It seemed like a great idea, starting an eCommerce business from your small home office, but now the entire place is covered in boxes, bags, bins and bazillions of packing supplies.
You’re not sure which orders have been sent out, which are waiting to be sent and what’s new and needing to be handled. Even worse, all your packing and shipping efforts take most of your time, making it impossible to invest any more time in your business or hope to see any further expansion.
How do the big guys do it without sinking real cash in staff and facilities?
They outsource their eCommerce fulfillment to a trusted 3rd party logistics firm, of course! You don’t have to continue to struggle to complete orders and still try to find time for customers while staying inside your small footprint, all you need is a 3PL on your side.
Here are just three reasons you need eCommerce fulfillment now:
Warehousing that grows with you. You may have dreams of being the next big online bicycle store, but without the space to store inventory, you’re going to be limited on how far your dreams can really expand. Hiring a 3PL for your eCommerce fulfillment means you have immediate access to however much warehousing you need – even if that space requirement changes throughout the year or slowly expands over time. No more trying to find a place to stash a new item for you inventory, you can add to your warehouse nearly endlessly.
Access to a fully trained staff when you need it. Having your own employees can be nice, but it’s also another way to complicate your business when you’re trying to keep things simple. Instead of creating a situation where you need more space for people and training and workspaces, choosing eCommerce fulfillment puts your orders in the hands of fully trained, professional logistics experts who care for your shipments exactly like you would.
Real-time reporting on everything that moves in or out. Using tools like bar code scanning and inventory reporting software, eCommerce fulfillment companies are able to keep a real time count of every item in their warehouses. From products moving into inventory from your distributors to products moving out to your customers, you can see exactly what’s going where at any time, day or night. It’s easy to tell when it’s time to reorder inventory and how popular items are with your customers so you can maximize your eCommerce income right away.
If you’re running out of hours in your day or are just sick of standing in line at the post office, it may be time to partner with a 3PL that offers eCommerce fulfillment services. With someone else counting boxes, packaging orders and managing inventory, you can be free to hunt up new products or expand your blog—the sky’s the limit once you’re no longer spending countless hours packing boxes.
