What is e-Fulfillment?
Winnipeg based e-fulfillment services provider Kitpak Fulfillment describes the term “e-Fulfillment” as encompassing all of the resources necessary to fulfill online orders including the process of receiving, inspecting and storing customer inventory, receiving and processing online orders, picking and packing the physical products ordered and shipping the packaged orders to the end customer.
Most small businesses with a product and an online store will first undertake to fulfill internally, the orders they receive online, as it is low cost, easy and transparent. However, as the business grows and orders multiply, many small business owners become overwhelmed with the process of storing, picking, packaging, shipping and tracking orders. Maybe they have simply run out of adequate space to store their products and packaging materials and now they need to invest in additional storage and order processing space, which can be costly.
Some businesses owners do not see the value in spending an ever-increasing amount of their valuable and limited time, working in their business, managing and fulfilling orders. They may realize that their time could be better spent developing and building their business, creating and implementing sales and marketing plans, developing new strategies and meeting customers.
Perhaps the time commitment has begun to interfere with their personal lives making it difficult to get away to visit friends or even to take a much-needed vacation.
At this point, many overwhelmed small business owners will seek the services of a trusted, professional e-fulfillment provider who is well equipped to handle their needs.
What makes a great e-fulfillment partner?
A great e-fulfillment partner will have significant resources and technology already in place, a portion of which will be quickly dedicated to your account with minimal cost, including:
- • Warehouse space
- • Trained warehouse personnel
- • Extensive packaging materials
- • Specialized gear / tools (weigh scales, material handling equipment, etc.)
- • Integrated warehouse management software
- • Automation
- • Negotiated volume rates with multiple carriers
- • Diverse logistics expertise
- • Adequate insurance coverage
- • Security (online and physical)
- • Kitting and co-packing services
- • Return order processing service
Your e-fulfillment partner will be able to integrate their systems with your online store, making the e-fulfillment process seamless to both you and the end customer. With real-time online access to view both your business and your customer data (orders, inventories, shipments, etc.) your e-fulfillment partner ensures you have the visibility required to successfully manage and grow your business. The cost savings for a growing business will quickly add up by avoiding the cost of renting warehouse space, hiring personnel, acquiring order fulfillment equipment and technology and more. Additional cost savings are often generated through reduced freight costs negotiated with multiple carriers by your e-fulfillment partner.
Having a trusted and capable e-fulfillment partner that is ready and able to scale with your business growth, will provide you with a great competitive advantage in the market, helping your business grow and prosper.
Contact Kitpak Fulfillment today to learn how we can help you grow your business!
