You’ve been working on your eCommerce business for some time now and you think it’s time to scale your business. Maybe your product is flooding your basement, making its way to your living room, and spilling out into the garage. It’s great that business is doing so well, but you don’t want to go crazy, so it might be time to consider other solutions.
It’s no lie that eCommerce businesses are expanding rapidly, and more and more people are utilizing online shopping: “In 2017, eCommerce was responsible for around $2.3 trillion in sales and is expected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021.” Think subscription boxes, online grocery shopping, and other newer forms of merchandise. It has become easier than ever to order everyday products at the click of a button, and many are taking advantage of this.
On top of thinking about where you’ll be able to outsource your fulfillment, there are online sales to think about, down to the layout of your website—how will you direct your potential customers and customers toward that shopping cart button, and keep them on your website? How will you instantly fulfill orders so that customers will stay satisfied?
How the Process of Using a 3PL Works
You’ll order from a wholesaler, and instead of those products being sent directly to you (and clogging up your personal space), the product will be sent to a fulfillment center at a 3PL warehouse. By outsourcing your product, you’re also allowing the 3PL to take charge of some of the order fulfillment—instead of orders being sent to you, they’ll be sent to the 3PL. The 3PL will stack (on shelves), pack, and ship out your product (with your labels), and the tracking information will be sent to you. Then, your customer receives the order! It’s a far simpler process with individuals that are experts at the packing and shipping game.
When you allow a fulfillment center to take charge of your shipping, you can focus on the other areas of your business that matter, such as the customer experience and marketing. You may even wish to transfer your online sales to a brick-and-mortar store, since you’ll be growing.
We recently wrote a case study with an accompanying video testimonial for our customer, Floyd. Check out the case study and video testimonial here.
Get in touch with us at Evans if you’re interested in finding out how we can scale your business. We’re experts in fulfillment, and are always taking on new and interesting projects. No matter your business, we likely have a solution for you.