Founder Whether you’re a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur or a newbie, the logistics and fulfillment side of the business can be a constant challenge. Besides your website, your brand’s shipping and fulfillment experience is the most important touchpoint you will have with your customer—and first impressions can be make-or-break. That’s why working with the right third-party shipping and logistics partner is crucial. Furthermore, onboarding inventory and connecting your online store to a 3PL’s system can be time-consuming and costly—so it’s important to choose wisely. But don’t take our word for it: hear from some e-commerce entrepreneurs who have learned exactly what to look for.
- Choose a partner that will prioritize your business—no matter the size or order volume. Many of the larger 3PLs are built to prioritize the largest clients—companies that do massive shipping volumes. As a result, even mid-sized companies with decent volume get neglected. Take it from Jaju Pierogi: “It’s hard to find a fulfillment company that is willing to work with smaller companies without charging them crazy amounts of money to do so.” Before signing on the dotted line, be sure to read reviews and talk to other clients around your same size and order volume to make sure you’ll get the level of service you deserve.
- Ask about communication and response times. When it comes to fulfillment, time is of the essence. Consumers are used to and demand fast shipping and responsive customer service. So when your 3PL is dropping the ball on orders and completely unresponsive to your questions and customer issues it can be incredibly stressful. PackDash avoids this issue by giving clients their own personal Slack channel—a direct line of communication to their warehouse team. EZMILK appreciates the accessibility: “I love that I can talk to [my warehouse team] quickly on Slack and overall, everyone on the team has been supportive and quick to help with solutions.”
- Make sure they can create the customer experience you demand. From horror stories about shipping another company’s product to mishandled and broken merchandise, some 3PLs can barely get fulfillment correct—forget creating premium unboxing moments. Yet for direct-to-consumer e-commerce companies, this is one of the most important elements of the customer experience. PackDash client Bottlecode built it’s business on this sort of high-touch experience and needs a 3PL that can deliver: “The [PackDash] team regularly goes above and beyond for us, which means the world as a growing startup. They’ve done an excellent job deploying a highly customized fulfillment experience so that we can continue to deliver the best experience to our customers.”
- Find a partner who truly understands and empathizes with your challenges. Most 3PLs are born from experience in shipping and logistics—and have never walked a mile in the shoes of an e-commerce entrepreneur. PackDash was founded by e-commerce entrepreneurs who experienced the frustration of subpar 3PL service first-hand—and are committed to changing that reality for others. You’ll see the value of a 3PL that truly puts the same care and effort into the fulfillment process as you would. Boosted Stripes says, “[PackDash] is my third time working with a fulfillment center and this time has by far been the best experience. PackDash is really there to help smaller to medium-sized businesses whereas most fulfillment centers only care about their biggest customers.”
If you’re looking for a 3PL to help with fulfillment for your e-commerce business—or unhappy with the service you’re getting from your current 3PL—we’d love to chat.