e-Commerce Fulfillment Archives

Outsourcing
E-commerce Fulfillment Can Help Grow Your Business

E-commerce businesses will find numerous advantages to using a 3PL for their fulfillment rather than keeping those processes in-house. Outsourcing fulfillment helps control costs and reduce expenses by leveraging a 3PL’s buying power, all while benefiting from its expertise.

3 PLs Provide Excellent Scalability

When you outsource inventory management, supervising warehouse staff, and packing and picking, you can then free up your time to focus on scaling your business, generating sales, and growing your customer base. As your business grows, the responsibilities and workload will too, so outsourcing to a reliable fulfillment partner will allow you to devote your time to new product ideas or marketing projects and effectively scale the e-commerce side of your business.

Get Lower Operating Costs with Outsourced Fulfillment

Outsourcing fulfillment comes with a cost, but so does picking and packing in-house. Outsourcing fulfillment can reduce your operational expenses: the man-hours you save packing and shipping eliminates the need to hire employees and manage HR. You can also save on any monthly fees you incur to store your inventory.

Save Time with Outsourced Fulfillment

Your trusted 3PL can store all your inventory for you, so you avoid having to take deliveries, handle the stock, and organize the products. Order fulfillment and logistics take up valuable time and energy that can be better spent in other ways.

Outsourced Fulfillment Provides Quality Returns Management

Managing returns is a major challenge for e-merchants. As with accurate order fulfillment, you need to establish return accuracy to meet customer expectations. Outsourced fulfillment providers are experienced in providing excellent customer service for returns. These providers will take care of and inspect returned orders, especially crucial during peak seasons when sales volumes increase, raising the number of returns as well.

3 PLs Can Lower Your Shipping Costs

Outsourcing fulfillment can also save you money on shipping. As high-volume shippers, third-party logistics companies often receive preferable rates from carriers. These savings can be absorbed or passed on to your customers, who can then be offered cheaper or even free shipping as a sales incentive.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. Is a Trusted E-commerce Fulfillment Partner

Outsourcing e-commerce fulfillment offers many benefits, including lower operating and shipping costs, scalability, and dependable returns management. Let Fulco handle your fulfillment so you can focus your energy on growing and managing your business.

Unique Packaging & Custom Fulfillment

The customer experience for your product starts when they first see it on your website, and needs to continue through checkout and shipping. That’s where we come in: at Fulco Fulfillment Inc., we can provide unique and cost-effective packaging and fulfillment solutions for your product.

Box size

Every product has unique properties. We are not saying that your product needs to fit as perfectly as an iPhone in its custom and highly customized packaging, but we make sure a wide array of box sizes are stocked in order to prevent floating items in your outgoing shipments.

Box shape

Have a uniquely shaped product? We can supply specialty box sizes to ensure your product arrives to your customer the way you envision. Additionally, you can consider our sustainable packaging options. Using eco-friendly packaging can reduce your company’s carbon footprint and your shipping costs by using lighter materials. Learn more about the benefits of eco-friendly packaging here.

Box color

Typically, brown is what many associate with a shipping box. But we can work with you to stand out. Want your logo on every side, or the box to be a different color? You could make a colorful box a recognizable aspect of your brand for your customers.

Box tape

Want to use stock brown boxes but still splash your logo? A cost-effective way to accomplish this is by using custom tape. We print and stock the rolls of tape so you can be sure all of your shipments display your logo and branding.

Box filler

What do you want your customer to see when they open your shipment? We have a wide variety of box filler for you to choose from, including custom folded paper, air pillows, and newspaper. Let’s come up with a solution that impresses your customers.

Box content

Custom inserts are a great way to cross market and encourage future orders. We can work with you to identify what kind of custom inserts your customers should receive in their order.

No Box

If you’d rather not use a box, we can supply custom bags as well. We enjoy thinking up creative solutions to your product’s needs.

Fulco Fulfillment Can Help You Create Unique Packaging for Your Brand

Your packaging is an important part of your brand. After placing an order, your customer’s impression of you as a business can be affected by the appearance of your packaging. Fulco Fulfillment Inc. can help you make a positive impact on your customers through unique packaging solutions, and encourage them to place more orders in the future.

To learn more about unique packaging and custom fulfillment, fill out our contact form or give us a call at 973.361.1700.

