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Warehousing and Distribution for the Holiday Season

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, but with all those holly jolly times, make sure your 3PL service can handle increased capacity. Holiday fulfillment can make or break your e-commerce business. Great holiday fulfillment is the key to great holiday sales. Already high customer expectations are rightfully higher around the holidays since everyone wants their gift to arrive on time. Standards for expedited turnaround are higher than ever; customers just do not tolerate a backordered inventory. This year especially, we are faced with even more challenges and lots of unknowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has reshaped the way consumers shop, increasing online and e-commerce sales. Retailers and e-commerce companies solve this bottleneck by working with a third party logistics company to help them take a load off their busy holiday season. Your holiday fulfillment operations are the key to success during this busy time, and a good partner can make your holiday fulfillment operations run smoothly.

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is the 3PL service to provide the extra value you need all season long.

Your space may slowly be getting filled with stacked boxes reaching the ceiling in places like your office, hallways, and dare I say it, even your bathroom. When you choose to outsource your holiday warehousing and distribution to give you a safer workspace, that is not at risk of boxes collapsing on top of you and becoming an episode of Hoarders along with the extra staff that is needed so you don’t have to do any heavy lifting yourself. Once partnered with a 3PL service like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. for the big holiday rush that is ahead, then you will be free to order exactly what you are looking for right when you need it without any fear of where you will have to fit it in your cramped space. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date inventory only works when customers are notified of low inventory levels in a timely manner. You need to provide e-commerce customers information quickly to protect them from getting frustrated during a joyful time, so customer service response time is paramount.

On Demand Storage Space

Juggling storage space at this time of year is the worst, but after you have teamed up with a 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment Inc., you are quite literally renting out the space you need only when you need it.

Seasonal Demand

The hiring period during the holidays can be frustrating and highly competitive, but with a 3PL service like FFI by your side, you don’t have to worry about seasonal help. Rather than hiring your own people, you can rely on your 3PL service for some assistance for however long you need it and only when you need it. This ability can save your business a ton of both time and money since the warehouse staff is already trained and experienced at fulfillment, distributions, and pick & pack demands. When it comes to warehousing, e-commerce is continuously the driving force of growth. Planning for surge events like the holidays ensures there is space available. Utilizing past data and analyzing sales history provides insights that will help things run more smoothly. The historical data allows your fulfillment center to plan ahead to have enough staff on hand to anticipate the peaks and troughs of seasonal demand.

Accurate and Up-to-date Inventory

3PL’s like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. use a computerized system that is able to check products in and out of the inventory which provides you with a real-time inventory tracking system to make sure none of the products in the warehouse are out of place. You will not have to struggle with backordering when your company knows the precise moment to restock product.

Customer Service Response Time

During the holiday rush there will always be a few issues in order fulfillment. What is important is how customer service resolves the issues and how quickly. Fulco Fulfillment’s client service managers are extremely reliable and responsive when our customers contact us with questions, requests for assistance, or problems. Every one of our clients has their own dedicated client service support person to pick up the phone and call because customer experience needs to sit at the forefront. Our online order management systems (OMS) provide updates via email throughout the lifecycle of the order so that the customer is kept up to date with the progress of their order. This increases the confidence the customer has with their fulfillment company.

Looking for a 3PL Provider in NJ?

Do you think you will be stuffed with business this holiday season? It may be time to call a reliable 3PL service today, like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. located in Dover, NJ. With our help, we will guarantee that your holiday season will be headache free. Money will be saved, space will be freed, and you will be left feeling merry and bright! Give us a call at 973.361.1700 to discuss your needs.

Technological Factors to Consider When Choosing a Fulfillment Center

When considering outsourcing a fulfillment center, companies search for a technologically compatible fulfillment partner. They want a company that can deliver seamless and integrated fulfillment, logistics, and supply chain solutions. Technology allows all of this to happen in a cohesive manner and allows customers to view and interface with data online. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. (FFI) is a leader in e-commerce fulfillment. We support our customers’ online visibility with control and easy-to-use technologies by aligning our technical services to meet their business objectives.

FFI delivers a powerful suite of solutions including:

real-time reporting with live access to data
custom distribution wireless scanning solutions
easy e-commerce integration options

Real Time Custom Reporting For Fulfillment and Access to Data

Around the clock access to real-time data is an essential part of fulfillment. At FFI, customer reports can be automatically exported from our order management system and forwarded to the relevant decision maker. Accessible reporting captures data and allows users a password-protected login to view classic reports and data sheets, including:

Order Reports
Product Reports
Offer Reports
Shipping Reports
Territory Client Structure Reports
Product History Reports
Products Shipped
and much more

Empower your sales and marketing team while maintaining control over brand assets

Without the proper tools, managing sales force logistics can be extremely challenging. FFI enables literature fulfillment customers to automate the decision making associated with collateral distribution while limiting the need for manual review of orders. Sales and marketing managers can automatically control/limit recipients’ access to products. They can set-up product-specific and budget-based controls. Order limits can be set by access levels and approval management is available for rush/expedited shipments or even restricted products.

