Thinking about using a fulfillment center for your BigCommerce store? We’ll help you know what to consider when choosing a 3PL (“Third Party Logistics”) company and why you should be using the top fulfillment center for BigCommerce fulfillment.
What is a fulfillment center?
A fulfillment center is a warehouse that manages the receipt and storage of your inventory, and the packaging, shipping, and returns of orders for your company.
Fulfillment Services
You’re shipping at least 5-10 orders per day.
Fulfilling orders is taking time away from more important tasks.
Most of your orders are outside of the US.
What are the benefits of using a 3PL?
Same-day shipping.
Faster shipping speeds.
Huge shipping discounts.
More time to focus on growing your business.
No need to hire workers to pick, pack, and ship orders.
No need to rent storage space or buy supplies for inventory.
You’ll have the technology to manage your inventory.
What to look for in a BigCommerce fulfillment partner?
1. BigCommerce Integration - Your fulfillment partner needs a built-in BigCommerce integration to connect your store with their platform. When a customer places an order through your store, the information is sent to the warehouse so they can pick, pack, and ship the order. Using a direct integration, a 3PL can integrate with BigCommerce to ensure you have a seamless fulfillment process.
With OTW Shipping, BigCommerce fulfillment is simple! The only thing you need to do is connect your BigCommerce store to our system. It takes seconds. As soon as you get an order, we'll be hard at work packing it up and getting it ready to ship to your customer the same day.
2. Clear & Competitive Pricing - It can be hard to find a 3PL you feel confident in. Trust is imperative to a good fulfillment relationship, so keep an eye out for fulfillment centers with fees hidden in the fine print or who take a long time to respond. You’ll want to find a warehouse that provides you with all their rates the first time and are transparent about their fee structure. If they force you to open an account or comb through a contract to find your complete list of fulfillment costs, you’re better off finding someone else.
Common Fulfillment Fees:
Account/Implementation Fees – The costs involved to create or maintain an account with your fulfillment partner.
Receiving – The process of counting, processing, and storing of inventory from your inbound shipments.
Types of Pricing
+ Per hour
+ Per unit
Pick & Pack – The labor associated with picking units from storage and packing them into packaging.
Types of Pricing
+ Flat rate per shipment
+ Flat fee for 1st unit, plus a smaller fee per every additional unit
+ Flat fee per unit
Storage – The cost to store your inventory in the warehouse.
Types of Pricing
+ Per Cubic Foot
+ Per Bin/Pallet
Shipping – The cost to ship an order to your customer.
3. Reliable Customer Service - You wouldn’t drive a car without insurance, right? 3PL customer service is very similar. You don’t need it until something bad happens. When it does, you’re happy you have backup. At a minimum, your fulfillment center should assign you an account representative.
There will be a plethora of questions and small tasks that come up in your day-to-day operations. You’ll want a direct response from a real person quickly. If you have to submit a support ticket, your 3PL is not prioritizing your needs. A few select 3PLs, like OTW Shipping, give you the ability to contact the warehouse team directly for faster answers from the people who are picking and packing your inventory every day.
Top 3PL for BigCommerce: OTW Shipping
With a simple BigCommerce integration, transparent fulfillment pricing, and best-in-class customer service, OTW Shipping is your best choice for a BigCommerce fulfillment partner.
