A Crash Course in Shipping & Fulfillment for Your Small Business

Few entrepreneurs dream of spending their days putting their items into boxes, packing them with bubble wrap, sealing the boxes with tape, and applying postage. Order fulfillment is one of the easiest parts of a business to outsource, which is why so many companies do it.

Having a smooth supply chain is crucial if you want to succeed in business. In this list of articles, we talk about everything you need to know about supply chain management, order fulfillment, customs clearance, and much more!

When Should You Outsource Fulfillment?

Order fulfillment is one of the easiest parts of a business to outsource, which is why so many companies do it. In this article, I’ll talk about why outsourcing fulfillment is a good idea and when it’s appropriate to do so.

Guide to 3PL – Third-Party Logistics

Running a successful eCommerce business is a ton of work. You have to set up and maintain a website, find great products to sell, market your business, and keep your customers happy. A big part of that is making sure you get items into your customers’ hands safe and sound. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.

The Pros and Cons of Offering Free Shipping

As many as 64.3% of customers think cost is the most important factor in shipping. Another 8 in 10 expect free two-day shipping by default. Customers consider shipping costs before they make their first purchase.

How To Choose An Order Fulfillment Partner In A Post-Coronavirus World

Running a business takes a lot of effort, even in the best of times. Products have to be manufactured, services provided, customers pleased, employees kept happy, and advertisements run. It’s enough to make your head spin…

How Outsourcing Fulfillment Can Save You Money

Fulfilling orders can be a pain. Many business owners outsource for that reason. But did you know you can save money by outsourcing fulfillment as well?

How Coronavirus Disrupted Supply Chains Everywhere

The coronavirus started as a local problem in China. Now it’s disrupted supply chains everywhere, causing economic problems on top of health problems.

Global Freight Basics (or How to Sound Smart When Talking Freight)

Global freight. For most importers, these words evoke dread. Like a trigonometry question on a pop quiz, it’s strange, complicated, and just plain scary.

The Customer Journey, or How Your Business & Your Customers Interact

What do customers want? How do they find your business? What motivates them? These questions help us see the customer journey as they see it.

9 Ways to Create a Great eCommerce Customer Experience

The world is a noisy place, rife with distracted, speedy, and forgettable interactions. Even still, a good customer experience can really stand out!

Customs Duty De Minimis: Important Info for International Shipping

Customs and taxes – these are the words that strike fear into many small business owners’ hearts. Fortunately, there is a method to the madness.

12 Tips to Turn One-Time Shoppers into Lifetime Buyers

For more experienced business owners, though, a different goal reigns supreme: turning one-time shoppers into lifetime buyers. Early on, businesses focus on generating leads. Established businesses, on the other hand, often focus on making more money with each customer.

How Businesses Plan Ahead for the Holiday Shipping

Holiday shipping is immense in scale, with over $700 billion in gifts. With Christmas coming up this week, we’re going to talk about how it all works.

Dropshipping: How to Deliver Products to Your Customers Without Handling Them

Dropshipping is weird. So let’s untangle the mystery of how exactly you can deliver products to your customers without ever handling them yourself!

Stockouts: What You Can Do When Inventory Runs Out

What better sign is there of a thriving company than selling everything? When you dig deeper, though, you realize that stockouts are actually pretty bad.

Supply Chain Marketing: Order Fulfillment IS Your Customer Service

With the pressure building, it’s becoming ever more apparent how closely related supply chain management and marketing are. You can’t separate the two.

7 Ways to Prevent Shipping Damage

Shipping damage is a big problem for eCommerce buyers and sellers alike. As many as 10% of eCommerce packages arrive damaged, so this is no small problem. Even if the seller didn’t cause the damage, they’ll probably wind up paying for it through returns and lost customers.

How to Estimate Demand: How You Can Get Ahead of the Curve

Holidays are exciting for buyers and sellers alike – but if you’re unable to estimate demand, you could find yourself in trouble!

Green Logistics: Move Inventory While Keeping the World Clean & Cool

The general populace wants to go green. Companies like yours must become more careful about their carbon footprint. So let’s talk about green logistics.