For fulfillment clients, peace of mind is having a partner with a state-of-the-art warehouse management system which includes inventory email alerts and lot code / serial tracking capabilities. While product version / lot tracking products may be modified or changed over time, these changes are easily tracked by a Version ID—giving clients the ability to define versions and set parameters in the OMS which dictate how versions are handled.

E-commerce Integrations for Inventory and Warehousing

As a warehousing, inventory, and order management company, we’ve learned through working with e-commerce customers that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to data transfers. One thing is for certain though: there are better ways to transfer and share data between systems other than entering it by hand. For example, CSV (comma-separated values) files are one way. A CSV is a universal file type that many systems support and merchants feel comfortable managing when it comes to exporting and importing text files of their data between systems.

Ease of integration is an important benefit for companies outsourcing fulfillment.

Indeed, some systems require CSV as an alternative to an API or a direct database connection because file-based integration allows data to be passed between different databases or operating systems, without necessarily connecting directly to them.

And since CSVs are plain-text files, it’s easy for a web developer or other members of the team to create, view, and validate the data as a spreadsheet. All you need is a header row at the top and subsequent rows of data, which can be manipulated and easily shared across different systems.

There are several cases where transfer via CSV order files has proven very useful. However, APIs have emerged as a newer way for two systems to communicate or integrate with each other. APIs are a great solution for many use-cases, but they are not the only solution. There are several cases where a transfer via flat files has proven very useful, as well.

API Systems Integration

An API (Application Program Interface) is a set of code that allows two software programs to communicate with each other, creating a streamlined and paperless flow of goods from receiving to shipping. Using code, an API spells out a standard, predictable way for a developer to write a program requesting services from another system or application.

Veracore, FFI’s order management system, integrates with numerous platforms via real-time API or batch mode order integrations with both web-based and legacy platforms. For example, Veracore’s shopping cart and marketplace integrations include: Amazon.com; Ultracart, BigCommerce, Shopify, Volusion, Magento, and WooCommerce.

As an alternate option, FFI also partners with DropStream. This partnership allows FFI to provide our e-commerce customers with automated integrations to over 60 e-commerce systems, including online shopping carts, marketplaces, and ERPs. DropStream allows our customers to be totally connected to these integrations and automated order fulfillment workflows. E-commerce orders are imported directly into our Warehouse Management System (WMS), and tracking numbers are exported directly to our e-commerce client’s online shopping cart.

In summary, e-commerce customers can receive orders via three different ways:

shopping cart integration
upload an order file (CSV)
manual order entry

Custom Distribution Wireless Scanning Solutions for Order Fulfillment

With time-saving mobile barcode readers, accuracy and streamlined shipping of e-commerce purchases are greatly improved. Barcode scanning verification and wireless scanning pick-and-pack services read a pre-printed SKU (stock keeping unit) or barcode appearing on each inventoried product. Each product is given a unique SKU which helps minimize errors and automatically updates the inventory system as goods are shipped. This eliminates manual changes and physical counts which waste valuable production time. For e-commerce clients, the real-time updates from the scanner to the order management system (OMS) helps them maintain real-time visibility and a more accurate inventory.

Choose a Fulfillment Provider that You are Technologically Compatible With

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc., works with e-commerce businesses of every size, with a wide variety of product profiles and pick-and-pack demands. We’re used to handling difficult circumstances and exceeding expectations by helping our clients fulfill their client promises and delivery demands. To learn more, contact us.

Why a Third-party Logistics (3PL) Provider Makes Great Sense For Your Business

There are many reasons why your order fulfillment, warehousing and shipping needs may be best served by working with a third-party logistics provider (3PL). A 3PL provider can seamlessly scale to your supply chain demands by handling assembly needs, distribution, warehousing, outsourcing of supplies, order management system integration, fulfillment, inventory management, and shipping and tracking. By using a 3PL you can come closer to streamlining your entire fulfillment chain and utilizing warehousing space at our facility to clear valuable warehousing space at your facility to accommodate more revenue generating business activities.

Among the many key benefits of working with a 3PL is scalability. As your business grows and as your products gain greater distribution in the marketplace, you need a logistics partner that can ramp up services quickly when needed, and scale down when busy seasons subside. In the logistics and supply chain management business, many organizations outsource to a third-party logistics provider to take advantage of numerous elements of their services. Based on client needs, a 3PL can provide a single service to support the supply chain or deliver a bundle of services that can manage the entire process start to finish.

