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Tip 5: Choose a fulfillment provider that is compatible with your business model.
The demands of an eCommerce retailer for order fulfillment can vary drastically depending on the type of merchandise to be carried in inventory, the amount sold per month, and the size of the items. Like eCommerce retailers, there are fulfillment companies that cater to every niche, and it’s best to find a company that is compatible with your business model. For example, a small eCommerce retailer that typically sells twenty t-shirts a month would not be a good fit for a fulfillment provider that ships out thousands of orders a month for its other clients. Typically, order fulfillment companies will provide deals for companies that carry the type and amount of merchandise they want; make sure to find one that’s a good fit.
For these reasons, it is critical to know how much merchandise you are planning to sell and how your merchandise will impact your fulfillment operations. These are a few things to consider:
Size: The size of the merchandise is important because the larger your items are, the more space they take up, which is a cost the fulfillment provider will have to pay.
Dimensional Weight: Dimensional weight is one of the main determiners of cost when calculating shipping, and the fulfillment provider will pass this cost on to you.
Type: All fulfillment providers have different policies on what they can and cannot ship. For example, if you’re selling food or other perishables, you will most likely need to find a specialized fulfillment provider with refrigerated warehouses.
Source: Where are you getting your merchandise, and is it properly labeled with SKUs? Some fulfillment providers will not handle merchandise if it does not have the correct identification, while others will.
