It’s a fact that as your online business grows, a big part of your time can be spent in pick and pack and shipment of your goods to customers. As a result, you find lesser time to concentrate on growing your business and thus leaving the growth of your business as an afterthought. Responding to this limitation, companies around the world have warmed up to the idea of outsourcing order fulfillment services to third parties in order to cope with this problem. Though order fulfillment services save companies time and money, it is vital to keep some important points in mind before selecting the right order fulfillment service provider.

As they say in the real estate world, it’s all about location, location, location. The order fulfillment / logistics industry is no different. A key consideration is the proximity location of the order fulfillment company’s warehouse facilities to the consumers. Warehouse facilities that are not well connected to the logistics infrastructure (roads, rail, airports) result in higher shipping costs i.e., costs that you will eventually be responsible for. As such, having your inventory positioned close to the end customer serve you and your customers well.

Another key consideration is your partner’s ability to scale in response to your business growth. The right partner listens as well as they speak; always anticipating your needs. In this regard two points are important: first, the storage capacity, and second, easy access to a reliable labor pool. As the communication between you and your order fulfillment service provider increases, potential risks are identified ahead of time and customers are served efficiently and economically, helping your enterprise prosper. After all, no one aims to remain a small business forever.

Last but not least, carefully analyze the technical infrastructure of your partner. In the world of “state of the art warehouse management systems” and “best practices” it is easy to lose the forest for the trees and get bogged down in fancy terms. Do a little research and ask lots of questions to understand exactly how inventory is received, orders are picked and most importantly, who your point of contact is in the event you need assistance.

So as you look to focus your efforts on your core competency of growing the business, find a partner that listens and responds to your needs. Remember, the best companies in this industry look to earn your business and trust with each shipped order.

3LINX, headquartered in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, provides end to end order fulfillment and logistics services from its multiple warehousing facilities to companies from around the world. Clients count on 3LINX to accurately receive and ship inventory to customers via a variety of shipping carriers.

For more information, visit www.3linx.com

About Magento

Magento is a feature-rich, professional Open Source eCommerce platform solution that offers merchants complete flexibility and control over the presentation, content, and functionality of their online channel. Magento’s intuitive administration interface features powerful marketing tools, a catalog-management engine and is SEO optimized to give merchants the power to create sites that provide an unrivaled and rich online shopping experience for their customers, tailored to their unique business needs. Designed to be completely scalable and backed by an extensive support network, Magento is the ultimate eCommerce solution. For more information about Magento, visit www.MagentoCommerce.com.

About 3LINX

3LINX, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offers Unified Commerce services (Design & eCommerce, Order Fulfillment and Contact Center) to leading online retailers, manufacturers, and non-profit organizations around the world. By working with a integrated solution provider like 3LINX, companies realize cost savings, excellent communication and guaranteed results.

Visit www.3linx.com or call 610-391-3100 for more information.

About Volusion

About 3LINX

3LINX, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offers Unified Commerce services (Design & eCommerce, Order Fulfillment and Contact Center) to leading online retailers, manufacturers, and non-profit organizations around the world. By working with a integrated solution provider like 3LINX, companies realize cost savings, excellent communication and guaranteed results.

Visit www.3linx.com or call 610-391-3100 for more information.

Since 1958, Good Shepherd Work Services has played an invaluable role in the community by providing job opportunities for people with disabilities and workforce support to large and small businesses alike. At Work Services, dedicated and highly motivated individuals find their place in the job market, while companies find efficient and effective workforce solutions.

About 3LINX

3LINX, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offers Unified Commerce services (Design & eCommerce, Order Fulfillment and Contact Center) to leading online retailers, manufacturers, and non-profit organizations around the world. By working with a integrated solution provider like 3LINX, companies realize cost savings, excellent communication and guaranteed results.
Visit www.3linx.com or call 610-391-3100 for more information.