Understanding the 3PL Order Fulfillment Process

The 3PL order fulfillment process includes receiving, storing, picking and packing the order, shipping services and returns. Some 3PL companies also provide other logistics services referred to as value-added services: These include Amazon FBA prep services, kitting and specialty packaging and others. A 3PL provider will allow companies to leverage large networks of resources so they can develop a complete solution for this process.

Receiving

Pallet loaded receipts, UPS/FedEx/USPS small packages or floor-loaded containers are physically received at the warehouse and all material arrives with a packing list. Product IDs, quantities and descriptions are entered into the order management system (OMS) by the 3PL’s client service manager. A receiving report notification is automatically generated via email so all parties involved in the process are made aware of receipt.

Storage

Products are stored on flow shelves for ease of picking and any overflow is stored on full pallets. Storage combines bulk, racked and high-velocity pick areas for efficient storage and picking.

Picking and Packing

After orders are received and entered into the order management system a pick slip is generated. This indicates the products’ location so the picker can easily pick the order and pack it into the appropriately sized carton. A packing slip is also packed into the carton to indicate the contents before a label is applied with shipping information.

Shipping

Your 3PL should look for the best shipping rates on every package that leaves the warehouse. This requires them to be aware of the best current rates from all carriers including FedEx, UPS, USPS or LTL freight.

Returns

Returns can be a hassle if you don’t have the capacity or order management system in place to handle items ordered by mistake, damaged during the shipping process, or other various reasons. Handling returns with ease should be part of your part of your 3PL’s process and an important part of the customer experience.

Taking Advantage of value-added 3PL services

Kitting and Assembly

Kitting and assembly are often required for distributions that a client may have. You can rely on a 3PL such as Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. to execute and manage the kitting flawlessly.

Specialty Packaging

Your 3PL is experienced in dealing with a variety of packages, so they can help you save money through their established network of material suppliers. They know how to make your package secure and make sure the contents are protected during shipping.

Amazon FBA Prep Services

Is your business selling on Amazon? Fulco Fulfillment are specialists in dealing with confusing Amazon processes and can walk you through best practices and make sure you are meeting all of the FBA requirements.

A 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. will Save your Organization Time & Money

Many forward-thinking companies realize the benefits of outsourcing to a 3PL. By not spending money on extra square footage and warehousing, and by investing in a partnership with a reliable 3PL they can expect to save money. Having more space in your office building is another benefit of a 3PL. Overflow storage kept at a 3PL warehouse eliminates office clutter and chaos. Outsourcing to a 3PL can mean significant benefits for a business as it grows and faces more complex supply-chain management and logistics challenges. This partnership eliminates the need to buy or rent warehouse space. Without this partnership and continued company growth, internal costs would continue to escalate including order management system, equipment costs, employee insurance, etc.

Save Time

Time consuming events that can be eliminated, including: packing boxes, arranging logistics, LTL and transportation, setting up technologies and hiring additional labor can free your organization up so you can focus more time on your core business.

As your business expands, managing the supply chain can become difficult and costly. Mistakes made in logistics can damage the customer experience, stunt your business’ growth, and eat into your profits. That’s why it’s important to select a 3PL partner with outstanding references and a substantial track record of success.

Making the most of Peak Seasons

If holiday or other peak seasons are your busiest and most important times of the year, a 3PL provider can manage the processes seamlessly so you can maximize profits during your peak seasons. Regardless of when that peak season occurs, taking orders, picking them, packing them, and shipping them can be extremely time consuming, especially while trying to run your business as a whole. The stress of keeping on top of shipments, along with everything else, can really put a damper on your business. The easiest, and most efficient, way to get through the peak season rush is with a 3PL provider. Preparing for this in advance, and understanding why a 3PL provider is so important, will put your business ahead of the game, and it will allow you to get everything in order before the holiday seasons really begin.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. Helps Business Succeed Year-round

While it might feel strange relinquishing control of the fulfillment process to an outside company, by working with an experienced 3PL such as Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. you can leave all the operational details to us, freeing you up to focus more on other aspects of your supply chain and your core business goals. Let’s discuss your logistics needs. Our warehouse is conveniently located in Northern New Jersey near major highways easily accessible from New England to the Mid-Atlantic. To learn more, call 973.361.1700 or request a quote by filling out the contact form.

A Fulfillment Center in NJ Combining Fulfillment, Warehousing and Distribution for Efficiency and Cost Savings

Outsourcing your fulfillment, warehousing and distribution operations to Fulco Fulfillment, a fulfillment center in NJ, relieves the pressures associated with setting up a multifunctional system of your own. That’s why many CPG and OTC companies, online retailers and specialty suppliers choose Fulco Fulfillment for their fulfillment, warehousing and distributions needs. Our management and experienced customer service teams know which questions to ask to quickly learn about your business. Whether your business is a Fortune 500 company or a start-up, our fulfillment center in NJ can solve whatever challenges your business has when it comes to fulfillment, warehousing and distribution.