14 Ways to Prepare Your eCommerce Store For Holiday Shipping

For eCommerce store owners, the end of the year is a time of high stress and abundant opportunities. One thing you shouldn’t worry about? Holiday shipping!

How Your Ecommerce Fulfillment Can Become Your Strategic Advantage

Fulfillment isn’t just a responsibility that must be handled for a business to survive. It’s tempting to see it as a necessary evil instead of a way to grow your business. But in reality, thoughtfully designed fulfillment processes create tremendous opportunities for eCommerce businesses to excel.

Customs Duty De Minimis: Important Info for International Shipping

Customs and taxes – these are the words that strike fear into many small business owners’ hearts. Fortunately, there is a method to the madness.

6 Ways Outsourcing Fulfillment Will Streamline Your Business

You’ve spent many long nights working. Now that business is booming, there’s just the simple matter of filling orders. Except that’s actually pretty hard!

From Pick to Pack: Express Your Brand Every Step of the Way

No one looks at a dull, characterless brown package and thinks, “Oh, there’s something nice in here for me!” Let’s talk about how to express your brand.

How Your eCommerce Store Can Fulfill Orders Quickly & Satisfy Customers

Running an eCommerce store is a race against time. You tweak your website to make sure it loads quickly. When ordering inventory, you make a decision based on how long it will take to arrive.

Bar Codes: How Lines & Spaces Make Modern Logistics Possible

Bar codes are everywhere. Every book on your bookshelves, every item in the grocery store, and every package you order online has one.

Warehouse Receiving: An Inside Look at Order Fulfillment

Every consumer good that you enjoy relies on a complex global supply chain. But before goods can be sent out, they must be brought in – warehouse receiving.

7 Common Myths About Outsourcing Order Fulfillment

The idea of outsourcing fulfillment is strange. Our job when onboarding new clients is dismantle the many myths about outsourcing order fulfillment.

11 Incoterms and Why You Should Know Them

Freight shipping is full of complex jargon, including a bunch of esoteric three-letter acronyms such as CIF, EXW, and FOB. Those are called incoterms.

Reverse Logistics: What Happens When a Customer Returns Your Product?

Seldom does an enthusiastic entrepreneur ask “how do they return it if they don’t want it?” Handled poorly, reverse logistics can become a major problem.

Why is Shipping So Expensive? Here are 6 Reasons Why

Why is shipping so expensive? Every eCommerce company and online shopper has asked themselves this over the years! So let’s explain why it costs so much.

A Crash Course in eCommerce Order Fulfillment

As a reader of this blog, you know that outsourcing fulfillment is often a good idea. However, the whole concept of handing off a major business function to an entirely separate company? That’s just completely wild if you’ve never done anything like it before.

Manufacturing and Logistics: Making Products with Shipping in Mind

Manufacturing is at the heart of many businesses. This is true whether you’re making something with massive machinery or with your own two hands. 

3PL (Third-Party Logistics) & How Can it Help Your Business Grow

To grow sales by 500% would be a dream come true. But growing pains can be intense. That’s where 3PL (third-party logistics) providers come in handy.

Supply Chain Management and Logistics: What is the Difference?

Supply chain management (SCM) is a complex discipline. It is the throughline that connects raw materials to customer experience.

7 Red Flags When Searching for a Fulfillment Company

Let’s be really honest with one another. Giving up control of a critical function of your business is a nerve-wracking prospect. You have to make sure that your order fulfillment is being handled by professionals. After all, the impact of hiring the wrong fulfillment company can be severe.

15 Must-Have Features to Consider When Selecting a Fulfillment Company

Running an eCommerce store is difficult. Many store owners start out by shipping their own orders. As their business scales, this becomes overwhelming because of the demands on time. It’s simply too much work for a small business to do alone.

Logistics 101: Ship Your Products Worldwide & Grow Your Business

We can ship from Hong Kong to San Francisco overnight. It’s not even tough. In Logistics 101, we talk about the incredible processes that make it possible.

6 Signs Your Business Needs Third-Party Logistics (3PL)

If you’re selling enough products, your business will eventually be spending too much time shipping them and not enough time making them.

How to Optimize Packaging for Fulfillment

Shipping orders is expensive! But this isn’t just about money. It’s about first impressions, too. Let’s talk about optimizing packaging for fulfillment.