As a business when you outsource all your order operations to a fulfilment centre, the advantages are for sure a lot. From making sure that every order reaches its respective customer promptly to allowing you to focus on your core business activities, the fulfilment centre is very important for businesses. In this blog post, let us understand the top 5 features that one needs to look for in a fulfilment centre.
1. Advanced technology and automation
In today's digital and fast-paced world, staying ahead of the curve is very important. So while looking for a ecommerce fulfilment centre, make sure that you take a look at whether it is using advanced technologies or not. You can look for some particular features like real-time inventory tracking, seamless integration with e-commerce platforms, and automation in order processing and packaging.
2. Strategic warehouse location
While choosing a fulfilment company, its location is very important. You will be receiving orders from different faraway places. And in the starting, you cannot determine the impact of warehouse location on your delivery times and shipping costs. So why not to look for one that is located at a place which is near to a broader customer base of your business? This way it will become easier for your fulfilment centre to get in touch with transportation hubs like airports, highways, and ports. Not only this, but it will also reduce shipping zones ultimately leading to lower costs and speedy delivery.
3. Scalability and flexibility
These are the two most important factors that one needs to look for in a fulfilment centre. As your business grows in the future, your needs will change. And accordingly, the fulfilment centre will have to adapt. So is the one you are choosing for your small business fine with scaling and being flexible in the future? Make sure to look for that. You can figure out the key features of whether it will be able to deal with the capacity your business will require to scale or not. Also, make sure that your fulfilment centre is flexible in packaging and product handling in addition to taking care of fluctuating order volumes.
4. Comprehensive and transparent reporting
This is a very crucial aspect if you are into business. You need to be transparent and comprehensive to your customers in terms of their orders. And this is what fulfilment centres are there to provide to you. They offer detailed reports on inventory levels, the statuses of the orders, and shipping details. So when you choose one, make sure that you discuss it with the fulfilment centre to provide real-time reporting on orders.
5. Cost-effectiveness and clear pricing structure
Make sure that your fulfilment centre is offering you services at a fair enough price. And also be sure that their pricing structure is transparent and clear in front of you. It should not be the case that the time you will need to scale your business, the charges from your fulfilment centre be a focus of concern.
Read our blog on : How Fulfilment Centres Enhance Accuracy?