How To Use a 3PL for eCommerce Fulfillment

With 22.7% of all retail sales being completed online in 2024, eCommerce has become a staple in today’s economy. Sellers of all sizes need to develop an eCommerce fulfillment pipeline and a supply network that can support it. 

Some brands complete all their order fulfillment processes in-house. But most find it more efficient to work with a third party logistics provider that already has a robust fulfillment infrastructure in place. 

In this article, we’ll look at how to use a 3PL for eCommerce fulfillment and best practices for a successful partnership, and why Relentless Fulfillment could be the right choice for you. 

What Is a 3PL and How Does It Support eCommerce Brands?

A 3PL is a company that specializes in outsourced fulfillment processes, offering comprehensive logistics and inventory management services to client companies. Businesses leverage these resources to handle their inventory management workflows and get their customers’ orders into their hands. 

From basic startups and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to major enterprises, brands of all sizes can benefit from 3PL services. An impressive 90% of Forbes 500 companies use them for their inventory management expertise. 

Key order fulfillment services that 3PLs offer include:

• Receiving: Intaking raw inventory from OEMs or other distributors 
• Storage: Placing incoming inventory in the right locations within the warehouse
• Picking: Selecting the inventory needed to complete customers’ orders and sending it over for packing
• Packing: Assembling all inventory components into a single product, complete with shipping labels, customizations, and packing materials
• Shipping: Sending the order to a parcel carrier to reach the customer
• Reverse logistics: Processing all returns and restocking reusable inventory for later sales

In addition to handling your inventory management workflows within the warehouse, 3PLs should integrate with your eCommerce platform to give you full visibility into your order fulfillment environment. This helps seamlessly coordinate your sales across every avenue and gives your customers an omnichannel fulfillment experience. 

Steps To Start Using a 3PL for Fulfillment

3PL providers are a great way to offload your order fulfillment workflows and free yourself up to grow your business, but choosing the right one is an important step. When you decide to work with a fulfillment partner, take these steps to ensure a smooth transition:

1. Evaluate your needs. The first step in finding the right 3PL provider is to take an inventory of your own fulfillment needs and goals so that you can make sure that your choice meets your requirements. Does your potential 3PL provider have a fulfillment center near your largest customer base? Do they offer value-added services such as custom labeling or kitting, packaging, and assembly? Are their storage conditions appropriate for any cosmetics, supplements, or specialized products that you may sell?
2. Look for eCommerce expertise. With so many sales occurring online, having a 3PL partner that’s familiar with eCommerce logistics is essential. Look for a provider specializing in online sales to make the most of your eCommerce fulfillment opportunities.
3. Ask about their supply chain. An agile, resilient supply chain is critical for getting your orders to customers on time, and with today’s logistic challenges, it gives you a competitive edge. A distributed network of fulfillment centers helps you get your orders to consumers faster, boosting customer satisfaction and enhancing their loyalty to your brand.
4. Check for shipping. Part of having a robust supply chain is working with carriers to ensure a speedy delivery. As high-volume customers, 3PLs should have access to special shipping discounts, so ask your candidate about their shipping costs and speeds.
5. Expect scalability. Between seasonal changes in customer demand, new product launches, and the latest customer trends, your order fulfillment needs will surely shift over time. The leading 3PLs offer scalable fulfillment solutions, letting you increase your usage during peak seasons and decrease when demand slows. That way, you’ll only pay for the order fulfillment services that you need.
6. Integrate with your platform. A quality 3PL provider should make it easy to integrate with the leading eCommerce business platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, or Amazon Marketplace. When you find the right provider, you can sync all your inventory from your other tools with their customer portal and connect your store using APIs, and your 3PL should assist you with the transition. 

Once you’ve done all your research and integrated your 3PL portal into your eCommerce platform, the next step is a test run. Your 3PL candidate may let you test their order fulfillment processes before you sign up for their services. If you give it a try and all goes as planned, you’ve found the right 3PL partner. 

