As a business owner, one way or another, you have heard of eCommerce order fulfillment. Depending on the type of business you have, there are three common ways on how you can achieve order fulfillment: In-store fulfillment, dropshipping, and 3rd party fulfillment.
In-store fulfillment refers to you as the business owner fulfilling every order on your own. This means that you take the orders, produce the products, and handle the packaging and delivery of the products. While this is tedious and time-consuming, you fully control your transactions and everything from the order process to its fulfillment. Dropshipping refers to a process wherein you sell and take orders of products you have yet to get your hands on. You then fulfill the orders by coordinating with certain suppliers and then shipping them to the customers. This can be overwhelming since you serve as a connection between two parties but inventory here is easy to manage. Finally, third-party fulfillment refers to hiring an eCommerce fulfillment services center to help you accommodate and fulfill your customers’ orders. This will cost you extra money and take a lot away from your plate of responsibilities.
While there are more advantages and disadvantages for every type of eCommerce order fulfillment, we are here to tell you all about why you want to avail yourself of eCommerce fulfillment services.
What is Fulfillment Service?
Fulfillment Service is a type of eCommerce fulfillment that involves a third party to assist you in your business. This third-party is a warehouse, a fulfillment center, that helps you store and ship your products and orders. They act as a middleman between you and your customers. And sure, you can do the order fulfillment yourself, but, contrary to popular belief, having a fulfillment center for your business will significantly make your job easier. See, while part of fulfillment service is the warehousing, they do so much more than that. They make sure that your inventory is safe and turned over quickly. Let us help you understand more about fulfillment services and why you should get your fulfillment provider.
How Does Ecommerce Fulfillment Services Work?
1. Find The Right One For You
The process of availing ecommerce fulfillment service starts with you finding the right fulfillment provider. One that you can trust with your products. A tip for you: Find a fulfillment center that is close to your customers, not you. Since your fulfillment center would act as a storage space for your products, that is where your products would come from once orders come in. Meaning, it would be more convenient and less costly if your fulfillment center is closer to the location of where most of your customers are. You must also choose one that you can establish a trust-filled relationship with because they would not just store and deliver your products. They would also be handling returns and/or exchanges when the need arises.
2. Bring Them Your Products and Your Packaging
Once you have established a relationship with your chosen fulfillment provider, time to start taking advantage of their fulfillment service, you start this process by bringing them your products. First, you give them a significant stock of your products. In addition, you also give them a stock of your packaging. This includes boxes, envelopes, wrapping papers, and the likes that all hold your brand. Since they would be the ones to send your products, they have to have all the resources they need to do that in the best way.
3. Rely on Their Order Management And Protection
Once you get your products there, let the cycle continue by constantly producing your products and bringing it to them. First, however, take note that you should stock the number of products you can realistically sell within a particular time. This is because storage, delivery, and distribution are left to the hands of your fulfillment service provider for a particular fee, and it may cost you more if the products are not sold after the agreed-upon time. But all problems aside, since your products are with them, safe and secure, you can now focus on managing other aspects of your business.
4. Coordinate Your Orders and Shipping
Even after you avail of fulfillment service, your customers would still have to order from you, or more specifically, your website. Fulfillment providers just act as an intermediary. Orders and transactions from your website are automatically communicated to your fulfillment centers. You established this coordinated relationship with them when you took them on for their fulfillment service. This means that they will ship your products for you, and your role would be to reproduce and restock your products when the need arises.
Why Do You Need A Fulfillment Center?
Fulfillment services might seem like just something that will. In addition, there cost you more, but we assure you, it is worth it. Here’s why:
• Faster and Easier Shipment
Instead of constantly worrying about shipping orders to your customers, you are relieved to do more productive things with your time because you availed of fulfillment service. And doesn’t just make your life and your job easier. It also allows for faster movement of your products. Fulfillment service providers usually work fast. This means that there are rarely any delays in shipping.
• Convenient and Safe Storage
Fulfillment service gives you the comfort of knowing that your products are safe. There is a relief as a business owner and a producer of products to ensure that your creations are being treated right and properly. Fulfillment service providers usually have warehouses that are cleaned and organized. Trained professionals also arrange them, so you are assured that your products are handled correctly and with care. They also give you the benefit of not being overwhelmed by your stock of products since you can transfer it to them as you produce them.
• Lower-Cost Shipping Rates
Since fulfillment services include shipment and delivery of your products, you often pay less for their shipment. Given that you get charged a little less than usual for shipping your product, you now also get to charge your customers less. Lower shipping rates can help you entice your customers even more. And with the fulfillment service providers by your side, you can count on them to take some weight off your budget and, in turn, off your customer’s hesitation to checkout.
• Inventory Management Made Easier
Since you leave your products in the hands of your fulfillment center, you also make inventory management a bit easier. Having a fulfillment service provider means that your inventory is automatically updated. You get to have help from them in keeping track of how much inventory goes out of your stock and which needs to be restocked. Without as much effort from you as usual, your inventory records get adjusted now and then.
• Timesaving and Efficient
Since packaging, delivery, and inventory monitoring are taken off toyour list of responsibilities, you ultimately save time. Having a fulfillment service gets these things done faster without compromising quality. You can trust that your eCommerce fulfillment service will do the best for your brand and your products.
Do Business With Strikingly
As a business owner, you would want your website to accommodate your customers and other partners. By incorporating a Simple Store into your website, you can easily manage orders, set up secure payment schemes, easy checkout processes, and shipping options. You can use this as a tool to coordinate with your fulfillment service. Here’s how you place a Simple Store on your website:
1. Sign up or Log in with Strikingly
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2. Open your site editor and Select “Add New Section.”
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3. Select “Simple Store”
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4. Click “Add Product”
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5. Add Up to 300 products of different categories.
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6. To set up the checkout process and forms, go to “Store Settings.”
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7. Select “Checkout Form Settings” and fill it up accordingly.
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8. If you want to set up shipping, go to “Shipping.”
Here you can set flat rates for shipping for different regions. You can also set an amount wherein your customers can get free shipping. You can modify this according to the agreed-upon rates between you and your fulfillment service provider.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Whether you want to expedite your shipping or you want some relief in inventory and order management, you can find the magic that does both in having a fulfillment service provider by your side. It is never wrong to ask for a bit of help. It might be the best move for you, your business, and your customers. You also give more business to your fulfillment center by availing of their fulfillment service. The magic of eCommerce needs not be achieved with stress nor has to be done and enjoyed on your own. With website partners, like Strikingly, and fulfillment providers of your choosing, You can also lead your customers to believe in the beauty and magic of eCommerce. And that means more business for your and eCommerce fulfillment services. Log in with Strikingly and get a headstart on making magic with your business!
