What to Look for In a Fulfillment Center?

What To Consider in A Fulfillment Center?

There are many options when it comes to finding a fulfillment company to handle your shipping needs. However, there are various factors you need to bear in mind when considering which may be the best for you. You need to check for eight factors total.

            Pricing

Of course, the first thing any company should look out for before making any decision is the cost. The price of the services of any given fulfillment center will vary greatly. You, of course, should look for one that will give you the best deal. The number of orders you have coming in per day will decide what kind of services you need from a fulfillment company. This will in turn determine how much their services will cost you.

            Location of the Fulfillment Service Provider

Another important thing to think about is the location of the fulfilment center, and the company behind it. If your company only specializes in local business, then having a fulfillment center that’s nearby will be a bigger benefit to you. If you need to send your products to a fulfillment center that’s far away from you, then your customers will be waiting for their products longer. The physical distance between your base of operation and your fulfillment center is extremely important for shipping times. Having a fulfillment service provider nearby will also make having in-person meetings with them more doable.

            Branding Options

Branding is very important for any company, but especially so for companies that are heavily involved in e-commerce. A fulfillment company needs to be able to handle your branding needs. They need to be able to handle things like packaging your products in your specific packaging. Having a fulfillment center that can handle your branding needs is important for keeping up your customer engagement.

            Packaging Options

Another important thing to note when it comes to your fulfillment company options is their packaging availability. Not all fulfillment operations have access to the same types of packaging. If your packaging requires specialized packaging to be shipped in, then you need to look out for a company that carries that. This can include temperature-controlled packaging, protective packaging, and other types. If you have special packaging needs then you really need to search for a fulfillment company that can meet them.

            Customer Support

Another essential part of any company that you intend to work with is good customer support. As is the nature of e-commerce, there will always be issues that come up with the shipping process. There will be products that get delayed, or packaging that gets damaged, no matter how good your business partner is. What’s important is that the fulfillment company you partner with has good customer support to make up for these mistakes. This essentially entails that they will respond in a friendly and efficient way to all complaints that are thrown their way.

            The Use of Technology

A good fulfillment center will make use of all different kinds of technology. This technology is designed to make the actual packaging process as streamlined as possible to maximize output. If the output in the actual fulfillment center is maximized, then more of your orders can be fulfilled on a daily basis. A fulfillment company that does not make use of packaging technology will be at a fundamental disadvantage when compared to fulfillment companies that do use it. When looking into fulfillment companies, look out for if they use packaging technology or not.

            Consider Scalability

You also need to be concerned about a fulfillment company’s scalability. As your operation increases in size, your fulfillment center needs to increase as well. If the fulfillment company you join up with is unable to increase the size of their packaging operation to compensate for an increase in business, then your business will suffer. Your customers will have to wait longer for your products, and your reputation overall will start to take hits that aren’t your fault. Make sure to evaluate the scalability of your fulfillment partner before making any deals.

            Experience

One last thing to look out for when trying to find a fulfillment company to work with is their experience. A fulfillment company that has dealt with products that you sell will, of course, be a better option to work with when compared to one who hasn’t. Try to look for a fulfillment company that has worked with your industry before. If you can’t find one you like, then try to find one that, at least, has been in the industry for a while. This will at least allow them to have had a decent amount of experience simply from working with a number of different companies over a long time.