The world of 3rd party logistics (3PL) is on fire with changes around every corner.
The marriage of modern technology with old-fashioned logical fulfillment house processes has created an environment where anything can happen—and often does. Although some times of year are slow for updates on dietary supplement fulfillment services, there are always a few worth reporting on.
Here are some interesting updates to ask your favorite 3PL about this season:
Custom Dietary Labeling. As of July 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declared that small amounts of nutrients and dietary ingredients must be declared on nutrition labels, meaning that some of your dietary supplements may no longer be in compliance when they go to ship. Luckily, 3PLs with mail services can easily access the tools necessary to update your labels to keep your stock viable and in compliance, no matter what changes may come.
Offering Fulfillment to Smart Cars? Although it’s not yet available in the U.S., your dietary supplement customers may soon be able to request their products be fulfilled direct to their Smart Cars.
According to industry publication Supply Chain Digital, DHL is piloting a delivery to Smart Car program in the city of Stuttgart, Germany this fall. Instead of waiting for a package at home, the DHL delivery is coordinated through apps on both sides to grant the delivery driver short term access to the trunk of the vehicle. If this and subsequent pilots go well, your customers may have the option of even more convenient delivery via DHL in the near future.
Even Faster Inbound with Transportation Management Systems. TMS is far from new technology, but it has never been well-implemented, especially on the front end. With every minute counting more and more, shaving 10 minutes off your inbound can be as important as taking them off your outbound.
That’s why using a dietary supplement fulfillment service (also referred to as a nutraceutical fulfillment service) with an excellent understanding of transportation management systems (TMS) can mean the difference between an acceptable number of customers and more customers than you could possibly imagine. Efficient inbound is just as vital as efficient outbound, and both are getting even better as TMS is becoming fully-integrated with the Cloud.
Running a dietary supplement business can be challenging on the best day, but with the right 3rd party logistics company partner and the latest fulfillment services at your disposal, the many details that go into each order will seem simple. Today’s fulfillment landscape is moving at hyperspeed, making things possible that weren’t even imagined a few years ago, so it pays to stay informed about the latest and greatest in dietary supplement fulfillment services and news.
