As your eCommerce business grows, you may start to consider other ways that you can streamline your processes and ensure your success continues. One of the most effective and attractive ways to do this is through outsourcing your fulfilment: allowing a specialist fulfilment provider to take care of the final, important stage of fulfilling each order. There is no doubt that outsourcing your eCommerce fulfilment makes sense for many businesses, but is it right for your business at this time? Here are a few of the major factors to consider when investigating whether to begin outsourcing your fulfilment.
1) Which type of products does your business supply?
The range of products that eCommerce businesses supply varies massively from company to company. When businesses choose to use a fulfilment service provider, their products are stored in bulk in large storage facilities, such as warehouses. Once an order is placed, the product can be speedily received, packaged and shipped to the customer. If your business specialises in bespoke, made-to-order items, then outsourcing your fulfilment might not be the best move. If, however, your products are uniform and already stored in bulk, outsourcing your fulfilment will make this stage of the process much more efficient.
2) How many orders does your business generally receive?
This consideration greatly depends on the stage that your business is at. If your eCommerce business is still starting up, you may find that you are not fulfilling very many orders – for the time being at least. Outsourcing fulfilment is most cost-effective when you have a large number of orders that you are unable to process efficiently or would rather entrust to a specialist provider. For this reason, if your business is still getting off the ground, it might be best to wait until further down the line before you consider outsourcing your eCommerce fulfilment.
3) Are your current premises suitable for order fulfilment?
A major issue for growing businesses is storage of products. Many eCommerce businesses choose to outsource their fulfilment in order to avail of the excellent warehousing that is offered by fulfilment providers. Rather than moving to a larger premises, it can be much more cost-effective to outsource your fulfilment to a specialist provider, who can store the items for your business and ensure that they arrive to the customer in a satisfactory and timely manner.
4) Could your time and money be better spent on other aspects of your business?
The benefits of outsourcing your fulfilment are many, but often the main reason that eCommerce businesses choose to take this step is to afford them time and money to spend on other aspects of their business. When you choose to outsource your fulfilment, you allow a dedicated, professional service provider to take care of storing, packaging and shipping your products. With this vital aspect of your business in professional hands, you will be freed up to focus your attention on other areas. And, as fulfilment service providers avail of great discounts when it comes to bulk storage and packaging, your business can end up saving more money by outsourcing your fulfilment.
The decision to outsource your fulfilment is one that should be well-considered. If your business is at the right stage of its development, outsourcing your fulfilment could be the best choice to further its growth and cement your success.
