Ten Secrets to Successfully Outsourcing Your Order Fulfillment #6

Tip 6:  Work with a fulfillment provider who will scale with your needs.
Before you make a final decision on a fulfillment provider, ask yourself a few questions:

• How much do you intend to boost your sales in the foreseeable future?

• Will you be carrying the same kind and amount of merchandise?

• Will you be introducing new merchandise on a regular basis?

• Do you plan on expanding overseas?

An ideal partner today might not be the right choice in the future. A fulfillment company that excels at shipping small numbers of items can get bogged down by a large number of orders, and some might not even have the space required if the growth in orders or number of products is too high. Thus, be sure to choose a provider with your future plans in mind, as switching fulfillment providers involves moving a great deal of merchandise and changing a lot of procedures, as well as a long, disruptive downtime in order fulfillment that could cost you business.