Your customers expect speed, and 3PL fulfillment companies can help you deliver both your products and high speeds.
Do You Need a Fulfillment Service?
Regardless of the size or industry of your business, third-party logistics (3PL) providers offer the infrastructure you need to pick, pack, and ship orders to your customers.
These companies can provide invaluable assistance for e-commerce merchants, other stores that offer deliveries, and businesses that lack access to their own warehousing and distribution centers.
3PL Bridge is a top 3PL provider that offers fulfillment services that are perfect for businesses, including:
- E-commerce stores
- Wholesalers
- Big-box retail stores
- Manufacturers of exercise equipment
- Manufacturers of business machines
- Healthcare equipment and supplies
- Dedicated contract warehousing in the 3PL Bridge Network
As you may expect, fulfillment services are an incredibly valuable business investment in an era where most customers prefer to shop online. According to the marketing company Raydiant, more than half (56.6%) of today’s consumers prefer to shop online rather than in a physical store.
The specific benefits a 3PL provider can offer your business include the following:
Faster Shipping
A recent survey revealed that 55% of consumers were willing to wait up to just two days to receive the items they ordered, and only one in four survey respondents was willing to wait between three and four days.
3PL fulfillment companies give your business the edge you need to get packages to customers’ doorsteps when they want them and bring smiles to their faces.
Manageable Scalability
As your business grows, your internal fulfillment processes will begin to steal time away from other core processes. 3PL providers can help with hurdles like these, offering all the resources you’ll need to fulfill customer orders without infringing upon your own resources. Partnering with a 3PL provider means you’ll have the ability to grow your business without having to worry about hiring an entirely separate warehouse team.
Easier Returns
Customers don’t just expect speed: They also expect hassle-free returns, especially during an era of economic uncertainty. 3PL fulfillment companies can also provide reverse logistics services to help with returns of defective or unwanted merchandise. It’s easy to construct a return policy that provides consumers with the confidence they need to complete their purchases.
What are the Benefits of Using a 3PL Fulfillment Company for Your Business?
Third-party logistics providers offer a variety of services that can each be tailored to the needs of your business. Here’s what you can expect when you partner with 3PL Bridge.
B2B Fulfillment Services
For some companies, their most valuable customers are actually other businesses. Retailers, for instance, might rely on your products to stock their shelves, and you can use their reach to further expand your brand.
These sorts of relationships, known as business-to-business (B2B) fulfillment services, ensure that your orders are shipped to your business customers on time and accurately, and although these orders tend to be larger than consumer orders, 3PL Bridge can help you gain access to the equipment you’ll need to load and unload these orders.
DTC Order Fulfillment
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) order fulfillment is all about getting orders into the hands of your buyers as quickly as possible. The right DTC fulfillment provider will empower your business to offer fast and reliable shipping, which itself can give your business a competitive edge and brick-and-mortar retailers the tools they need to expand into e-commerce.
E-Commerce Fulfillment
Online retailers face stiff competition, but by partnering with a 3PL fulfillment provider, they’ll gain the speed and convenience they need to thrive. 3PL Bridge can give you access to the fulfillment services you need to deliver your products to your online customers, and as a result, you’ll see higher sales volumes and greater revenue.
If you rely on Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to sell your products, 3PL Bridge can offer a warehouse to FBA anywhere in North America while satisfying Amazon’s guidance regarding the preparation of products.
Value-Adding Logistics Services
3PL fulfillment companies also offer considerable value through additional services that include subscription boxes, kitting, inserts, flash sales, customer-specific packaging, and much more. For example, assembling multiple items into the same kit can boost your average sale and provide customers with a purchasing option that gathers their essential goods into one location.
Warehousing and Inventory Overflow
Although warehousing is not necessarily part of the fulfillment process, it plays a valuable role in helping retailers, and e-commerce companies manage their inventory and ease supply chain concerns. 3PL Bridge can offer you the warehouse space you need to store your products.
That inventory can then be used to fulfill product orders, and even if you maintain inventory at your business location, 3PL Bridge can offer an affordable solution for excess inventory without spending a fortune on storage space of your own. Improve your inventory management and streamline operations.
Case Study: 3PL as a Cosmetics Fulfillment Solution
Consider how these 3PL services translate into a solution for a cosmetics company. Health and beauty companies typically have large inventories, represented through many product SKUs. One way that health and beauty logistics providers can assist with these is through kitting.
Cosmetics fulfillment providers can take multiple SKUs and package them all into one convenient product kit, allowing you to create convenient buying choices such as “Fall Collections” or sets of products oriented toward skin care or cleansers.
The kitting process also ensures that the final package reflects your company’s branding, allowing customers to connect to your image and messaging. Once the kit is fully assembled, it can be delivered to retailers through B2B fulfillment services or shipped straight to the consumer. Simultaneously, 3PL Bridge can also offer reverse logistics when products need to be returned or exchanged, thereby integrating perfectly into your return policy.
Third-Party Services, First-Rate Solutions for Customers
These fulfillment services can work for businesses of any size or industry. 3PL Bridge can also assist you in addressing the unique challenges of your business or in creating a one-of-a-kind consumer experience. To learn more, contact 3PL Bridge today. We can discuss how our innovative solutions provide the speed and reliability that you and your customers demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 3PL Fulfillment Companies Help with International Shipping?
While not all 3PL providers can handle international shipping, the best fulfillment service companies can assist with both domestic and international needs. And by relying on the same 3PL network for both, fulfillment companies can ensure that international shipments are handled with the same care and efficiency as domestic packages.
Is There a Difference Between 3PL and Fulfillment?
It’s best to think of fulfillment as just one facet of a 3PL service. Fulfillment refers to the picking, packing, and shipping of individual orders. A 3PL provider can offer fulfillment services, but they can also assist in the entire logistics process, including warehousing, inventory management, B2B services, and much more.
Can a 3PL Company Customize Services Fit the Needs of Any Business?
Yes! At 3PLbridge, we’ve served e-commerce clients, cosmetics companies, and medical equipment providers. Our 3PL company is committed to meeting the needs of any size business.
In fact, small businesses often receive significant benefits from a 3PL provider. A third-party team can provide advanced solutions at an affordable price, allowing small startups the flexibility they need to focus on growing their core business.
How Can a Business Transition to Using a 3PL Company?
The best 3PL companies smooth the process by helping you handle the setup and integration of a new system, including any software integration you’ll need to keep your business running. The intuitive software requires minimal training, which means that your team can be up and running much faster than you think.
Not only is the transition smooth, but it also eliminates the errors and hiccups that may occur with your existing system. Many companies discover that it’s more of a challenge to keep their existing systems running than it is to upgrade to the efficiency of a 3PL provider.