How can outsourcing to a fulfillment center in NJ benefit your business?

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. has provided fulfillment services to customers in a wide variety of industries since 2001. We offer a comprehensive blend of supply chain logistics services which include proven expertise in warehousing, distributions and transportation management. We can receive your online fulfillment order and consolidate and streamline your fulfillment and shipping processes in order to:

Reduce fulfillment, warehousing and distribution operational costs
Improve inventory control
Track your operations and avoid problems

Our fulfillment clients benefit from the robust reporting that our Order Management System (OMS) offers. In addition to this, our knowledgeable team of fulfillment experts will track your inventory from the receipt to the distribution through the pick ‘n’ pack process and all the way to shipping.

Reduce fulfillment, warehousing and distribution operational costs NOW

The most obvious benefit that drives lower costs is that every aspect of your fulfillment is professionally handled under one roof. Our fulfillment center in NJ has over 148,000-square-feet of warehouse space in Dover NJ, which is centrally located to points throughout the mid-Atlantic and New England with easy access to Routes 80, 287, 46, and Route 10.

At first glance switching to a new center can seem costly, but the cost savings of having everything in one place far outweighs the costs associated with finding your own storage and fulfillment space, leasing and maintaining your automation equipment, and hiring and managing staff, to name a few.

Improve Inventory Control

Many retailers and large businesses have separate inventory-tracking systems in their fulfillment and distribution centers as well as their physical store locations. This data generally does not synchronize correctly or as fast as management would like, which can make tracking your inventory levels in real time extremely difficult. This can frustrate your team as well as your customers. Fulco Fulfillment’s state of the art Order Management System offers you improved inventory management capabilities. You’ll know at a glance where your inventory stands and how it’s moving off the shelves. This can help you avoid overstocks as well as shortages so you can make on the spot adjustments to meet product demand.

Furthermore, there is no more effective support system for your sales force than Fulco Fulfillment. As our valued customer, you can set the allotments by product or budget and set restrictions as necessary. Alerts are triggered automatically when your inventory is below the established minimum levels. All alerts are sent straight to you when your supplies are reaching low levels so that you can be sure all of your products will be in stock and ready to ship as they are ordered either by your sales team or direct by your customers.

Track your operations and avoid problems

When your fulfillment, warehousing and distribution is managed at a single facility, you will have an all-encompassing view of the entire operation and be immediately able to pinpoint potential issues and resolve them before they become a bigger problem. For instance, if your fulfillment operation is currently in the middle of an unexpected influx of orders, you will be able to easily move workers from the distribution side to help the fulfillment team. On the other hand, if your physical stores begin to experience a shortage of inventory you can move the product from the fulfillment side to the distribution area to alleviate the shift.

Bring it all together … Bring it to Fulco Fulfillment Inc, a fulfillment center in NJ

In order to be successful in the competitive e-commerce space in the Northeast, retailers need a trusted fulfillment center in NJ. We are incredibly flexible and can manage inventory for everything from pharmaceutical sample programs to online consumer purchases. Combining your fulfillment and distribution operations into one centralized location may be your best opportunity to control costs, inventory management capabilities, facility locations, future growth and staffing needs.

Trust Fulco Fulfillment Inc. We want to help support your organization so you can produce record results. And, no matter how large you may grow, we’re ready to scale along with you. To learn more, give us a call at 973-361-1700 or fill out our form and we’ll contact you.

Managing Sales Force Logistics Programs

When trying to attract new customers while keeping hold of any current ones, successful businesses provide different sales collateral to both potential customers and sales representatives, this can include but is not limited to brochures, kits, point-of-purchase aids and sample product.

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is an expert in sales force logistics which is the process of distributing the sales collateral of a company to wherever it may be needed while at the same time adhering to the various company protocols which govern the limitations and approval requirements of these items.

Challenges

You have most likely seen a variety of different sales collateral wherever you go, this can include things such as a the goodie bag given at a dentist’s office, filled with dental products, paint samples at a Home Depot or a brochure seen at the counter in a convenience store, but all sales collateral shares the following things in common.

Costly production
Control of distribution in order to maintain a balance between keeping costs from getting out of hand while using material properly and efficiently.
Detailed feedback is important so that their effectiveness in helping to capture sales can be measured and, based on results, objectives can be set for their future use.
Distribution may also be legally regulated like when dealing with pharmaceutical samples and depending on locality those constraints can vary.

Solutions

There are a variety of solutions to overcome many of these challenges and in order to tackle sales force logistics properly then it is valuable to follow some of the following procedures.