Remote Fulfillment is a Reality with Fulco Fulfillment Inc.

As many companies permanently shift their employees to a work-from-home model, there is a growing and persistent demand for fulfillment that is reliable and also fully remote. With new tools, running a successful business remotely is possible thanks to the advances in cloud-based technology.

But possible is not the same as easy! Businesses that are using older technologies and rely on on-site equipment have been struggling to keep up. Fortunately, with help from Fulco Fulfillment Inc (FFI), you can have full view and control of your order inventory and fulfillment process—all from the comfort of your home office.

Is remote fulfillment reliable?

Handling fulfillment from any location can prove to be a daunting task: you will need to assist new clients, handle financial transactions, or look up the status of an order. It’s important to have the proper tools to access all of this information anywhere and anytime, whether through your own resources or the resources of a trustworthy third-party logistics provider (3PL) like FFI.

At FFI, our employees are on-site to ensure our remote fulfillment customers’ orders get picked, packed, and accurately shipped on time. Our enhanced functionality means our customers can access their order information anytime, anywhere, by logging into FFI’s order management system (OMS).

The Key Tools to Remote Fulfillment

Our OMS Provides Reliable 24-Hour Uptime for Client Order Processing

Our streamlined system means that you can focus on running your business rather than worrying about the reliability of your fulfillment warehouse. With our platform’s access to inventory, user data, and activity, your fulfillment will run smoothly in real time. You never have to worry if your orders will be processed because we meet and maintain your fulfillment expectations.

Our OMS Gives You Access to Critical Information and Important Routine Tasks:

Inventory history
Product quantities and usage
Package tracking links
Understock notifications
Order and shipping confirmations
Place online orders
Choose expedited shipping
Run data reports
Estimate average monthly usage

Real-time visibility is crucial in our industry. FFI’s client portal gives you access to your data at any time of day.

Remote Fulfillment Offers Great Flexibility

There are so many advantages to working remotely and now, thanks to FFI, you can add dependable, superior fulfillment of your orders to that list. Trust your business to an NJ 3PL with state-of-the-art technology, a dedicated staff, and a fulfillment process that has been finely tuned through years of experience. Contact FFI and see how we can help you begin the process of successful remote fulfillment.

Grow Your Health and Beauty Business with e-Commerce Fulfillment

Long before the days of the internet, it was tradition for many to go to retail beauty counters when they needed to refill or refresh their stash of beauty products. Individual experts would come to your aid to determine what products are best for you based on a variety of factors given to them. It has become increasingly obvious that e-commerce health and beauty services are on the rise, and customers are saying goodbye to brick and mortar retail stores. Hence, an increased need for third party logistics (3PL) fulfillment. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. located in Dover, NJ is here to help your newly revamped health and beauty business grow.

Are you ready to grow your health and beauty business?

In the beginning, it may appear feasible to do your own fulfillment services. Your business probably sold products only on one platform, and shipping was possible to do from your living room. However, as you grow, so will your reach, and the audience of people who discover your product won’t be local anymore. If you begin to notice a trend of people ordering in far off locations, then it is important to take that into consideration for your fulfillment growth strategy.

If your successful e-commerce health and beauty company is growing, it may be time to upgrade your fulfillment process. With current demand and trends pushing e-commerce ever forward, it is entirely possible to grow your company at a larger scale through partnering with a fulfillment expert.

Grow your health and beauty business by focusing on marketing and sales, and let FFI manage your inventory, pick, pack, and ship your product.

If there is an increase in orders, it’s time to upgrade fulfillment.

Customer satisfaction, shipping quickly, and staying within budget are the most important factors to consider when taking this leap. If order volume is increasing, it’s probably time to outsource fulfillment to a 3PL.

You will be relieved to know your customers can place an order, and choose their method of shipment through your favorite e-commerce shopping cart. FFI’s order management system integrates seamlessly with many shopping carts: Magento, WooCommerce, and Shopify — just to name a few. You will have 24/7 private web access to your inventory. You can use the web portal to establish access rights for users, set product or budget allocations, manage inventory, and generate reports that allow you to analyze ordering data. Working with FFI frees you up to build your business by marketing, selling, and handling your accounting needs. Partnering with a 3PL like Fulco makes sense since we’re able to offer our clients discounted shipping supplies and freight.

