Ecommerce fulfilment is what we call the process that happens when someone orders one of your company’s products and it is sent out to them. It involves everything from the storage of your inventory, picking and packing the items, to final shipment to customers. The reason this process is so crucial is that these days customers expect a stellar level of service, not just in terms of the quality of the products they buy, but in their experience of receiving those products.
Given its importance, there are many different reasons you might wish to outsource this aspect of your business. Here are just some of the advantages of having an eCommerce fulfilment specialist take care of it for you.
It can save you money
By outsourcing your eCommerce fulfilment you can cut costs on logistics by being able to take advantage of bulk delivery discounts and lower shipping rates. In addition, you could save money on your operating costs by not having to hire such a large space to store your products, or staff to pick and package them. This might not apply to very small businesses, but as you grow you can expect to see the savings you make grow too. You can then invest this money into other parts of your business to further boost your development.
You can focus on other aspects of your business
With storage, picking, packing and shipping all taken care of by someone else, you free up vast amounts of your time to focus on the more crucial aspects of your business – such as marketing, making more sales and growing your business. As an entrepreneur, this will likely be a big help to you and allow you to concentrate on the parts of your company that you are most passionate about. After all, your time is finite, so why not spend it doing what you love?
It can make it easier to scale your business
As your business grows and you have more orders to ship, it gets trickier to handle everything surrounding storage and distribution in-house. By outsourcing your eCommerce fulfilment to the experts, you can concentrate on increasing sales without having to worry about how you are going to manage to cope with them. It also makes it easier if and when you start to think about expanding into other markets, for example, if you want to begin shipping your products abroad. This can be instrumental in growing your business and increasing your profit.
You can benefit from outside expertise
Ecommerce fulfilment companies tend to use state of the art technology, with integrated and user-friendly software, to manage all aspects of storage and distribution accurately and efficiently. You can also benefit from their expert knowledge on all relevant laws and policies to ensure no mistakes are made. Many companies will also handle factors such as customer service and returns, enabling your company to better meet – and even exceed – customer expectations. This can be key to giving you an edge over your competitors.