Control and limit recipients

This includes simply limiting who receives the collateral by practicing control over shipping addresses. Fulco Fulfillment Inc’s Order Management System allows client to set restrictions so this doesn’t need to be a manual process.

A good example of this is having the capability to restrict shipments to only defined addresses within a sales representative’s address book instead of sending collateral to all the addresses you have available to you.

Using restrictions can limit where and or to whom any sale representative will send the valuable collateral. Restrictions can also be predefined for promising prospects or current clients.

Product Specific Controls

Product Specific controls is what limits collateral item’s availability during ordering using different user or market specific controls.

For example, while browsing a nationwide restaurant chain’s website for store managers, a store manager is able to view, and order only those particular market available for his particular geographic market and not other items available elsewhere. Or, an insurance company’s salesmen are able to order collateral materials unavailable to at-large brokers.

Cost Control

Cost control is limiting the amount of collateral that is available for order for the sake of limiting the all-inclusive costs.

Quantity limitations can be quite difficult to set up especially when things such as distribution channels are not handled uniformly. Setting up quantity limitations do commonly include specifying a limit to how much is distributed and using budget constraints.

Sales representatives are more often than not allocated different budgets for ordering things such as collateral premiums or merchandise, budgets that have limitations that can be understood and can help decide how to best employ others during a sales representative efforts. Cost control will help a sale representative understand that the moment budgets run out either the ordering stops completely or ordering can only continue with approval. Budget limits are assigned in order to control sales collateral expenses.

Flexibility

Having flexibility means that no matter how constraints are defined, a sales force logistics program must have the capacity to anticipate any exceptions that may occur to them.

That is, it must be able to communicate, accept and process, when deemed necessary, ad-hoc requests for collateral that exceed established limitations. As an example of when such flexibility is important: a salesman has exhausted his collateral “budget,” but has prospect who wants a sample product. The Sales Forces Logistics program must be able to (via email) inform his manager of this in a timely way and enable the manager to override existing constraints and authorize the collateral to be released and shipped promptly to the salesman/prospect.

Self-Direction

To have a sales forces logistics program with self-direction it should allow sales representatives to review along with manage their own allocated collateral accounts.

Throughout self-direction a sale representative can handle collateral distributions and their associated costs directly and when necessary permit them to either petition for authorization to go past the budget or pay any excessive expenses all on their own (usually by billing a credit card).

Order Limitations

Sales Forces Logistics programs should have order limitations, for the sake of the fulfillment provider, of the number of collateral orders that is shipped to destinations within a desired time period, for example a quarterly time period.

Putting down limits helps control and keep down any costs during the distribution of sales collateral by preventing any rogue sale reps who may order excessive quantities of material for any “personal reasons”.

Approval Management

During approval management requests such a exceeding an allotted budget must receive more than one approval.

Sales force logistics programs should be capable of notifying sales representative that multiple approvals are required in order for his request to be fulfilled. Following that authorizers must be alerted for permission to go over the budget and lastly enabling the sales representative to keep track of the status and overall outcome of the specified collateral order.

Brand managers may need to approve any product that is overseen by them and collateral orders may require the approval as well as the partial approval of several different brand managers. Sales force logistics teams must be capable of handling these types of requests and thankfully Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is capable and experienced to handle all of this.

Outsourcing Fulfillment Transition Planning

There may come a point in time when you get sick of using your basement, garage or spare bedroom as a means to organize your product and fulfillment, Fulco Fulfillment wants to make that transition process as seamless as it could possibly be when you outsource your fulfillment. As your business grows, it is important to keep up to date with deliveries or else the business could begin to lose credibility and no one wants to see that happen.

Outsourcing and moving your product to a larger fulfillment facility such as Fulco Fulfillment Inc. would be an optimal move to continue shipping products without any interruption of service. Transitions, however are not as easy of a process as it might appear to be for each business is unique and requires different methods of delivery, storage, etc. In order to begin this transition process, it’s important to understand and think about what would be best for your small business.

Understanding the Logistics Profile

Transitioning begins with planning and in order to accomplish that meetings must be scheduled to talk about what the appropriate requirements are for the product and how a fulfillment warehouse such as Fulco Fulfillment Inc. can provide those requirements to you through our operational processes. If necessary compromises may need to be made in order to fulfill the appropriate requirements for your business. Transitioning to a larger facility may throw what you may know about delivering and storing your products out the window but that is what makes these meetings so important so that in the end you feel more at ease about spreading your product far and wide. Here are some things that should be considered throughout the meetings:

Service levels required
Sources of inventory and replenishment lead times
Special product handling requirements:
- Environmental requirements
- Fragile
- Liquid
- Hazmat
- Weights and dimensions
- Expiration dates
- Serial number control
- Subscription handling
Channel support:
- Amazon
- Big box selling (EDI and routing guides)
- Small box retail
- Selling online or on multiple online platforms
- Controlling inventory availability across channels
The more obvious discussions:
- Order volumes, line item volumes
- Seasonality
- Number of SKU’s and SKU churn
- Who will handle customer service and returns
- Packaging and assembly requirements
- International shipping

In order to make your meeting as effective as possible, think about the points listed above so that your company and a fulfillment company such as Fulco Fulfillment Inc. can reach a proper agreement that makes everyone happy in the end.

