There are so many advantages to using a third party fulfillment provider that it’s sometimes hard to stack one advantage over the other. Fulfillment services bring you a host of options and conveniences for growing your small business, overseeing many of the responsibilities and obligations on your behalf while you concentrate on making your small business or ecommerce business grow and flourish. The following list give just five of the most important, though the fulfillment service you select may offer additional features as well.
Warehousing and Storage
Attaining and maintaining sufficient storage space for your inventory can lead to significant expenditures in overhead, rental rates, transportation, and employee payroll challenges. Fulfillment providers provide warehouse management, logistics fulfillment logistics, cold storage, and other time- and resource-absorbing facilities as part of their contract fulfillment agreement with their clients.
Many fulfillment service providers are so organized and capable of assuming warehouse management and fulfillment logistics duties that their clients have their inventory delivered directly to the fulfillment provider’s own warehouse. This keeps them from dealing with inventory at all, focusing instead on growth and development.
Mailing and Fulfillment Services
Fulfillment services are also capable of assuming control of such customer service issues and mailings and dispersing promotional materials, including the preparation and posting of catalogues, newsletters and circulars that further help promote the client’s business. Such efforts can take hours and hours, especially for those unfamiliar or unpracticed in the long and often tedious process of preparing printed materials for mailing.
Product Fulfillment Services
A broad umbrella term that’s meant to denote the handling of the client’s product, product fulfillment refers to the preparation and shipping of the client’s wares directly to the customer. Product fulfillment works to efficiently deliver the product to the buyer, creating a pleasant business transaction and helping the client business cultivate a strong reputation among the buying public.
Wholesale Fulfillment Services
Many fulfillment service providers also offer wholesale fulfillment, meaning wholesalers can subcontract their own logistics duties to the fulfillment provider on much the same terms as an ecommerce fulfillment client might engage.
Customer Service Fulfillment
The third party fulfillment provider can also assume control of customer service issue resolution, employing and training its own staff to act on behalf of the client business’ interests. By freeing the client business of this additional need for payroll and staffing, the fulfillment service provider gives the client additional freedom to help their company grow.