5 Questions to Ask about warehousing and fulfillment for your ecommerce business
3PL (or third-party logistics) refers to outsourcing the logistics processes of a business, including inventory management, order processing, shipping and various other services.
When outsourcing to a 3PL, you are placing your trust in a business to effectively manage several services that are key to the success of your business. It is important to understand when it makes sense to outsource, and to have confidence that the 3PL you work with will deliver on their promises.
Whether you are working with a 3PL today or thinking about outsourcing for the first time, here are 5 questions to ask yourself.
1) are you satisfied with your current inventory management system and process?
2) Are you satisfied with how your orders are packaged and shipped?
Customers are demanding more from eCommerce businesses when it comes to the cost and speed of order fulfillment and delivery. Do you have access to discounted shipping rates and options from the major carriers? Do you have a cost effective and efficient system in place for picking, packaging and shipping orders?
3) Are you effectively managing all costs associated with warehousing and fulfillment?
Whether you are handling warehousing and fulfillment in-house or already outsourcing, it can be challenging to keep up with the various costs associated with packaging, order processing, materials, space and the time associated with handling these services. Even if you do outsource, 3PLs can be infamous for hidden fees or various surcharges that add up.
4) What is your plan for growth?
Do you plan on adding new inventory or investing in sales and marketing to grow your business? How will this impact your current logistics process and what can you put in place to ensure you continue to manage costs and processes as you expand or during your busy seasons?
5) Have you recently evaluated the benefits of outsourcing to a 3PL or moving to a new 3PL?
Do you plan on adding new inventory or investing in sales and marketing to grow your business? How will this impact your current logistics process and what can you put in place to ensure you continue to manage costs and processes as you expand or during your busy seasons?
the bottom Line
A 3PL that’s right for you should be able to save you time and money, by helping with all areas associated to warehousing and order fulfillment. PSI has developed a free cost analysis on our website. CLICK BELOW TO CHECK OUT PSI’S FREE FULFILLMENT COST ANALYSIS! Our goal is to provide businesses with an easy way to estimate the monthly costs of outsourcing fulfillment. If you like what you see, we are happy to provide a custom quote or setup an onsite visit.
https://psidelivers.com/fulfillment-cost-analysis/
ABOUT PSI
Established in 1986, PSI has supported large and small businesses for over 35 years. We are a world-class 3PL, specializing in B2C eCommerce order fulfillment. Our passion is to deliver care, commitment, expertise and integrity to our customers through our services. We pride ourselves on handling the complexities of picking, packing, shipping and storing your products, so you can focus on growing your business.