Growing isn’t easy, but FFI is here to help.

To begin, we provide your e-commerce company a transfer plan. It specifically details every step you need to take to get your inventory to Fulco Fulfillment in order to get up and running quickly. We assign a dedicated Customer Service Representative team to your account. Your team are professionals who understand your business and can address urgent needs immediately. Our managers are kept posted on your account and individual needs on a daily basis.

It’s time to upgrade your health and beauty e-commerce business.

It is clear that the newest and coolest health and beauty companies are choosing to take a different type of route in order to build their businesses. Turning into a direct-to-consumer (D2C) through the power of e-commerce is the direction in which the industry is moving.

Simply put, a business that is trying to break into the e-commerce space and thrive will be unable to perform all the tasks listed above successfully—unless they choose to partner with a 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. Our established team has over 50 years of combined fulfillment experience. We will be able to guide you through the upscaling process and allow your company to keep up with the growing trends in the health and beauty industry. Contact FFI to help your e-commerce business continue growing.

Four Ways to Handle Order Fulfillment for E-commerce

When you store goods, pick orders, pack orders, and ship your products to your buyers, you are taking part in the act of order fulfillment. If you are an e-commerce business, then order fulfillment is an important, central function that you must focus on. You could handle fulfillment business on your own, but outsourcing to a fulfillment partner will prove to be an efficient, cost-effective operation that will be perfect for growing your business.

Let’s begin by talking about the order fulfillment process, and discuss some options you can take part in.

What is Order Fulfillment?

The term order fulfillment refers to all of the activities that are involved in shipping products to customers. Talking in the form of a workflow, order fulfillment begins with receiving the shipments, sorting stock, then locating inventory for efficient picking. Afterwards, as orders arrive, products are picked, checked for accuracy, packed correctly, and finally labeled for shipping.

Different Ways to Handle Order Fulfillment

Order fulfillment is truly a simple logistical process, but it can also prove to be a time-consuming and labor intensive one. Many of the new and growing e-commerce businesses find that order fulfillment can keep them so busy that it proves hard to perform other necessary tasks such as marketing, product scouting, and website maintenance.

You can go about your order fulfillment in a variety of ways, but here are the four most prominent ways of doing so as an e-commerce business.

In-House Order Fulfillment
You can manage a warehousing and shipping operation in your own facility using your own staff. Many merchants found success fulfilling orders themselves. However, many have also realized they are spending too much time handling order fulfillment to the point where they can’t leave their house without a label printer.
Outsource Your Fulfillment Needs
Your business can use order fulfillment centers like Fulco Fulfillment Inc., a larger-scale Third Party Logistics (3PL) company. We store, stock, pack and ship orders for you. The fastest way to speed up order fulfillment is to outsource it to professionals.
Drop Shipping
Use drop ship suppliers who will ship orders directly to your customers when ordered, and bill you only for the products that you sell.
Hybrid Order Fulfillment Solution
Using a hybrid solution that combines a few — or possibly all — of the above order fulfillment options is a popular solution for a growing business.

The Elements of an Order Fulfillment Operation

When you are selling your products online, you need to have a solid understanding of the order fulfillment process. Knowing how it all works is an essential part of keeping your costs low, whether shipping daily from your own warehouse, or handing it over to a fulfillment partner like Fulco Fulfillment Inc.

Order fulfillment and shipping operations need some important elements to work properly.

A location to receive, organize, and store products that ship

An order fulfillment operation will need organized product storage to make the process work. Make sure to organize your space with shelves, bins, bags, stacked boxes, or whatever is best to keep your products organized and handy for a fast picking process. This area is also known as the “quick pack area” or “flow shelves.”

A place to prepare and pack your orders for the shipping process

Often known as a packing station, this area can be anything from a series of tables/workstations in a warehouse environment to a stockroom counter. Overall, it is a place where packing materials (boxes, mailers, tape, fill and wrap, etc.) are kept and easily accessed.
No matter what the setup is, your picked items are checked for accuracy against a packing slip with the customer’s order details, or with a barcode scanning machine. After these items are checked, they are packed for shipment.

