Tips To Evaluate An Ecommerce Fulfillment Service Company
A fulfillment services is a third-party fulfillment warehouse which prepares and submits your orders for you in your ecommerce site. It does so from its own fulfillment center. Ecommerce fulfillment services would be ideal for small businesses which do not require in-house shipping or need to outsource to fulfillment companies who offer this capability at a reasonable cost. Online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Craigslist utilize fulfillment services. With this capability, sellers can easily shop for products online and make purchases without having to handle the inventory and shipping process. These services also save on inventory costs and shipping costs.
The concept of ecommerce fulfillment services gained momentum in mid-90s when ecommerce websites like eBay, Amazon, Craigslist and Kijiji bloomed. These websites were successful because they alleviated most of the physical aspects associated with running businesses. Convenience, privacy, speedy delivery and ability to manage inventory made these sites attractive to many small businesses. Moreover, these online businesses did not require much in terms of physical resources such as storage space, building and inventory supplies because everything was online.
Fulfillment services have become integral to ecommerce business owners since then. The inventory of an ecommerce business is very important. Therefore, it becomes imperative to maintain proper inventory levels. This allows businesses to maintain higher profit margins and to make better use of their capital. An ecommerce fulfillment center plays an integral role in maintaining inventories of customers, products and services.
There are a number of factors which need to be considered while looking for the best ecommerce fulfillment services. The first thing to consider is the shipping cost involved. Shipping cost is the most significant factor which affects profitability of an online business. The amount of money which needs to be paid for shipping should be kept in mind while selecting the best ecommerce fulfillment services. The size of an ecommerce businesses requires an optimized shipping cost policy.
The second thing to consider is the shipping costs which are involved with the shipment of orders. The fulfillment company should provide the estimated shipping costs and discounts offered at the time of placing an order. A proper shipping process should be used so that the customer does not face any problems while placing an order or during the actual inventory or during the ordering process. The customer should also be provided with an accurate shipping cost estimate in case of fluctuations during the inventory or the order fulfillment process.
The third most important aspect is the quality and service offered by the fulfillment company. The fulfillment company should have well established and competent employees. It is better to choose a company having excellent employees who can handle the orders of the customer effectively. Moreover, the fulfillment center should have sufficient number of storage spaces and should be properly maintained so as to make the warehouse fully operational for the completion of an order by the customer.
The fourth most important factor is the level of customer service offered by the ecommerce fulfillment services. The customers should be provided timely information about the shipping and handling of the ordered product. The company should take adequate care in maintaining the packaging of the goods and the related papers. An efficient order fulfillment company should also provide assistance in making available of the goods related to customer's request. It is the duty of the company to deliver the items within the set time limit and should be able to provide contact information of the shipper.
There are certain ecommerce businesses which need a tracking system so as to know the delivery status of their goods. There are fulfillment centers which facilitate tracking system for an additional fee. The use of fulfillment software would enable an entrepreneur to keep a track of the products and their respective orders which can prove to be very beneficial in terms of cost cutting, increased profits and rapid growth of the business.