Tips For Evaluating Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

 

The number of people buying gifts online continues to increase year after year. In 2013 alone, retail ecommerce sales during the holiday season reached $42.29 billion. Clearly, ecommerce is something businesses can no longer afford to ignore.

 

In order to meet the demands of the holiday rush, businesses need to have a way ship their products to customers. And one of the best way to do that is by going with an experienced 3PL company capable of providing exceptional ecommerce order fulfillment services. 

 

Here are a few tips to help you evaluate the best ecommerce fulfillment company to meet your needs. 

 

First, it’s important to know where the 3PL company’s warehouse is located. That way you will know how much your shipping rate will be. Try to find a logistics company that has a warehouse located near your customers, rather than one that’s close to your business. This will help to reduce shipping costs. 

 

In addition, you will need to figure out the 3PL company’s turn-around time. What time does the company stop shipping that day? Some companies may have a cut-off point of 2 p.m., scheduling remaining orders to go out the next day. This will effect your customers if they were expecting next day shipping or if their order doesn’t arrive on time. 
 

How will you enter your orders? You could enter each order into the fulfillment center’s web-based system or send forwarded individual order invoices to the company.

 

Entering orders manually may make sense if you are a small company that only receives a few orders each day. But if you are a larger company with several orders daily, you will want to spend the extra money to have automated emails forwarded to the 3PL you are working with.
 

Every fulfillment center operates on a different pay schedule. Some charge using a sliding scale and require contracts, while others charge per order or item with no contract. You will need to determine which option works best for you and your budget. 

Cimetra’s Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

 

Don’t let other companies have all the fun this holiday season! Make sure you have a way to deliver your products to customers by partnering with a capable 3PL company. 

 

Cimetra is one of Nashville’s most trusted 3PL companies. We are able to service any shipping needs you have, regardless of how big or small your company may be.