FAST & EFFICIENT FULFILLMENT SERVICES

A new word for those unfamiliar with online sales, “fulfillment,” is gaining popularity. Let’s find out what it is and who will benefit from fulfillment services in the USA.

What does fulfillment mean?

Fulfillment is a set of operations from when a customer orders to when the purchase is received.

As a business service, online stores most demand fulfillment and are often outsourced to fulfillment centers.

Fulfillment gained popularity thanks to the revolutionary solutions of the e-commerce leader Amazon. It was the first to bring this service to a high-quality level for thousands of sellers selling through Amazon.com.

If you understand what we are talking about and are ready to discuss in detail how Fulfillment by PartnerTrade will be helpful to you, get a consultation from a manager.

If you still have questions, here is a detailed description of this service.

Basic fulfillment services

Every successful company that grows and develops its sales market must develop a warehouse service. What does it include, and why do manufacturers need fulfillment? With the right investments and resources, hiring employees, renting premises, and setting up logistics processes can be done at home. What should online retailers do without significant assets or those approaching the limit of productivity?

Building/renting a warehouse takes time and money. But this is not a priority for the manufacturer. Everyone has to fulfill their role: the manufacturer – to produce, the courier – to deliver. And then everything will work well! What role does fulfillment play here?

Let’s take a closer look at the processes included in the concept of fulfillment:

• receiving and storage in the warehouse;
• pre-sale preparation;
• selection and picking of orders;
• delivery to the end consumer.

Receiving of goods

A fulfillment operator only acts as an intermediary in the seller-buyer chain, accepting and storing goods in the warehouse. We are not interested in who the actual manufacturer or supplier of the goods is. We take the goods and prepare them for shipment to end customers in America.

At the fulfillment center’s warehouse, the goods are accepted individually – no matter how many items, boxes, packages, etc. Each item is accounted for, a unique barcode is affixed, and additional packaging and kitting can be performed.

The pallet that arrives at the warehouse is unpacked, and the number of copies of the goods is counted. Each group of goods is measured and weighed, which is necessary for postal services. The goods are sorted by article and tagged to automate further steps. Information in the form of a report is sent to the client with details. This report can be used to resolve business relations with the supplier.

Possible problems due to defective goods, damaged packaging, shortage, or excess items are resolved according to the warehouse acceptance certificate and camera recordings for confirmation. We are committed to providing only the best customer service and value our reputation.
However, there are cases when tags are lost or items need to be labeled. In this case, identifying the cargo without additional information – photos and descriptions – is problematic.

Storage of goods

Although storage is a simple operation, it also has its peculiarities. Fulfillment operators do not accept all goods for storage. For example, they will not take legally prohibited goods from being sold remotely: alcohol, tobacco, medicines, and some jewelry. Such goods as flowers, perishable goods, and goods requiring weighting and packaging are also unsuitable for fulfillment. However, food products can be placed if they are correctly packaged and have the necessary certificates.

Depending on your goods, the fulfillment operator can organize the most suitable placement in warehouses in special storage areas for valuable small goods.

Remember that the time the goods are in the warehouse is paid for. If you are still determining the speed of the sale of goods, consider sending the goods in parts.

Order picking

Orders are picked after the relevant information is transferred to the warehouse. The internal automation system allows us to perform all processes quickly and without errors. We can supplement the parcels with excellent bonus items or samples for your customers if necessary.

Packaging

There is an art to packing goods properly. Special equipment and experienced specialists in the warehouse perform all the work quickly and without failures. Control is carried out through our quality system and depending on the requirements of the final courier or postal services. Very light but reliable materials are chosen for packaging to ensure the integrity of the cargo.

As a rule, a fulfillment operator includes packaging in the tariff. We offer the service of packaging branding.

Sending to the delivery service

PartnerTrade takes control of the order fulfillment and negotiates with courier services if there are overlaps. We use postal and courier services for deliveries to local customers. Service contracts help us maintain a competitive price for the same quality of delivery. We inform our customers through an automated notification system.

