As a small business, you want to make sure your products get into the hands of your customers as quickly and inexpensively as possible. To save on costs, that often means many business owners manage their own order fulfillment and shipping.
However, as your business grows, this task can become overwhelming and expensive. To help combat this, many small business owners consider outsourcing these tasks to a third-party logistics company.
If you’re on the fence about whether to outsource your shipping and fulfillment services to a 3PL, here are some reasons to consider making the switch:
Ecommerce Integration
If you use an ecommerce platform such as Shopify, most 3PLs will already be set up to manage the transition. This takes a weight off your shoulders, as you know that your inventory management can easily be handled with little to no disruption to your customers.
Rather than having to completely reinvent the wheel to find a fulfillment solution that works for your needs, the 3PL can adapt to make your business’s transition as seamless as possible.
Order Processing
Gone are the days of having to manually send orders to a 3PL, then wait for them to ship the products.
Thanks to modern order fulfillment software and integrations with your business’s ecommerce platform, your 3PL can begin processing, picking, packing, and shipping products as soon as a customer places an order. You don’t even have to think about this transaction taking place!
This gets products into the hands of your customers more quickly, making them happier and more likely to give you their repeat business.
Customer Support
Managing customer support requests – returns, exchanges, and customer questions – can be a full-time job, especially if you’re hosting a sale.
Your 3PL can pick up any slack you may have within your own staff, getting back to those customers more quickly than if you were managing customer support on your own. This creates happier customers and less stress to you as the business owner.
Returns Management
Shipping products out the first time is difficult enough, but dealing with returns and exchanges adds a whole new level of complication and stress to your inventory management.
Working with a 3PL means that they can handle the whole returns process for you, including processing and shipping exchanges, adding items back into the inventory, and cross-checking to ensure that items are labeled and shelved properly.
Proper returns management helps you process any returns as quickly and inexpensively as possible, while creating a plan moving forward to help decrease the likelihood of further returns.
Flexible Delivery Options
Your customers want options when it comes to receiving their products.
Those looking to save money may be perfectly fine with waiting a little while for their products to reach their doors. But for those who want their products as soon as possible, they may be willing to pay more for the shipping speed.
When you work with a 3PL, you get the ability to offer these, and more, flexible shipping options to your customers. This keeps them happy and coming back to purchase more items, giving you repeat, sustainable business without any logistical juggling on your end.
Repackaging Options
Do you need to offer a promotional kit to get the word out about your business? Or are you looking to change up the way your items are packaged so you can offer a new promotion?
A 3PL can help you with the physical side of repackaging, giving you the ability to create new, repackaged products quickly and easily without pulling hours of overtime.
East Coast Fulfillment Center
At Cannon Hill Logistics, we’ve made it our mission to support businesses just like yours. Maybe you’re struggling to get all your orders processed and shipped on time, or you’re looking to grow but don’t know how to find the right people to support your expansion. Our team of experienced third-party logistics specialists can help you reach your business goals without all the normal growing pains. Call today for a quote!