Every business reaches a point where it makes sense to hire a fulfillment company, but you might not recognize when it’s time to make the switch.
Your fulfillment process can drive your business forward or hold it back. Partnering with a fulfillment company is the answer many business owners seek when handling more orders, delivering better customer service, and saving valuable time and money.
Knowing when to shift from in-house to an outsourced provider is key to your business’ success. If you’re wondering whether it’s time to outsource fulfillment, we’re here to help.
What Are Order Fulfillment Centers?
Fulfillment companies help businesses contract out their order fulfillment needs. Fulfillment company clients include online retailers, eCommerce businesses, and stores lacking distribution centers or warehouses.
Fulfillment centers specialize in handling inventory, processing orders, and shipping goods for other businesses.
The six steps involved in order fulfillment include:
- Inventory delivery to the fulfillment center.
- Goods sorting.
- Inventory storing by the fulfillment company.
- Routing of custom orders to the fulfillment center.
- The fulfillment center processes, picks, packs, and ships your orders.
- The fulfillment company processes customer returns, exchanges, and refunds.
Fulfillment Experts Have Valuable Experience
Let’s face it, just because you run a small business owner doesn’t mean you’re a fulfillment expert. Between packing, shipping, storing, and keeping track of equipment, you hardly have enough time to do much else. When you partner with a fulfillment company, you gain the experience of their employees as well as their software, systems, and equipment. They’re in the fulfillment trenches every day, so they know the business like the back of their hand.
The fulfillment process requires a significant amount of time, attention, and space to be executed effectively. If shipping is giving you a headache, it’s time to enlist the help of a fulfillment services provider.
You Need To Free Up Your Space
Many startups and small businesses work out of their basements, attics, garages, or bedrooms. If you have inventory stuffed in your closet, under your bed, and in your bathtub, that might be the exact sign you need that it’s time to outsource your fulfillment. When space is at a minimum, moving your inventory offsite can help you achieve better organization and faster shipping results.
Fulfillment Companies Help You Extend Your Reach
In 2021, there were 2.14 billion digital buyers worldwide. If you can’t reach your customer base, your business can’t serve you and your employees either. When you partner with a fulfillment company, you can reach more customers across the globe.
With a fulfillment center that understands the rules and regulations of other cities, states, and countries, you’ll be able to take on orders from a more widespread customer base.
You Can Improve Your Customer Service
Handling exchanges, returns, and refunds are a typical part of the fulfillment process, but it can be very time-consuming. According to a recent survey, 52% of consumers said cost-effective delivery was equally as important as a product’s price. Delivery can easily make or break the customer experience.
By investing in fulfillment services, you can focus on other parts of your business while simultaneously keeping your customers happy. You need a failsafe system for packing and shipping orders to ensure your customers’ satisfaction and boost your brand’s reputation.
Outsourcing Fulfillment Improves Your Focus
The logistics of order fulfillment can be time-consuming and complex. Although you have one hundred other items to check off your list, the weeds of order fulfillment can quickly devour all of your free time. In turn, other aspects of your business that need your attention might suffer. You may even lose sight of why you started your business in the first place.
Contracting a fulfillment service will take the weight of shipping off of your shoulders so you can focus your time and energy on other matters.
You’re Ready To Scale Your Company
If you want to take your business to new heights, you must have a plan to grow your company in the long haul. When you hire a fulfillment partner, they’ll be able to help you scale up over the coming years. A fulfillment company can help you meet your growth targets.
Scalability means that you can support operations at their lowest volumes, highest, and everything in between. When you have the expertise of a shipping provider on your side, you’ll be prepared to tackle any period of traction.
Your Software Is Lacking
Staying up to date on the latest technology can be a struggle. As an eCommerce business owner, you already have enough tools, applications, and platforms to worry about through your day-to-day operations without implementing more software.
When you partner with a fulfillment center, you no longer have to worry about purchasing and learning about new software every six months. The fulfillment company will naturally use software that aligns with your needs and goals as a company. They will be able to leverage this software to seamlessly integrate with any other platforms and apps you’re currently using, too.
Fulfillment Companies Help Save You Money
If the costs of packing and shipping are bringing you down, a fulfillment center can help save you money. A sensible fulfillment company will be upfront and transparent about its costs and refrain from hidden fees. In the long run, partnering with a fulfillment service should save you money on labor, packing supplies, overhead, shipping costs, and more.
Fulfillment providers leverage the combined shipping volume of all their customers to negotiate affordable shipping costs with their carriers. In turn, they can offer you lower rates. When you save money on order fulfillment, you can apply those funds to other parts of your company to help it grow.
Grow Your Business With MintFulfill
If you’re ready to team up with a revered fulfillment company to save money and grow your business, you need Mintfulfill. Our expert systems will take over the expensive hassles of shipping and fulfillment so you can increase sales. We pride ourselves on having quick processing times, excellent communication, and a customizable price range to fit your unique needs.
We have created an environment that feels like family, from customers to employees. Reach out to join the MintFulfill Family today!