What is a fulfilment company?
A fulfilment company is a third-party service provider that handles and sends products that your customers have purchased on your behalf. The process includes the receipt, packing, and delivery of customer orders for businesses, including returns management.
Why use a fulfilment company?
By outsourcing fulfilment to a third-party logistics company such as Pointbid, you save on the cost of doing the service yourself, and you only pay when you use the service. By using an external fulfilment company you:
- Benefit from Their Experience in Fulfilment
- Free up space at your own facility
- Improve customer service
- Improve scalability
- Lower your shipping costs
- Utilise bespoke packaging services
When should I use a fulfilment center?
If you feel that handling your own products is becoming a burden and a large expense, then it is time to seek professional help from a third-party fulfilment provider such as Pointbid.
Fulfilment – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Fulfilment Service?
Put, a fulfilment service is a third-party warehouse that packs and ships orders to your customers. Stages of the order fulfilment process include the receipt of goods into the warehouse, storage, the picking and packing of said goods and, finally, the safe delivery of the rights to the customer. It may sound straightforward, but the order fulfilment process can become quite a time consuming for businesses. This is why many choose to outsource the process to a team of dedicated experts. Using a fulfilment service can save you time and allow you to focus on other priority areas of your business.
What are the benefits of using a third-party fulfilment company?
By using a third-party fulfilment company, you will benefit from the following:
• Lowering your shipping costs
• Reducing your operating costs
• Extending your reach
• Improving your customer service
• Streamlining your order fulfilment process with technology
• Giving you more time and energy for growing other aspects of your business
What does a fulfilment company do?
A fulfilment company will handle all the elements of your stock control and order management, including receiving the product into the warehouse, picking the products ordered from inventory (stock), storing the products in the warehouse, packing the products once ordered by your customers, and shipping the product on your behalf to your customer’s address.
How Do Fulfilment Companies Work?
For any e-commerce business, orders are of the highest importance to both you and your customers. Order fulfilment services can quickly take care of the preparation and shipping of all your customer orders, ensuring that everyone is delighted.
The fulfilment process consists of the following:
Goods in
Your products are sent to the fulfilment centre or warehouse in which they are due to be stored.
Warehousing
When your goods are received, we are able to securely store them in the warehouse.
Pick and Pack
As soon as an order comes through, the team at the warehouse/fulfilment centre assemble all of your goods into one package.
It’s worth noting that fulfilment companies like ourselves offer specialised packaging services to cater to individual customer requirements.
Shipping
Couriers are often used to send parcels directly to the consumers home. Choosing a company which operate seven days a week and work with couriers who accept same day dispatch, late cut-offs and collections, guarantees that your customers will receive their orders promptly.
Returns
The return process is when unwanted goods, for reasons often relating to quality & damages are returned back to the warehouse. Choosing a company which offer a returns management service can help provide a smooth transition when it comes to returned goods. At Pointbid, our returns labels, top quality carriers and re-packaging service make the returns process as stress-free as possible.
With all of the above taken care of, you may be worried that outsourcing fulfilment means that you will be out of the loop when it comes to monitoring your stock and inventory management. At Pointbid, you can view all the facts and figures under one roof with our online web portal. The portal helps to provide live tracking, up to date inventory data and a comprehensive set of reports to ensure you are always in the know.
What is an eCommerce fulfilment company?
If you operate an ecommerce website or sell through other online platforms, you will need to provide first-class customer service when delivering orders to your customer. An ecommerce fulfilment company such as Pointbid will help you with that by storing, sorting, selecting, and ultimately shipping your goods to your customer.
Should I Use Fulfilment Services for My Start-up Business?
Still unsure if all of this is right for you? There are several key benefits for companies, particularly start-up businesses, to outsource their order fulfilment. Some of the advantages are as follows:
Save time
Time is precious, especially for a start-up business. The ultimate benefit of outsourcing fulfilment is that it allows you and your team to focus on other high priority areas of your company. Taking advantage of fulfilment services can give you the chance to dedicate more time to your marketing strategy, for example, rather than to pack and shipping orders.
Save money
Outsourcing your order fulfilment requirements can be a cost-effective solution for your business. When it comes to picking, packing and shipping, you only pay for what you use. Fulfilment services like ourselves provide a seven-day service and same day dispatch, which guarantees super-speedy deliveries to your customers. Choosing a company with this level of efficiency and a wide range of bespoke services is a wise investment for a start-up business. Why not leave the process to a dedicated team of experts so you can focus on other areas of your business?
Guidance
As a start-up business, it can be a daunting thought to outsource your order fulfilment to another company. At Pointbid, you have the opportunity to work with a dedicated account manager to assist with the planning of sales campaigns. This arrangement ensures that you are always kept informed, have consistent communication with us and can seek guidance whenever necessary.
Keep track
It’s imperative that your business is kept in the loop when it comes to the vital facts and figures of your orders. Therefore, you must choose a fulfilment service which offers an online web portal like ourselves. Monitor your stock and inventory management all under one roof. Online portals help to provide live tracking, up to date inventory data and a comprehensive set of reports to ensure you are always in the know.
Should I Use Fulfilment Services for My SME Business?
It’s not just about start-up businesses. Fulfilment services are also an ideal solution for small to medium-sized enterprises.
Expansion
With any business, the aim is always to expand and take yourself to the next level. As an SME, order fulfilment services can help expand your customer reach. You no longer need to restrict your shipping locations. Confidently ship your goods to customers abroad with fast, worldwide shipping.
Flexibility
Choose a fulfilment service who are able to integrate a variety of sales channels and platforms. So, whether you’re on Amazon, eBay or Shopify, you can be confident that your platform will work seamlessly with your order fulfilment offering.
Bespoke service
Different businesses have different requirements. You must choose a fulfilment service which can cater to your individual needs. At Pointbid, we offer a variety of specialist packaging services. Whether your goods need re-labelling or completely re-packaging, we conform to your requirements, ensuring your products meet the needs of your customers.
Customer Service
It goes without saying that efficient e-commerce fulfilment can boost your customer service ratings. Customers want their goods as soon as possible, so with cost-effective shipping, same-day despatch and appropriate packaging, your customers will be more than satisfied with their timely deliveries.
What is the difference between warehousing and fulfilment?
From our base of operations in Birmingham, the 126,000 sq ft warehouse site is situated next to the major arterial motorways across the West Midlands, allowing us to service customers all over the globe with ease.
This includes efficient pick and pack and very affordable, fast shipping through our network of couriers. Our service provides for both goods on pallets and small pick-and-pack bespoke deliveries requiring specialist handling.
Order fulfilment, or ecommerce fulfilment, refers to the process of receiving goods at a warehouse, picking and packing, and delivering orders to customers. The process sounds extremely simple. However, there is more to efficient order fulfilment than just posting out packages. At the core of a good order fulfilment center is one crucial goal – to give customers the very best experience each and every time they order from you.
What Do Fulfilment Services Cost?
Order fulfilment costs can vary from company to company. At Pointbid, we provide a bespoke service to all of our clients and tailor pricing specific to your eCommerce setup. Although most UK fulfilment companies will charge a flat monthly storage fee, they then may charge several additional fees once an order has been shipped. Pointbid, however, is open and transparent with our pricing and do not charge any management or integration fees. Our costs are affordable, ensuring excellent value for money and all pricing is subject to volume, movement of orders, SKU levels and items held. Due to its efficiency and affordability, using a fulfilment service could be more profitable and can help promote the growth of e-commerce businesses. For full details about our pricing, please head on over to our pricing page.