Online retail continues to grow, with eCommerce representing 11.8% of all total sales in 2021. Many small business owners are emerging in the online retail space. And one of the keys to succeeding in an online retail environment is taking advantage of fulfillment services.
With warehousing fulfillment services, you partner with a third-party logistics company that stores your products. When an online order is placed, the company will grab the products from your inventory, pack them, and prepare them for shipment. The company will also provide you with key data points related to your operations and inventory to help you make crucial business decisions. Working with warehousing fulfillment services is a great way to streamline your operations, meet customer expectations, and provide better options for your business to respond to customer demands quickly.
The additional benefits of warehouse fulfillment services for small business owners include the following:
- You can focus on sales and growing your business. When you work with a warehousing fulfillment company, you can pass off all of the required tasks after a sale. Having a company dedicated to following through and ensuring the items get to the end user allows you to focus on other high-value activities that result in the continued growth of your business. You can identify other sales channels, marketing strategies, and direct sales – all of which will help build your customer base and ensure that your small business continues to grow.
- You can leverage better shipping options. One of the best ways to help your new business stand out from the crowd is by meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Warehousing fulfillment services help you access better shipping options. In many instances, your fulfillment partner may have multiple warehouses located across the country or the world, allowing you to have inventory closer to many of your buyers. Distributed inventory can reduce shipping costs by up to 25%. And spending less on shipping allows you to pass the savings on to your customers while still remaining profitable. Working with fulfillment services can also increase your shipping speed, especially if you can distribute your inventory nationwide. This setup ensures that your products are closer to your customers, decreasing the time it takes to get them to their door. Both benefits – faster and cheaper shipping – are ways to exceed customer expectations and build a great reputation in your industry.
- You can get data that drives better decisions. Warehousing fulfillment services often have advanced technologies to enhance inventory management. They can track items and tell you when you are running low on certain products. This benefit ensures that you keep the optimal amount of products on hand to meet customer demand without paying more storage costs than you should. Having this data easily accessible can enhance your ability to make smart decisions that lead to your company’s steady growth.
- You can benefit from greater security. As any small online retailer will tell you, keeping track of all your inventory is tough, and losses are to be expected. However, partnering with a warehousing fulfillment company can boost your security greatly. These facilities often have state-of-the-art security systems, cameras, fire protection systems, and restricted access. These features can minimize the risk of losing inventory to theft, loss, or damage. And at the end of the day, protecting this inventory can boost your bottom line and increase the chances that your business will remain profitable.
- You can reduce operating costs. While it may be tempting to think that working with warehousing fulfillment providers will just add to the amount of business expenses you have each month, the bottom line is that these services can cut costs in many areas or enhance the value of your product or service in a way that leads to overall cost savings in terms of profit. For instance, you can save on long-term inventory losses and reduce shipping costs. At the same time, you are in a better position to meet or exceed customer expectations, which is one of the best ways to build a loyal customer following.
As you can see, there are many benefits to working with warehousing fulfillment providers. The benefits can impact every aspect of your business to streamline operations, reduce costs, and help your business meet any goal you have in mind for the next phase of growth. For more information about warehousing fulfillment, contact Dawson Logistics today.