Shipping boxes or mailers

The packaging needs to be reviewed to determine the most efficient box or mailer when handling order fulfillment. FFI will help you choose a carton that will keep your product safe and the rate will be the lowest freight price.

Packing materials

Things such as packing peanuts, foam sheets, air pillows, bubble wrap, kraft paper, and plain newsprint are amongst the most common materials that are used to protect products as well as fill the voids in shipping boxes. After the type of packing material is decided, you will need a way to seal boxes and mailers. A good amount of envelopes and mailers are self-sealing. However, for boxes, you will need to use a strong packing tape and a good dispenser.

Invoices and/or packing slips

Having a printed invoice or packing slip that shows all the items that have been ordered is useful as a checklist for pulling out orders and checking for accuracy. A major difference between these two things is that invoices include prices, while packing slips do not. Whichever you use, you can print them from your e-commerce platform’s order manager or from a back-end order management software system.

A way to create and print shipping labels

The last order fulfillment step is printing shipping labels for packed boxes. For this you can use carrier websites, carrier-specific shipping software, or perhaps something like shipping rate comparison software that will let you find the best price for each shipment. Most of these sites and software support all types of printers: laser, inkjet, or thermal label printers.

An Order Fulfillment E-Commerce Partner is Crucial

Handling order fulfillment and its process is just as important as the sale itself. Retailers don’t want to hurt their reputation and sales if their products arrive late or packages go missing. To learn more about order fulfillment, fill out our contact form or give us a call at 973-361-1700. We will be more than happy to help you find the perfect order fulfillment solution that serves your business.

The Art of Flawless Order Fulfillment

Creating a smooth fulfillment process is ideal when striving for a foundation that leads to a positive business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) relationship. The term “fulfillment” encapsulates the whole procedure of processing, picking and shipping an order to a client or customer. There are a variety of methods to handle this whether it is by the company actually creating the product or alternatively having the process handled by a third-party logistics/3PL provider. No matter what the business itself classifies as there is an art to flawless order fulfillment.

But how do you begin? Start with a positive ecommerce fulfillment plan. This is imperative to the achievement of success in a competitive marketplace. Next, create a foundation of customer confidence. Obviously not every company is the same and possesses their own goals and needs so there is no universal fulfillment strategy that can be used for every situation. Because of this, there are a variety of factors that must be considered when deciding on what the best selection is for your company.

When Thinking about Fulfillment, Consider Your Sales Volume and Business Size

Every business should keep in mind the amount of products being offered in addition to the order size when it comes to determining which order fulfillment solution will be the best for your business.

Things to keep in mind:

How many products are being sold?
Are the products being sold through business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) or a mixture of the two?
How many orders are being fulfilled month to month?
What is the prediction of growth for your products and orders over both the next quarter and year?
What are your product storage requirements?

For example, if you have a low volume of orders then it would not be the best decision to outsource your fulfillment process. Instead, you could opt to fill the orders on your own.

However, if you are predicting that your business is anticipating an uptick in order volume you need a plan to keep up with this increase in orders. With increased orders it may become difficult to maintain a self-fulfillment structure and eventually it will become near impossible to fulfill products flawlessly and in quick succession. This is the moment to switch and have a 3PL provider, like Fulco Fulfillment by your side.

Order Fulfillment Technology and Sales Channels

Things to keep in mind

What type of ecommerce platform are you using?
Is a marketplace, website, shopping portal or alternative type of online store/shopping being used? Perhaps instead you are using a combination of these or including a physical storefront?

Your fulfillment strategy should be capable of providing the necessary support for your different sales channels. This especially comes into play when using technology. This technology can assist your business with becoming both more cost-effective and efficient in addition to enhancing the customer experience and satisfaction of your customers. The implemented technology being used as a part of the order processing plan should complete the goal of making things easier rather than making things more difficult.

Once the technology has become integrated, it should have the capability of streamlining the process. An API integration is a reliable way to be sure that as soon as order has been placed it will seamlessly be available to your 3PL provider to then be picked, packed, and shipped as soon as possible.

It is also important to consider that your fulfillment process is using the correct type of inventory management software. An inventory management system should be able to report on all available inventory levels across all locations. Safeguards can also be put into place that will alert you if you are running out of stock.