Systems integration

In order for the transition process of outsourcing fulfillment to begin it is imperative that both your methods of delivery whether it is manually or through an ecommerce service can communicate with Fulco Fulfillment Inc. quickly and flawlessly. Without any method of communication to Fulco Fulfillment’s it would impossible for your small business to get the orders out on time and without fail. Becoming familiar with how your business is able to relay product information will be important when beginning the transition process so you will know how to keep track of the items going in and out of the fulfillment warehouse on a daily basis.

A strategy for shipping is also important when beginning the transition process of outsourcing fulfillment. If your business has a policy for 2-3 day shipping for example then that is something the fulfillment warehouse should know right away in order to properly organize orders that will need to be shipped. Let the fulfillment warehouse know about carriers to use, strategies for international shipping and etc.

The transition process and outsourcing fulfillment can only start once you are certain your existing systems incorporated already at your business can be properly moved over to a warehouse like Fulco Fulfillment Inc.

Make sure any customers, carriers, suppliers and vendors know about the new location of the warehouse you move to otherwise you’ll be left with a lot of angry individuals.

Moving day

Something to keep in mind once the day to move actually arrives is to move the product in your current location in pieces or specifically halves. While moving it is important to keep shipping from the old location until all of the product is moved successfully to the new warehouse. Moving in parts will be able to give you some insurance in case there are any issues that may arise during the move process. The better you plan, the more likely the transition process will go as smooth as possible without issue and with Fulco Fulfillment Inc. at your side transitioning will be as stress free as possible for the sake of your business.

What is FBA? (Fulfillment by Amazon)

As the name suggests Fulfillment by Amazon means your inventory is fulfilled by Amazon. You are required to send all of your inventory to Amazon already prepared for shipping. Before you send your products to Amazon, use an experienced fulfillment service company such as Fulco Fulfillment Inc. (FFI) as your dedicated prepping partner. They will package your items to Amazon’s specifications, print and apply labels and bar codes, and ship them to a regional facility. Simply put FBA works like this: you sell it, then Amazon ships it.

Send your items to Amazon’s fulfillment warehouse to be stored. After they receive it they may shift your stock from one warehouse location to another if they see a geographical need.
After Amazon receives your inventory you can monitor it through their tracking system.
Customer places order. You can market your product via email, or any of your social media marketing channels and see your orders come in.
Amazon picks packs and ships
Customer service available at Amazon and they accept returns.

Are you asking yourself, “Should I be using FBA?”

Using Amazon’s marketplace as a sales channel gives users the ability to grow their business and reach more customers. But, there are some things you need to consider before using FBA. There are some pitfalls with FBA that could be major. Since FBA isn’t a flexible service they require your products to be ready to be fulfilled upon arrival at their fulfillment centers. If not, unplanned prep may delay Amazon’s receiving of your shipments by up to 48 hours. Not properly preparing your inventory before sending to Amazon can also run the risk of being charged for noncompliance or even worse, refusal of inventory.

Sellers that use FBA for Amazon sales still outsource to an existing fulfillment center, like Fulco Fulfillment Inc., for fulfilling sales from other online channels. Examples of other selling channels could be Etsy or their own web site otherwise known as off-Amazon sales. If you sell on several channels other than Fulfillment by Amazon, such as your own website and other marketplaces like eBay, you can use FBA to fill those orders too. Amazon calls this service Multi-Channel fulfillment or MCF. Your inventory storage fees are the same, but the MCF fulfillment fees are higher. Fulco Fulfillment Inc (FFI) fulfillment by Amazon preparation supports you if you are a multichannel customer and Amazon is one of your sales channels, or if you are exclusively an Amazon seller and don’t sell through other channels.

Take a look at Fulco Fulfillment for not only your FBA prepping services but to help you manage fulfillment for non Amazon shipping needs. After that your major fulfillment task is done, aside from checking stock levels and replenishing when necessary.

Fulco Fulfillment FBA Prepping Services:

Receive Materials

We receive your products, inspect product shipments for visible damage and verify quantity.
The importance of quality control is key at this moment. Photo documentation can be provided following item inspection if items appear damaged. If price tags or stickers are visible they will be removed or covered.

