Key Takeaways
- Win more sales by choosing a partner like ShipBob, which uses 60 centers to offer faster two-day delivery and scalable omnichannel service.
- Examine a fulfillment partner’s system, speed, warehouse locations, and integration abilities to ensure seamless and efficient operations.
- Improve customer happiness and reduce inquiries by selecting a partner that offers monitored and tracked shipping for every order.
- Note that Red Stag Fulfillment is so confident in its accuracy that the company will pay you money if it makes a mistake.
As your business grows, so does the number of shipments you handle.
While great for your brand, it can be daunting to ship all the products yourself. Sourcing a larger fulfillment option can help meet increased demand and maintain customer satisfaction. Consider specific features and research the top companies when selecting a partner to ensure a suitable fit.
Why Outsource Shipping?
While it is easy for smaller operations to ship products themselves, a growing company might not have the time or resources to do that. Outsourcing shipping saves time, allowing you to work on your products instead of worrying about packaging. It also saves money because you do not need to hire a whole warehouse team yourself.
Fulfillment solutions help your brand grow by being flexible to increased customer demands. Outsourcing also improves accuracy, as many dedicated professionals work on the same shipment.
6 Features of the Best E-Commerce Fulfillment Options
Choose the right partner for your e-commerce brand by considering the following features, as well as your company’s specific needs.
1. Experience
E-commerce businesses are unique. Select a brand that has experience collaborating with these companies to minimize confusion and potential miscommunication. Be sure to work with a brand that has experience in packaging and shipping goods like yours, especially if certain care or conditions are required.
2. Support
The partner should be able to handle different facets of the fulfillment process. For instance, it should support other distribution channels, such as retail and wholesale. It should also be able to accommodate an influx of product demand and have flexible models to handle fluctuations. See if the company offers more services like packaging, quality assurance and rate discount negotiations.
3. Time and System
Examine the company’s turnaround times, focusing on both speed and accuracy. Research the locations of their warehouses and determine if they can reduce shipping times to improve efficiency. Additionally, consider their management system and communication strategy, which should integrate seamlessly with your company’s platform to ensure smooth operations. A partner with a singular platform is ideal.
4. Monitoring
A good solution should monitor and report its own shipping metrics. Ensure it offers tracked shipping, allowing you and the customer to follow the fulfillment process. This reduces customer inquiries because they can monitor the package themselves.
5. Returns
An optimal partner provides return services, so you don’t have to. After someone sends back an item, ensure the solution handles inspecting, restoring and restocking it. This simplifies the process for your brand and the customer.
6. Cost
Since your brand ships out numerous orders daily, a fulfillment solution that offers discounts for bulk shipping is ideal. This saves your business money for other expenses, such as product enhancements and hiring new employees as the brand grows.
5 of the Best Fulfillment Options for Scaling E-Commerce Operations
Now that you know what to look for, consider these best-value fulfillment options for midsized e-commerce brands wanting to scale operations.
These fulfillment solutions were chosen based on their features, offerings and other information on their websites. The ranking was selected based on thorough research and a comparison of similar lists.
1. ProShipper
ProShipper has long been recognized as one of the best value fulfillment options for e-commerce brands. The company is based in Canada but works with businesses in both Canada and the United States, with locations in New York, USA and Ningbo, China, for returns and sourcing. As an all-in-one order fulfillment partner, the ProShipper staff are professionals in picking, packing and shipping.
ProShipper is a straightforward company to work with, offering great shipping rates, advice, and no monthly account fees or order limits. Currently, it supports over 100 digital retailers throughout its network. The team begins working on orders as soon as they arrive, ensuring efficiency.
To save its partners’ money, ProShipper only charges for the warehouse space you actually use and rates each shipment to choose the most affordable option. It handles every part of the process, including storage, picking, packing, shipping and returns.
| Key Features |
| Is an all-in-one order fulfillment partner |
| Has over 100 digital retailers |
| Chooses the most affordable shipping option |
2. ShipMonk
ShipMonk helps scale global operations through fulfillment growth and optimized logistics. It utilizes data and AI to enhance the process, delivering 99.9% accuracy. It’s composed of a team of logistics experts and operates seven days a week. ShipMonk helps design a strategy that fits your brand’s specific needs, and its strategically located warehouses enable it to reach many customers.
It works on a unified platform to deliver control, financial visibility and an enhanced customer experience. ShipMonk also boasts its adaptability to the unique demands of any business’s products, ensuring careful handling.
| Key Features |
| Has a 99.9% accuracy rate |
| Operates seven days a week |
| Offers a unified platform |
3. ShipBob
ShipBob offers stable in-class fulfillment for its partners. It drives revenue with fast delivery and scalable omnichannel service. The company distributes inventory across the network to reduce costs and enhance delivery speeds.