Keep in mind also that warehouse management software or a WMS can assist controlling the daily warehouse operation which includes shipping, sorting, storage and inventory management. Your order fulfillment software of choice can assist with the difficult and time-consuming duties of inventory and warehouse management, order picking and processing, shipping and tracking and returns processing (reverse logistics).

Flawless Order Fulfillment Leads to Satisfied Customers

Discovering the art of flawless order fulfillment can happen inside your organization or outsourcing to 3PL provider. At the top of that list should be building a positive ecommerce fulfillment plan and creating a foundation of customer confidence. This will ensure the satisfaction of your customers.

Having a 3PL should give you the capability of supporting the growth of your business and assist with the navigation of the complexities that are oftentimes associated with supply chain and logistics. Most importantly, flawless order fulfilment will give your customers peace of mind by getting products into their hands as efficiently and accurately as possible. If you need help with order fulfilment, contact Fulco Fulfillment.

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.

Seamless Order Fulfillment Services and Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

Consumers want the products they order online delivered to their doors quickly and with the least bit of hassle. Are your order fulfillment services tasked to meet customers’ expectations for speed and no- or low-cost shipping?

If you’re a seller, it is difficult to meet those demands if you don’t have the processes and infrastructure in place to fulfill those orders quickly. Furthermore, once your customers get to their shopping cart, the sale can still be in jeopardy if the checkout experience is clumsy and time consuming. Consider:

Shoppers will abandon their shopping cart if shipping, taxes or other fees are too high.
Speed of delivery is an important factor in getting shoppers to click “Submit.”
A poor delivery and return experience will chase a customer away for good.
Shoppers are an impatient breed and will be more likely to cancel their order if there are slow delivery speeds or unexpected delays.

Are Order Fulfillment Services Right for Your Company?

If you’re trying to fulfill orders in-house and you’re running into problems because either volume is too high (which is a good thing), or your fulfillment team is stretched too thin and finding the right employees is difficult, it might be time for you to consider outsourcing your fulfillment services.

Why is Outsourcing Order Fulfillment Services a Good Idea?

Order fulfillment services for ecommerce sales consists of physically labor intensive processes that need to be handled efficiently to assure that your profit margin is not eaten up by wasted hours or temporary staff increases.

Order fulfillment services include storing inventory, picking and packing the products, and then shipping online orders to customers. A small ecommerce company with manageable orders taken might be able to handle this in house. However, as demand grows, calling upon a third-party logistics provider (3PL) such as Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is a more cost-effective option which can free you to concentrate on the other parts of running your business that can lead to continued growth.

The ecommerce order fulfillment process applies to both business-to-business (B2B) orders (where large quantities of product are shipped to big box retailers) as well as business-to-consumer (B2C) orders that are shipped directly to a shopper’s home.

When it comes to B2C orders, the consumer may place an order on the website of the merchant or through an online marketplace. Once the customer finishes their purchase, the fulfillment process kicks in and getting the order ready for shipment becomes the priority.

What is Your Order Fulfillment Services Strategy?

Every ecommerce business needs an order fulfillment services strategy to handle present orders and prepare for future growth so that infrastructure is in place to meet demand as the business grows.

These are some of the key considerations you’ll want to address:

Consider your location to optimize fulfillment.

Just because your business mostly runs online doesn’t mean that your physical location can make a huge difference in streamlining your ecommerce processes.

Besides the size of your storage, the location where you fulfill your orders is an important aspect that contributes to delivery costs and speed, and ultimately, customer satisfaction.

Optimizing your fulfillment operation based on where your customers reside will help you reach all the people you need to reach in the most cost-efficient manner.

For example, shipping orders to customers in the U.S. from overseas can take large amounts of time unless the customers are willing to pay significantly more for faster delivery. Focusing the shipping zone or how far a package travels will more often than not reduce the cost of shipping and the amount of time it takes to ship a package.

A fulfillment center such as Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is close to New York City and points all along the East Coast. This makes for affordable shipping to customers in areas where populations are concentrated. Taking it farther afield, it’s also possible to optimize fulfillment by distributing the inventory to multiple locations that are in the closest proximity to your customers. The more fulfillment resources that are near common shipping destinations the more ground shipping can be leveraged. This is significantly cheaper than any expedited air and much faster than shipping from a further distance.

