eCommerce fulfilment - what is it?
eCommerce fulfilment is the process of receiving, picking, packing & dispatching online orders to your customers. You can outsource this process to providers, like us, that are often referred to as third-party logistics providers (3PLs) fulfilment houses.
When you outsource your eCommerce fulfilment, the process will usually go as follows:
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Goods in
You ship all or most of your stock in bulk to a warehouse (often called a fulfilment centre), where it’s stored safely and securely.
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Integrate your shopping cart
You integrate your eCommerce platform – whether it’s Woo-commerce, eBay, Shopify, Magento or another – with the fulfilment centre’s software, so that every order you receive is automatically sent to them for processing.
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Pick & Pack
Staff in the fulfilment centre pick the correct items for each order, pack them in the appropriate packaging and get them ready for dispatch.
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Shipping
The order is dispatched to the customer using a courier service such as Royal Mail or Fedex – most fulfilment houses offer a variety of shipping options.
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Returns
Customers can return orders to the fulfilment centre, which handles them according to your instructions – e.g, unwanted items are put back in storage, damaged items can be sent to you.