Perhaps your business has grown to the point that you have attracted customers outside of your local area. The demand for your product may have grown so much that you simply can’t make all the deliveries yourself. Or maybe your home business has reached the point that shipping with commercial carriers is no longer cost effective. If you are focusing more of your time and energy figuring out ways to get your products to your customers, it’s time to take the next step in business expansion and let the professionals step in. An entire industry exists for the sole purpose of getting things from Point A to Point B quickly, safely, and cheaply: it’s third party logistics (3PL). With 3PL ecommerce fulfillment, you can offload all of the difficulties, complications, and stress that accompany DIY shipping and concentrate on your products instead. In this post, we’ll explore several important benefits you can expect from 3PL ecommerce fulfillment.
Multiple Carriers
When you go with a 3PL company, suddenly you have access to innumerable carriers. Most 3PLs work with hundreds of carriers that they can call on to get your products to your customers. A good 3PL has independent truckers, carrier companies, and often access to other networks as well. That means that wherever your deliveries need to go, and however quickly they need to get there, 3PL ecommerce fulfillment can almost certainly meet your requirements. Numbers matter, and more trucks equal more deliveries.
Managing Deliveries
3PL ecommerce fulfillment also relieves you from all the headaches that come with logistics. No longer will you need to source the best delivery method, negotiate the best price, or deal with the inevitable complications that arise. The 3PL company will have vetted all the drivers and/or carriers; it will have loading, transport, and delivery procedures in place; and it will do the troubleshooting. All you need to worry about is your products themselves. A good 3PL organization will be happy to show you their method of recruitment, and explain how they handle their freight. They should be able to give examples of how they have dealt with delivery issues, and what protocols they follow to ensure timely deliveries. Logistics is all they do, so 3PL companies are the experts at 3PL ecommerce fulfillment.
Cost Effectiveness
Another important benefit that 3PL businesses offer is cost effectiveness. Because they deal with so many deliveries to so many different places, they are able to consolidate shipments to particular geographic regions, and coordinate shipments so that carriers have freight for backhauls too. All of that means that they are perfectly positioned to offer you the best bang for your buck. Far from being an individual organization shipping a limited number of items to varied locations, you become part of a coordinated and strategic logistics plan. If you’re interested in the cheapest way to transport your products quickly and safely, a 3PL company is your best bet.
3PL ecommerce fulfillment offers the best shipping. Without a doubt, the 3PL company has more expertise in transportation and delivery than you do. In fact, 3PL ecommerce fulfillment can offer you other services besides shipping and delivery, including packaging and warehousing. Those services may be something you want to explore as well. With a 3PL like Compass Fulfillment as your strategic partner, you’ll quickly realize the benefits of 3PL ecommerce fulfillment.