Order fulfillment technology that integrates platforms is critical.

Software that integrates with an ecommerce platform and online marketplace, such as the technology available at Fulco Fulfillment Inc., can help your business manage orders across any sales channels without the need to manually upload or duplicate data entries. The Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. IT team works directly with EDI and API service providers to ensure seamless delivery of products to large retailers. As soon as an order is placed online, the fulfillment staff will quickly be alerted on their devices to pick, pack, and ship any items needed to the customer.

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. will send back any tracking information to the platform or marketplace that will then be shared with the customer, as well as track inventory quantities across fulfillment locations so you always know where you stand.

Leveraging platform integrations is critical to connecting upstream activities such as purchasing and manufacturing with downstream activities like sales and product demand so your business can make a more accurate purchasing and production decision when the time comes.

Looking to Incorporate Order Fulfillment Services into Your Ecommerce Business?

Call Fulco Fulfillment at 973-361-1700 to schedule your free consultation. We look forward to working with you in the future in expanding your business.

What is Dimensional Weight Pricing (DIM)?

In simple terms, DIM weight pricing is a way of calculating the fee associated with shipping a parcel based on that parcel’s size. The purpose of dimensional weight pricing is to take into account the cubic volume of the package in relation to the parcel’s actual weight. Businesses freight charges are no longer just calculated by how much their packages weigh, the new algorithm also calculates freight charges by how much space the package takes up on the truck or plane.

Carrier space is prime real estate and is priced as such.

With online shopping growing by leaps and bounds each year, carriers put tremendous value on the amount of space available in a truck, trailer or delivery van. Carriers want to discourage shippers from sending out oversized containers that are mainly packing materials, so shippers need to begin packing their products more efficiently so carriers are able to load more packages into the available space on each vehicle of transport. Packages that fail to meet these guidelines will cost more to ship.

DIM pricing, how is it calculated?

Dimensional weight pricing is calculated by dividing the volume of your package by the DIM factor, which is a mathematical constant that is considered as the base weight of one cubic foot of space and is correlated with a specific number given by each carrier.

THE DIMENSION WEIGHT CALCULATION = (Length x Height x Width)/DIM Factor

Using this calculation, freight carriers like FedEx, USPS or UPS calculate shipping charges based on whichever of the following numbers is greater: 1) the actual weight of the package or 2) its calculated dimensional weight. Whichever number is higher becomes your billable weight.

For example, if you are shipping a plush toy such as a stuffed teddy bear in a 12”x12”x12” box, the actual weight of the stuffed teddy bear, box and filler might add up to a total weight of 5 pounds. However, when you multiply the package dimensions and divide by the UPS or FedEx DIM factor of 166, the package’s dimensional weight comes out to 10 pounds which, because it’s the higher number, is how you’ll be billed.

Actual Weight = 5 pounds < 10 pounds DIM Weight

Check your carriers’ DIM factors, or call Fulco Fulfillment.

The current DIM divisor of DHL is 139, while UPS and FedEx are both 166. For international shipping, the DIM factor of both UPS and FedEx is 139. So imagine you were shipping that same plush teddy bear overseas using UPS or FedEx. Your DIM factor would be lower but your billable weight would be higher.

Actual Weight = 5 pounds < 12 pounds DIM weight

Essentially, the higher the DIM factor, the lower the dimensional weight and vice versa.

How Fulco Fulfillment Inc. can help you beat DIM pricing.

At Fulco Fulfillment Inc. we always believe there is a better way. We have over 35 years of experience helping our fulfillment customers save money on their shipping and freight costs. When it comes to DIM pricing, the results are no different: We will save you money. Here’s how:

Right-sized packaging to reduce DIM weight charges: Wasted space is wasted money. We pack as tightly as possible without allowing empty space that can drive up DIM weight charges. We use packing material that protects but won’t expand or leave a bulge, which if improperly calculated will increase your carrier costs. Our goal is to make sure the dimensional weight is less than the actual weight of the package.
Cut down on shipping high-volume, low-weight goods: This kind of packaging can take a real bite out of your margins, because the dimensional weights of high-volume, low-weight goods are much more than their actual weights. Fulco Fulfillment Inc. can suggest your best options to circumvent DIM pricing.
Pass the cost on to your customers: You never want to increase costs for your customers, but sometimes it’s the only way that makes sense for your business. A clear explanation of the DIM pricing mechanism to your customers can help alleviate any hard feelings. Most customers who are loyal to your products will not fuss over a small increase in shipping costs.

