You can buy anything on the Internet. Ecommerce stores and shops carry tens of thousands of products and services, ranging from the mundane to the exotic and the everyday to the rare and eminently collectible. Thousands of men and women the world over have flocked to the promise and the potential of the online marketplace, with hundreds of thousands of businesses grasping at success every minute of every day.
That last paragraph describes a pretty big event, doesn’t it? The online marketplace is here to stay, and most likely only get bigger as the economy slowly comes out of its troubles. While it’s true that other sectors of the economy have contracted in the last couple of years, it’s also true that the online economy continues to thrive, growing more profitable as it grows ever more cluttered with new businesses.
Fortunately, there’s room for everybody. On the other hand, not everyone will succeed. For many businesses, a competitive edge can come from outsourcing their order fulfillment and logistics management needs to a third party logistics provider. These businesses assume control of the warehousing, packaging, storage, shipping, and tracking needs of an online business, bringing their expertise and efficiency to bear in making the client Ecommerce Company as successful as possible.
Who Benefits Most?
The companies who will benefit the most from fulfillment service company logistics and resource management are those small, home-based or startup businesses that are only beginning to establish their web presence and search engine footprint. By consigning their shipment and warehousing duties to a third-party fulfillment service center, they are able to avoid the many, expensive costs associated with developing warehousing, staffing, and shipment resources for themselves. Rather, in a real-world equivalent to “plug and play” technology, the fulfillment service company comes ready and able to manage all of its client ecommerce business’ shipping and order fulfillment needs.
On another level, ecommerce businesses who deal in small or medium sized products will find themselves benefitting from outsourcing to a third-party fulfillment service company. Because smaller products are harder to track, both during the warehousing phase as well as during shipment, having the expertise and knowledge of professional warehousing and inventory managers will help to minimize loss. Collectible companies, for example selling movie or television show memorabilia, can also greatly benefit from the fulfillment service company’s loss minimization techniques and strategies.