In simple terms, Order fulfillment, also known as inventory fulfillment, and sometimes called E commerce Fulfillment or E Fulfillment ( when an ecommorce portal is used such as woocommrce or Shopify ) is the steps between taking new orders , processing orders, warehousing, packing, and shipping products.
Why hire a 3PL for order Fulfillment
Busnisses are resorting to outsourcing their fulfillment services to third party logistic providers . In a competitive environment, choosing the right 3PL company can be a game changer . Utilizing a Fulfillment Center provides businesses with a logistics advantage.
Third-Party Logistics offers an all-in-one solution for assembly, packaging, warehousing, distribution, inventory control and shipping..
Some of the reasons for hiring a 3PL Company are:
- The cost effectiveness. The cost of having your own warehouse and hiring warehouse workers could be too high
- 3PL companies have connected networks that provides significant savings.
- 3PLs have the know how. Thye can offer solutions that are more economical.
- A benefit of using a 3PL provider is the ability scale space, technology without adding more costs.
Advance Shipping Notice
- The first step is to provider and ASN or Advance shippingnotice to the fulfillment center letteing them know what product is coming in and when.
Receiving
- Once a packinglist or ASN id provided, the inventory if received by offloading from a truck or receve from a courier. The inventory could have originated over seas and might have been shipped via Ocean Freight or Air Freight.
Storing Inventory
- Inventory is counted and stored based on assigned locations in the warehouse.
Order Processing
- Order processing starts once the order is placed. The requested items are picked and packed according to each individual order.
Item Packing
- Items are packed with the appropriate packing materials to ensure the safety of all items shipped. Shipping labels are then placed on each package for shipping.
Delivery of Products
- Most fulfillment companies will offer shipping through FedEx, UPS or USPS. Tracking information for all shipments is provided. In the case of Amazon Fulfillment, Amazon could provide the shipping labels.
Kitting
- In some cases, building product from components might be needed to make up a product tobe sold.
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