Amazon Prep Services

Case and Pallet Labeling
Generate Amazon ID Labels
SKU labeling
ASIN: Each unit must have a scannable barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, EAN, or JAN). The unit’s barcode must not be punched out, marked over, covered, or otherwise obstructed.
Multipack packaging “sold as set”
Repackaging
Loose products
Case-packed products
Fragile item preparation
Polybagging
Secondary packaging
Bundling
Compliant Markings: anti-suffocation warning, sold as set, choking hazard, expiration date etc.

Ship to Amazon Warehouses

We divide your products to ship out to different Amazon fulfillment centers, using either small parcel or LTL service. Trackability will be accessible through the Amazon seller central portal.

Fulco Fulfillment Inc offers seller Central shipment management for your FBA, give us a sign-in and we can take it from there.

Beware of Hidden Storage Fees That Amazon Charges

Long-term storage

As FBA grows, space within their fulfillment centers becomes more valuable. It’s no surprise, if inventory is stored in an Amazon fulfillment center for longer than six months penalty fees are charged. If your items have long shelf lives or if you usually have stale inventory, you’re paying more to rent to store items, especially if it doesn’t sell. Your need to make sure you are keeping track of all inventory and monitor it. Don’t let it become too much of a burden and sit stagnant for too long.

Seasonal storage increase

October – December holiday season storage rates increase dramatically during these three months. This is something to watch closely if you use FBA, and is a major reason that volume sellers rarely use FBA as their sole storage option. Instead, sellers often store the bulk of their inventory using an outside fulfillment center like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. Then periodically ship just enough stock to cover a range of forecasted sales at Amazon.

Stock removal fee

FBA charges a removal fee if you want to pull inventory from Amazon or dispose of unsold stock.

There are other scenarios where additional fees apply. These different instances can cause a change in FBA standard pricing: Oversized items that have special handling fees per shipment. Other fees can apply such as prep service fees or fees for processing customer returns in specific categories. Clothing items incur an extra surcharge per unit. If you are only shipping large, oversized items or only shipping/storing during the peak months of October through December you may want to reconsider using FBA. If you’re considering using FBA, you need to be aware of these fees to ensure they don’t unknowingly creep into your bill. If you don’t stay on top of these, your profits can slip away. So be sure to understand the FBA fulfillment and storage fees, and how they apply to your products, before taking the plunge.

Is FBA Worth the Cost of Your Business?

Just because FBA, Fulfillment by Amazon, is used by so many companies, you need to determine if it’s right for your company. For some it’s a tough choice. If you decide it’s right for you remember the services that Fulco Fulfillment Inc offers to assist you with properly prepping your products to meet fulfillment by Amazon’s standards and specifications.

What is polybagging?

Polybagging is a simple process where a printed item or small loose items can be hand inserted into polybags and sealed. Polybagging usually falls under the mailing service banner, but it can be used for packaging and kitting as well. The traditional definition is a clear plastic or polyethylene bag used to package multiple items together. It is commonly used to package a magazine, small supplementary publications, a newspaper or magazine.

Direct marketers love the versatility that comes with polybagging and polybag mailings, since they are always looking for ways to stand apart from the competition.

3 Reasons to Polybag you Next Mailing

1. Stand Out from the Competition

Smart marketers know that polybagging is a great way to stand out from the competition. Virtually any combination of companion pieces can be stacked together to form the mailing. The polybag doesn’t have standard size limitations like an envelope, it can be wrapped around mailers of almost any size. Probably the best reason you would want to use a polybag is so that you can stand out from the competition and achieve a high open rate. Polybagged pieces get opened more frequently and quicker than traditional direct mail pieces. Your brilliant promotional piece will be displayed through the polybag not covered like an envelope. The visibility of the contents is a marketing tool that stimulates interest and makes a lasting impression with the person receiving the mail piece. Printed pieces “pop” and create a more professional and memorable impression. It gives potential customers a sneak peek into what they are receiving.

2. Cost Efficiency

Not only will your mailer stand out but you can also achieve it at the same costs as using traditional envelopes. Polybagging keeps your package light and therefore you postage costs low. Mailing your marketing piece in a polybag saves you money because you are eliminating the cost of a designer and printing services associated with an envelope.

3. Protecting Catalogs and other Printed Materials

Polybagging protects printed materials from damage. Damage can be related to weather or human error. The polybag makes your piece durable and protects it from ripping in the mail stream and protects it from water damage.