Returns processing

We are ready to handle returns: undelivered parcels, damaged and defective goods, complaints, and partial returns. However, the seller should carefully analyze the reasons for the return and fix them immediately. Because returns, like bad reviews, lower the seller’s rating and can reduce sales.

This is most relevant for those who sell clothes and shoes. These products can often simply “not fit” in size, color, style, etc. For example, on Amazon, returns are fraught with a downgrade of your product rating.

Fulfillment advantages and disadvantages

Advantages	Disadvantages
– savings on warehouse rent and salaries for additional employees; – significant simplification of work for the owner of the online store, minimal involvement in all processes; – constant availability of a specific stock of goods in the warehouse; – the possibility of pickup directly from the warehouse.	– ack of free access to the warehouse for the owner of the online store; – possible errors during picking; – document flow problems – invoices and other documents are issued once for a certain period (month, quarter) and may not be given in full; – even if the minimum quantity of goods is in stock at some point, a guaranteed payment (stipulated in the contract) is often required.

Who is the target consumer?

Who needs this service? The primary consumer seeks solutions to reduce logistics and customer service costs for their sales. Outsourcing these services is easier and more profitable than creating your structure, and in the international market, it is practically the only option.

We divide our services into three categories of consumers:

• Online stores – to expand their audience and sales markets in the US.
• Suppliers without an online presence – who are well represented in the wholesale markets and want to optimize their sales channels with foreign currency earnings.
• Foreign investors who wish to establish supplies of products from Ukrainian manufacturers.
• Entrepreneurs who already sell to the US – to speed up the delivery process and improve their service.

Each group has its requirements and needs.

Myths of fulfillment

We want to clarify the situation and dispel some myths about fulfillment.

• Myth №1. Fulfillment is only suitable for large retailers. 

This service has gained popularity thanks to working with prominent players in the e-commerce market, and large projects remain anchor clients for fulfillment companies. However, to optimize business processes, many offer their services to small entrepreneurs, requiring high automation, standardization, and regular deliveries.

• Myth №2. It is expensive. 

With a large turnover, any operator will offer you a reasonable and competitive price. With a small volume, you need to be prepared for high requirements for packaging and labeling.

Fulfillment market dynamics

The growth of the e-commerce market is a stimulating factor for developing and popularizing fulfillment services. Another factor is the growing confidence in outsourcing services. But there is still a lot of distrust in fulfillment players due to low awareness. We transparently provide these services with all the terms of cooperation.

Our services

FBA is a trendsetter in fulfillment but is not the only player in this market. Since the beginning of our company’s activity, providing Fulfillment services has been our priority.

Features of Fulfillment by PartnerTrade

As mentioned above, fulfillment by PartnerTrade is the main focus of our business. We are proud to be recognized as leaders in this trade area in the US market. The main advantages of our service are as follows:

• Fulfillment and end-to-end delivery – everything is done under one contract.
• Guaranteed financial savings on renting premises, maintaining a call center, etc.
• Great potential for scaling – up to 10 times!
• Automation of internal processes and external reporting.
• A range of consulting services is provided.
• Since we provide both fulfillment and delivery services, PartnerTrade is a 3PL operator.

Our company’s mission is to help entrepreneurs discover the foreign markets of online stores in the United States.

• End-to-end services: minimum of your care and a maximum of our professionalism.
• Cost savings: all processes are streamlined and work like clockwork.
• Fast business scaling: we will accept any quantity of goods.
• Sales automation: just have time to replenish stocks in the warehouse.
• Consultations: the success of our partners is in our direct interest.

Tariffs and prices

PartnerTrade‘s pricing policy is based on the principle of high service standards and competitive prices. We offer a range of fulfillment services starting at $1 per item to start cooperation. In case of increasing volumes, special offers are available for partners.

Reviews

Most of our customers, having to use our service, leave positive feedback. They have lost the problems associated with the sale of goods and are doing what they are good at – production.

Entry point

At what stage of business development is it worth using the services of a fulfillment center? The answer is simple: As soon as the cost of order processing becomes an obstacle to business expansion, switch to Fulfillment. Our clients have managed to scale their business qualitatively by entering the US market. Now it’s your turn!

FAQ