Are you trying to figure out what sort of fulfillment approach is best for your company? Are you considering outsourcing ecommerce order fulfillment to a 3PL? But, if you’re wondering how the fulfillment process at a third-party logistics firm (3PL) works, there are four stages: receiving, picking, packing, and shipping.
Step 1: Receiving
To assist you in completing your orders, your 3PL will require your inventory in hand. Receiving is the acknowledgment and storage of incoming inventory in the warehouse of your 3PL.
The third-party fulfillment centers have distinct methods for receiving and storing merchandise, which usually include the merchant’s documentation. This keeps everything in order and on schedule, allowing your orders to ship faster.
After you give your 3PL the items, it stores them in a specially designated warehouse storage location, such as bins, shelves, or pallets.
Step 2: Picking
Picking is the first stage in delivering purchases. When a consumer makes an order, it is transferred to your 3PL’s order fulfillment system before being sent to the picking team. The picker will then go and collect the ordered goods from their stores.
Step 3: Packing
After being chosen, they are brought to the packing stations to be securely packed.
Some 3PLs may charge for packing materials, but others provide the supplies as part of their fulfillment services. The packer will choose the packing materials that will both preserve the items and ensure that they are at the lowest practical dimensional weight. The packing materials you choose should be able to endure the elements and withstand rough handling. They could be anything from boxes to bubble mailers to poly bags, or even bubble wrap, packing tape, and air fill.
Some 3PLs will let you include your brand front and center, or ensure that the box is the appropriate size. They’ll most likely use common brown boxes regardless.
Step 4: Shipping
It’s now time to pack the order and ship it.
For example, some fulfillment process companies choose a preferred shipping service, while others take the time to compare rates from different carriers. The latter helps ensure that the most cost-effective shipping choice is utilized for each shipment.
Because of this, a major advantage of outsourcing to a 3PL is that the main carriers will collect orders from fulfillment centers and deliver them straight.
You will be sent order tracking information as soon as your purchase is delivered. This may be transmitted to customers either automatically or manually, depending on the 3PL’s system.
You might choose to utilize a 3PL or fulfill your orders in-house depending on whether you have a better understanding of how our system works. The 3PLs will be able to assist you in any way that you need. Let’s leave the fulfillment to the experts and focus on more crucial issues at hand.
If you’re looking for a reliable and experienced fulfillment 3PL who will make sure you are taken care of and have all the information you need to run a successful fulfillment operation, then Looker is the answer. Allow us to take care of you.