All business owners want to achieve new heights of success, and they put in a lot of effort to achieve their objective. But it is not easy to maintain a good growth of business on its own. The order fulfillment tasks such as receiving of products, packaging, and shipping to the destination play a vital role in the growth of a business.
Managing order fulfillment centers is a stressful task, and it should be efficiently managed to maintain customer satisfaction. If you are running a startup and facing various problems in running in-house order fulfillment, then you should consider hiring a third-party logistics service provider.
Here, in this article, we are going to discuss how to choose between an outsource fulfillment or an in-house fulfillment center.
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In-house Order Fulfillment
Most businesses start with the in-house order fulfillment center. It will help the business owners to complete the order fulfillment task without taking the help of any other professional 3PL service providers. Another name for in-house order fulfillment is self-fulfillment or merchant fulfillment.
The in-house order fulfillment center provides complete control over the order fulfillment process. It means you can decide how to store, pack, and transport the products to the final destination. But, if your business is experiencing rapid growth, then it becomes very difficult to manage the increased number of orders.
Drop-Shipping
Drop-shipping is a perfect alternative for in-house order fulfillment and outsourcing. In the drop-shipping, the manufacturer produces products and store inventory.
This type of order fulfillment technique is good for those who produce extra-large size products. It is important to consider the barriers to shipping. The transportation of large-size products is difficult, especially when customers are located overseas.
3PL Order Fulfillment
As you prepare to launch or expand your manufacturing operations, get the answer to a key question: What is 3rd party logistics?
The 3PL order fulfillment service can help your business to easily maintain a growing inventory and number of orders. If it becomes difficult to manage in-house order fulfillment, then you should seek the help of a third-party logistics service provider.
3PL logistics or nonprofit fulfillment services can help you to accentuate your business. The outsource order fulfillment allows you to pay attention to the core business. The 3PL service providers can pick, pack, and ship the orders.
Also, they can precisely manage your inventory and handle returns, as well. Outsourcing is a good idea if your business is rapidly growing. Third-party logistics offer good quality services at very affordable prices. Also, they allow you to access the latest warehousing management software at a cost-efficient price.
Important factors To Consider While Choosing Order Fulfillment Strategy
All businesses are different, and their demands are also different. Based on their requirement and objective, business owners can choose the right strategy for order fulfillment. Well, there are three basic factors that you need to consider while choosing a different order fulfillment strategy:
1. SMB’s products
The order fulfillment strategy is based on the product type and the type of packaging. Read the following point to know how SMB’s product affects the decision:
- Are you producing fragile or sting products? Is product packaging simple or complex?
- If you want to have customized product packaging, then you should hire the 3PL service provider. They can easily create custom packages for your product and handle fragile material transportation. When you hire 3 PL service providers, then you should stop worrying. Your products will be safely delivered to the destination.
2. Volume of Orders
If the number of orders received by your business is less, then you should choose an in-house order fulfillment strategy instead of hiring third party logistics. But, if the number of orders is growing significantly every month, then you should hire a third-party logistics services provider.
The growing number of orders cannot be managed with limited resources and few workers. Outsourcing third party logistics, in this case, is quite helpful. You can expect growth and high profit.
3. Business Location
The location of your business plays a vital role in choosing the order fulfillment strategy. The customers want to receive their products as soon as possible. Thus, the location of your business is also an important factor to consider while choosing an order fulfillment strategy.
If you want to make sure that your business fulfills the demands and expectations of your customers, then you should hire the warehousing system near to the marker. If the warehouse is located near to the customers, then it becomes easy to deliver the products quickly at the doorsteps of the customers.
Last Words
Thus, if your business observes rapid growth, then you should hire a 3PL logistic service provider. The third-party logistic service providers have the necessary infrastructure, tools, resources, and workforce to easily manage your growing orders. Moreover, the 3PL service provider offers its services at a cost-efficient price.