Best Practices for a Successful 3PL Integration

Getting started with a 3PL fulfillment provider is relatively straightforward once you’ve found the right one, but maintaining a successful partnership requires diligent oversight and close collaboration. Best practices you can implement to get the most from 3PL include:

• Maintain clear communication. Your 3PL provider should work closely with you and be available to answer any questions you may have about their processes and how your inventory is handled. Keep an open line of communication with your provider’s support team, and make sure you understand every part of your service level agreement (SLA) from the start.
• Monitor your performance. The warehouse management system (WMS) that your 3PL uses may be equipped with software and data analytics functionalities that let you monitor your fulfillment performance. The exact features will vary, but you should be able to use your 3PL’s capabilities to balance inventory levels, evaluate shipping times, and find new opportunities to improve your efficiency.
• Make data-driven decisions. Your 3PL’s data analytics tools can help you make smarter fulfillment decisions for your brand. Use predictive analytics tools for more accurate demand forecasting, avoid stockouts and overstocks, and identify which inventory moves fastest and generates the most sales. Then leverage these insights to stock your warehouse with the most valued inventory, reducing your waste and maximizing your profits.
• Plan ahead. The insights you gain from your 3PL provider should help you prepare for future demand fluctuations. Use them to plan ahead for high-volume seasons by notifying your 3PL partner that you’ll be scaling up your usage at certain times, and attract more customers with promotions on their favorite products. 

By working closely with your 3PL provider, monitoring your fulfillment performance, and using data insights to make smarter decisions, you can cut costs, improve customer service, and find new ways to grow your brand — and 3PLs make it all possible. 

Why Relentless Fulfillment Is the Go-To 3PL for eCommerce Sellers

Relentless Fulfillment is an expert 3PL provider, and we specialize in eCommerce order fulfillment. Our in-depth experience, advanced fulfillment technology, high-capacity fulfillment center, and robust supply chain make us a go-to for online sellers, and we’ve got the case studies to prove it. 

Just a few of the advantages that Relentless Fulfillment has to offer include:

• Fast shipping. Not only do we work with the leading carriers to give you competitive shipping rates and rapid delivery times, but our warehouse is strategically located in Reno, Nevada, to give you quick access to West Coast markets without the added costs associated with other cities in the area.
• Seamless integration. Our system is compatible with major eCommerce platforms. This gives you full visibility over your fulfillment processes and lets you create an omnichannel fulfillment environment so that you have better control over your operations.
• Value-added services. From custom packaging and kitting to reverse logistics and branded unboxing options, Relentless Fulfillment offers a full range of value-added fulfillment services. The result is better customization and an improved final product — and a customer experience that keeps people coming back for more.
• Dedicated support. Our customer support team is committed to helping you find fulfillment solutions that meet your needs, and we’ll work with you to address any concerns you have. As a third-party logistics provider, our first priority will always be you. 

Another benefit of working with Relentless Fulfillment is our commitment to flexibility. We understand that each seller’s needs are different, so we provide a custom plan for our services that’s tailored to your fulfillment processes. That way, you only pay for the features you need — and nothing you don’t. 

Relentless Fulfillment: Taking eCommerce to the Next Level

In today’s eCommerce-driven world, running and maintaining your own order fulfillment pipeline can prove too resource-intensive and hinder the rest of your business processes. Working with a 3PL provider frees you from tedious inventory management processes, saving you money and boosting your efficiency — all while getting your products into customers’ hands faster. 

Relentless Fulfillment specializes in 3PL operations, and our end-to-end fulfillment services are designed to take your eCommerce fulfillment processes to the next level. Our 250,000 sq. ft. warehouse can handle even the highest inventory volumes and comes equipped with leading-edge technology to maximize your warehouse efficiency. 

We’re also stationed in Reno, Nevada, to provide faster shipping to some of the largest markets in the US. We work closely with the leading carriers to give you and your customers the most competitive shipping rates around. 

Are you ready to see how Relentless Fulfillment can elevate your eCommerce fulfillment processes? Reach out today to request a custom quote for our services.