freight forwarder to fulfill orders. This way you can streamline the process by cutting down on the steps of fulfilling the orders. The 3PL Warehouse will handle the storage, pick and pack services and International Shipping.
If you are looking to handle distribution in international markets, you will need to procure the services of a Contract Logistics Company in the intended country.
Resources:
Fulfillment Companies in Miami
