It takes a lot of work to run an e-commerce business, which is something that you likely already know. To be successful you have to market and sell the products and then once the orders come in, you then have to turn around and get them out the door as fast as possible. Fulfilling these orders requires time, patience, and attention to detail.
Signs It’s Time to Outsource Your E-Commerce Fulfillment
Fulfilling orders is a big task for people who are trying to grow their business as you have to split your attention and time from many other tasks. If your business is growing and you are wondering how to know if it is time to outsource your E-commerce fulfillment process for your business, here are some things to consider.
Lack of Focus is one reason why you should outsource your E-commerce fulfillment
Chances are you did not get into the business of e-commerce to run a warehouse. When you start to fill most of your time picking, packing, and shipping out orders, you cannot focus on how to grow or expand your business. Working on fulfilling the orders from today should not be preventing you from lining up future customers. When you lose focus from one core activity, it can stagnate the entire business. If you reach the point where you are not focusing on growing your business and you are simply spending all your time preparing orders, it is a good idea to start thinking about outsourcing the fulfillment aspect of your e-commerce site.
Stock
If you notice that you are ordering too much stock or you are constantly running out of stock, it is time to consider outsourcing your fulfillment. You might notices that there is not enough shelving in your storage area or that you have a lot of empty space. Both of these point to signs of problems with inventory management. Once you outsource your product fulfillment operation, you will be able to focus more directly on your business and building up your consumer base.
Controlling Costs
Another concern about inventory is the overall cost. It can be difficult to purchase or rent the appropriately sized warehouse to meet your year-round demands. There are likely months where you sell fewer items and months where you cannot keep up with demand. This means that the space that you need fluctuates as well. Outsourcing your product fulfillment needs will remove this issue as the company that takes over will control inventory in a way that will save you money on storage space in the long run.
Staffing
As you already know, consumers demand a lot from the businesses that they choose to give their money. If you find that you and your staff cannot handle the demand from your customers, the business will suffer. If you are finding that your staff can not fill your orders each day, it is time to consider outsourcing as a way to take the pressure off of your team.
Outdated Technology
Technology is extremely important today. The tech that is used for warehousing products can be costly to attain and maintain. If you choose to outsource your fulfillment, the third party will take over the technology aspect of your warehouse. This means that everything will be kept up to date and you do not have to worry about missing out on information.
Overall, when you notice that you are simply not keeping up with the fulfillment end of your e-commerce business, it is likely time to start looking towards outsourcing this aspect of your business. Outsourcing fulfillment can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Christopher Morgan Fulfillment Center Services
Christopher Morgan Fulfillment has access to more than 600,000 square feet of professionally managed, secure, dry storage space, warehousing & distribution in Milwaukee and in all regions of the United States.
Our facilities are located in:
- New Berlin, Wisconsin
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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- East Brunswick, New Jersey
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