Take advantage of high quality professional polybagging services from Fulco Fulfillment Inc (FFI) to deliver any number of printed items such as:

Catalogs
Brochures
Magazines
Periodicals
Booklets/Pamphlets
Annual Reports
Marketing Collateral
Advertisements with Free Samples

Our polybag services and mail services team will efficiently take care of your polybag project from start to finish maximizing postal savings. Ship your printed materials directly to FFI transmit us your distribution lists and we will do the rest. We will ensure that everything is packed safely and completely prior to shipping or mailing. Fulco Fulfillment Inc can be your full service direct mail provider offering polybagging, mailing list postal data presorting, addressing, sorting mail for lowest postage rate.

In addition to mailings, polybagging is used to polybag small parts together. Marketers bring small parts together in a polybag to prevent loss and organize distribution or ecommerce shipment. Items can be heat sealed into clear bags, custom labeled bags, or preprinted suffocation warning bags. Post bagging weigh station for 100% accuracy. If you have unique requirements for you polybagging we specialize in hand assembly and expert quality control. Often companies include small losable parts in orders and a tiny polybag is the perfect solution to not lose the small parts included. FFI also polybags products for our fulfillment customers. Often products are polybagged to prevent damage to the product packed in cartons. During transit cartons can be broken, torn, or open upon arrival. This exposes finished products to dirt, moisture and damage. The polybag protects the product from becoming dirty or damaged during transit. Additionally, the polybags keep stored products clean in the warehouse environment.

Many clients rely on Fulco Fulfillment Inc for their products’ polybagging and hand assembly packaging needs. Your project may be simple or you may be looking to outsource a complicated polybagging project. When automation is not an option, our skilled team of packagers offer polybagging solutions. We can provide efficient and effective polybagging to suit all of your needs. Polybagging is perfect for gift set assemblies, specialty kits, sampling kits, games, cosmetic kits, seasonal items, combination offers and much more.

How your marketing message or fulfillment of your order is organized is very important. Polybagging can make it easy for customers to find small parts or make a big impact with a marketing message. Either way, it’s an affordable alternative to paper envelopes that Fulco Fulfillment Inc can help you implement today.

Successful Outsourced Order Fulfillment Processes for E-Commerce Businesses

Transparent, efficient order fulfillment is one of the keys to success for an e-commerce business. Understanding each step of order fulfillment will help you choose the right 3PL for your business and customers.

Better E-Commerce Fulfillment Starts With Systems Integration

At Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. (FFI) orders are received from e-commerce businesses and sellers through a variety of methods. Most commonly, FFI receives its orders through an application programming interface or API. With an API, any online shopping cart can be connected directly to our fulfillment facility in Dover, NJ. The orders can then be picked, packed and shipped at a moment’s notice.

After we receive an order from a client’s e-commerce system, we automatically respond with pertinent information such as tracking data and the level of remaining inventory. This automation is one of the main drivers of our successful fulfillment process.

FFI Offers Many Order Management Solutions

Although most of our clients typically use an API solution, FFI can receive orders in a variety of ways.

Batch Download
CSV Order File
Manual Order Entry

Manual order entry can be used for auto-ship or continuity programs like subscriptions. For the CSV method, it is important to send an updated list of subscribers each month including their corresponding orders. This method is useful for pharmaceuticals and magazines. Direct integration with a client’s online inventory is the most efficient way to work with us, but we are happy to work with any method a client prefers: email, fax or mail order.

Good Warehouse Management Streamlines Fulfillment

After the orders are received, they are printed and organized according to the method of shipping, i.e., two-day, expedited, etc. This allows us to correctly prioritize shipping times. Orders are then categorized by product type and sent to one of our warehouse sorting areas to be unpacked and packed in the preferred method of the client.

Orders are checked for any specific pick and pack instructions such as plastic wrapping or a particularly specified box size.

Throughout the pick, pack and ship process, frequent quality control checks are performed to be sure that each order is accurate. Typically each product is put into a small box or container and given the appropriate protection to avoid breakage during delivery. Smaller boxes with appropriate protection lower the dimensional weight of each package and will help save the client some money.

Efficient Shipping and Inventory Management

Labels for the orders, including shipping instructions, are organized by shipping location. When the orders have been labeled, they are put onto a pallet to prepare for their final journey.

Once the orders are shipped, clients have live access to tracking activity through our Order Management System portal. FFI can even have tracking numbers sent to the client’s e-commerce system automatically.

Clients can customize their under-stock notification level. An email is sent to the client notifying them that it is time to re-stock, and another email is generated when inventory reaches zero. Since inventory is updated the moment items are shipped, the end customer will know immediately if their order is not available.

Flexible, Effective Fulfillment Helps Businesses Succeed

FFI has taken control of fulfillment and streamlined this potentially complicated process through software integration, efficient inventory and warehousing capabilities, and superior customer service. If you are looking to optimize your fulfillment process, we would love to work with you. We have solutions for all types of businesses! Give us a call at 973-361-1700 or fill out our contact form.