For an online seller, there are a lot of things on your to-do list to manage your e-commerce business.
You have to attract the right audience, and you have to figure out and optimize your products, and so much more. One other thing to add to your load is the e-commerce fulfillment part of the business.
The part of the sales process for an online store where they have to deliver or ship the items to their patrons is what e-commerce fulfillment services are all about. This has a lot of logistics needed to work, so you really have to devote a lot of yourself so that everything goes right.
However, since you’re already dealing with a lot when operating an online store, then you should outsource this. With that said, when you’re choosing the e-commerce fulfillment provider that you want, there are several factors that you need to consider to find the right one for you.
Check out what these factors are below:
1. Flexibility
There are a number of things that your customer may demand from you, and they will usually want that at the drop of a hat.
When looking for your e-commerce fulfillment provider, you want one that knows that this is a business relationship. You want them to be flexible with you since you’re they’re client too.
You should ask them what their shipping options are and whether or not they’re flexible when it comes to these options.
Even if you’re outsourcing your e-commerce fulfillment process, your clients don’t know that and assume that they are a part of your store. Thus, you need to hire ones that are professional and flexible.
2. Inventory management
For a lot of online store owners who are hiring their own e-commerce fulfillment provider, they utilize the dropshipping option.
The drop shipping option is where your e-commerce fulfillment providers are the ones who keep the inventory and manage it, and then you send them the shipping details so that they can ship your items to your customers themselves directly.
For a lot of e-commerce owners, the biggest issue or workload that they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis is their inventory management. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time.
So when hiring your e-commerce fulfillment provider, ask them if they can do the inventory management themselves.
3. Location
Another thing that you should consider with your e-commerce fulfillment provider is the location of their facilities. A lot of customers appreciate prompt deliveries of the products that they buy, so you want their shipping address to be near the facilities of your e-commerce fulfillment provider.
If you have the budget, you can work with an e-commerce fulfillment provider that has a lot of facilities all over your locality. That way, they can respond with promptness when it comes to shipping the products.
4. Operations
When you’re researching your e-commerce fulfillment provider, you might want to make sure or be familiar with the work that they’ve done previously. You should definitely check out their previous and current clients so that you know what types of businesses hire their services, as well as what they can say about the provider.
For example, some companies deal with less fragile goods. Thus, the e-commerce fulfillment provider might not be used to being fragile with the items that they are shipping.
5. Seamless integration
As mentioned before, your e-commerce fulfillment providers should be aware that you are not just a client. You are in a business relationship. As much as possible, you want to work with them for the long term. You want them to be integrated into your sales process as a whole.
With an e-commerce fulfillment provider that has seamlessly integrated into your business processes, that makes it easier for them and for you to process and ship orders that you received.
6. Technology implementation
Nowadays, you should know that technology is a powerful tool. In fact, there are tools that are dedicated to e-commerce fulfillment. So when you’re looking for a provider, you want them to have the right technology that helps drive their business.
An e-commerce fulfillment provider that has technological implementations in their day-to-day operations makes it easier not only for them but also for you when it comes to communicating shipping orders.
With the right software, you can communicate better, you can process faster, and you can deliver with higher quality.
7. Scalability
Obviously, you don’t want to change your e-commerce fulfillment provider often. You want them to be your go-to service for a long time.
With that in mind, you know that you want your online store to grow as well, so your e-commerce fulfillment providers should be able to accommodate and scale up with you and your business.
Make sure that your e-commerce fulfillment provider can deal with a heavy workload as you progress in your business.
Conclusion
When you’re doing the rest of your tasks to make your online store a success, you need to learn how to delegate your work. Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle a lot of customers and the workload that comes with it. In the end, you might even lose customers because of this.
This is why a lot of online store owners hire an e-commerce fulfillment provider to do this part of the work for them. As long as you keep in mind the right factors that make a great e-commerce fulfillment provider, then you should be fine.