DIM weight pricing expertise and all of your fulfillment and distribution needs under one roof.

To stay competitive in your industry you need to watch every dollar and how it’s spent. When it comes to saving money in carrier costs, Fulco Fulfillment Inc. can help you weigh the opportunities and drive lower costs because every aspect of your fulfillment and distribution can be handled from under one roof.

To learn more give us a call at 973-361-1700 or use the contact form here and we’ll be in touch.

For Nutraceutical Order Fulfillment, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. is the Partner of Choice

More American consumers than ever subscribe to the healthy benefits provided by nutraceuticals, vitamins and nutritional supplements. That’s why it’s important to make sure your nutraceutical order fulfillment is handled by a trusted and experienced partner who understands nutraceutical warehousing and inventory control, ecommerce nutraceutical fulfillment, print production and nutraceutical direct mail. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. can seamlessly fulfill your nutraceutical orders from our large fulfillment warehouse conveniently located in Dover, New Jersey.

Nutraceutical order fulfillment managed with the ultimate care

Nutraceuticals and vitamins have become an integral part of many consumers’ diets. At Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. fulfilling orders for nutraceutical, supplement and vitamin manufacturers, marketers and clients is a specialty. We handle each product with great care and keep track of it from beginning to end, ensuring that your products are delivered to your customers in an organized and stress free manner. The following outlines how Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. can help you with your nutraceutical order fulfillment needs.

End-to-End tight controls for nutraceutical fulfillment

Most important to your business, once your products enter our warehouse, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. ensures that your supplements, vitamins and any other related products or accompanying literature will arrive safely at your customers’ doorsteps. Every step of our fulfillment process is designed to be executed flawlessly and efficiently to make your budget go further.

We are expert in every aspect of fulfillment services. Our warehouse is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to precisely manage your customers and order data, including pick/pack and shipping, and even emailing shipping confirmations. Our warehouse management system is capable of tracking your inventory by lot number and expiration date so you can more easily manage product rotation and any product recalls. At our warehouse we will also process any orders along with returns and exchanges that may occur throughout the product transaction. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. takes care of every one of your products’ shipping, storing and logistics needs as they arise.

Why choose Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. for nutraceutical order fulfillment?

Nutraceutical warehousing and inventory control

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. takes care of any piece of product tracking along with storing and data needs by culminating and coordinating a variety of e-commerce systems. Our e-commerce systems include inventory systems, customer management systems, data management systems and sales tracking. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. is here to make sure that no piece of your nutraceutical inventory is out of place.

Nutraceutical order fulfillment – fast and seamless

Our experienced team at Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. makes sure that each and every order is accurate and complete with a turnkey, pick/pack and ship operation with assigned barcodes that help make sure each product is accurately tracked and organized. All products are constantly monitored in the inventory system to make sure that all pieces of data and reporting are timely and precise in real time.

E-Commerce order fulfillment

Our hassle-free e-commerce order fulfillment process will free up your time and allow you to focus on other important areas of your business. We can also work with your existing e-commerce fulfillment infrastructure and help you manage that as well. Whichever e-commerce platform you choose, once the order is received our automated shipping management system prints labels and pick tickets. Shipping is fast and efficient. Shipping options are predetermined by each client’s business rules, and delivery methods are chosen to make sure your customers receive their orders quickly.

Print production

At Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. we can save you time and money by expertly coordinating any and all printing needs that you may have. Many of our national clients rely on Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.’s expertise to manage print production and document logistics making us their “go-to” solution for printing and production.

Nutraceutical direct mail

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. has its own direct mail platform ensuring that your products and marketing materials reach the right audience. When you want to ship additional promotional and support materials along with your orders we will make sure any additional inserts such as flyers, catalogs, post cards, coupons, etc. are added to each shipment so you can build brand loyalty with your consumers and introduce them to new products that they might be interested in.

Contact us about nutraceutical order fulfillment

We would love to help you with all of your nutraceutical order fulfillment needs. To learn more give us a call at 973-361-1700 or fill out our contact form.