It operates 60 end-to-end fulfillment centers, covering everything from inventory distribution to international shipping and warehouse management. It typically delivers packages within two days and integrates well into a business’s platform to avoid disruptions. Having worked across various industries, ShipBob possesses expertise in multiple product categories.
| Key Features |
| Has 60 fulfillment centers |
| Offers end-to-end fulfillment |
| Provides expertise in multiple product categories |
4. ShipHero
ShipHero boasts a 35% cost reduction for its current clients. It simplifies the fulfillment process, reducing training time for new hires and enabling growth during the busiest season. It utilizes AI to make inventory adjustments and deliver items faster. For mobile pick and pack operations, the interface selects the most efficient route and creates automatic batches to maximize efficiency.
ShipHero integrates seamlessly with multiple carriers and generates labels instantly. It also provides reports of inventory, sales, operations and shipments to ease customers’ minds and keep businesses in the loop.
| Key Features |
| Has a 35% cost reduction |
| Features a simplified fulfillment process |
| Offers multiple carrier integration |
5. Red Stag Fulfillment
Red Stag Fulfillment has provided accuracy, speed and reliability since 2013. It helps scale your business with the level of care found in smaller organizations. If Red Stag Fulfillment makes a mistake, it will compensate you.
Its services include automated integration into your store, same-day pick and pack, and return processing. It delivers within two business days, prioritizing on-time shipments. It focuses on preventing damage or loss and guarantees accuracy. It operates out of two locations in Tennessee and Utah.
| Key Features |
| Pays you for mistakes |
| Features automatic integration |
| Guarantees accuracy |
Choosing the Best Fulfillment Solution
Outsourcing your shipping process is the most efficient approach for a growing business. Ensure you pick the right one based on the features you need and careful research of the top brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it a bad idea for a growing business to keep handling its own shipping?
As your business scales, managing your own shipping quickly uses up too much time and resources. Outsourcing this task saves money because you avoid the cost of hiring a whole warehouse staff. A dedicated fulfillment solution also allows you to focus your time and energy on improving your products instead of just packaging them.
What is the most important feature to look for in e-commerce fulfillment options?
The most critical feature is experience, especially with brands like yours. E-commerce businesses have unique shipping needs. Choosing a partner that already collaborates with similar companies minimizes confusion and miscommunication. Make sure they know how to handle your specific product requirements, such as special care or conditions.
Can an outsourced partner help with other sales channels, like retail and wholesale?
Yes, the best fulfillment partners are flexible and should support all your distribution channels. You need a solution that can handle retail, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer needs through its network. This allows your brand to expand into new markets without needing separate logistics solutions for each one.
How does using fulfillment centers actually save my business money?
Fulfillment saving money in several key ways. A good partner gives you bulk shipping discounts because of the high volume of orders they process. Companies like ProShipper also only charge for the exact warehouse space you use, avoiding wasted costs on unused storage. It’s also often cheaper than paying the salaries and benefits of a full, in-house warehouse team.
Is a two-day delivery guarantee possible, or is that just a marketing myth?
Two-day delivery is entirely possible and is a standard offering from top-tier fulfillment providers. Logistics companies like ShipBob manage this by strategically distributing your inventory across their network of facilities. Keeping stock closer to your customers reduces transit time and shipping costs, helping you compete with large online retailers.
How important is the technology and communication system of a fulfillment company?
The logistics platform is crucial for smooth daily operations and high accuracy. A good fulfillment company uses a unified or singular platform that integrates smoothly with your existing company software. This seamless connection ensures accurate, real-time data, which is necessary for clear communication and fast turnaround times.
What should an e-commerce brand do about product returns when using a third-party shipper?
When selecting a partner, you must look for a company that handles the entire returns process. An optimal solution will manage the return, including inspecting the item, restoring it to saleable condition, and restocking the inventory. This simplifies a necessary but complex task for both your brand and your customers.
Which of the top fulfillment options uses data and AI to optimize shipping?
ShipMonk is one of the fulfillment companies that uses data and artificial intelligence to improve their process. They create a custom strategy for your brand using technology to enhance logistics and achieve a high accuracy rate. This data-driven approach helps scale global operations more efficiently than older, manual methods.
How can a new e-commerce brand decide between the best fulfillment partners listed?
To make the best choice, start by listing your brand’s specific needs, such as required product handling or international shipping. Then, compare the five highlighted companies against the six key features, focusing on cost and whether they offer flexibility for demand increases. Look for companies like Red Stag that guarantee accuracy and will compensate you for errors.
Why do some fulfillment companies, like Red Stag, operate only out of two locations?
While it may seem limited, operating out of just two strategic locations can be just as effective as having more. Red Stag Fulfillment, with centers in Tennessee and Utah, deliberately chose central spots for faster nationwide shipping. This setup helps them focus on preventing damage and loss, prioritizing accuracy and reliability over simply having the most warehouses.
