Fulfillment Company Basics: How To Work With An Order Fulfillment Company in 5 Simple Steps

For many eCommerce businesses, growth is not only desired but expected. But with increased business comes increased challenges.

One of the most pressing challenges for eCommerce business owners is managing the logistics of fulfilling orders and shipping products to customers around the world.

Logistics can certainly be overwhelming and complex at first, and mistakes can quickly become costly.  By partnering with a logistics company to handle order fulfillment, you can help your business grow as quickly as possible while keeping your customers happy and profit margins high. Let’s take a look at an overview of how this process works:

Step 1: You partner with an order fulfillment company that understands your business and the products you sell.

Are you shipping fragile items like glass or handmade one-of-a-kind pieces?

Do you need any special services like assembling subscription boxes or special labeling? 

Are you an eco-friendly business that needs your packaging to reflect your company values?

Your order fulfillment company should understand your products, your customer base, and your shipping needs.  There are many 3PLs to choose from so make sure you’re working with a fulfillment company that will cater to your needs.

Step 2: Your fulfillment center receives and stores your inventory in their warehouse and makes it readily available to ship to your customers.

The 3PL warehouse house will receive your inventory from you or your manufacturer and organize it so they can quickly and accurately pull the correct products for each order. 

This process can be done by hand or with a machine that scans barcodes on individual items in bulk shipments of products (the latter being more common).

Step 3: The order fulfillment company receives the notification that your customer has placed an order.

The order fulfillment company receives notifications when your customers place an order through their order management software (OMS) which should integrate with your eCommerce platform or marketplace. 

The order fulfillment company then makes arrangements to fulfill that order, and sends your customer their tracking number.

Step 4: The fulfillment team picks, packages, labels, and ships the items to your customer.

Once your customer’s order has been received, it is the fulfillment company's responsibility to pick, pack and ship your items. 

When a customer buys something online, they want it quickly and they want it delivered safely so they can start enjoying it right away.  So ultimately this is the goal of your 3PL. 

Fast, reliable, and accurate shipments result in happy customers.

Step 5: Your customer receives the product and leaves you a great review.

Depending on which shipping line your 3PL is using, your customers typically receive their packages within 2 to 5 business days.

If the item needs to be shipped internationally, it will take longer depending on the destination country and the shipping method used.

Your customers are happy and more likely to shop with you again and recommend you to their friends. As your customer base grows, you’ll be able to ship out more orders and make more money on autopilot (without spending any extra time packing things on your own).

Whether you are starting a brand new company or extending your current business model to make more room for growth, you're going to want to consider an order fulfillment company as soon as possible. 

You will save money and have greater control over the quality of your shipping services. It's important that you don't cut corners when it comes to the reliability of your orders arriving on time and the custom packaging and labeling of your product.

Hiring an order fulfillment house goes hand-in-hand with creating a well-organized business plan and is a necessary step for creating long-term success. It's a win-win situation for all involved when you work with a reliable, experienced order fulfillment company.

If you need help with order fulfillment and you’re looking for a 3PL that truly cares about accurately shipping your products and increasing your profit margins, check out AVL Fulfill’s pricing page or fill out this 90-second questionnaire to see if AVL Fulfill is the right fit for you!