Summer may be a time for beach parties and picnics, but for ecommerce brands it’s also a pivotal time for peak season planning. Part of that planning is making the tough decision of whether or not your current order fulfillment setup is working to meet your needs. 

If you’re a company that’s been handling your own order fulfillment, maybe last peak season you realized that you have outgrown the time and labor needed to successfully fulfill orders in-house, especially around these higher-selling months. Should that be the case, the solution is simply: partner with a strong 3PL designed to help you grow and scale without stress.

However, if you’re a mid-market or enterprise brand and order fulfillment has been a struggle with your current 3PL, the concept of changing can be a bit more daunting. You already have systems in place and inventory elsewhere, so maybe you’ve put up with areas that are lacking in your current 3PL arrangement to avoid the stress and hassle of migrating to a new 3PL partner. While that level of “comfort” is understandable, now is the time when you need to make a decision if familiarity outweighs potential growth and a more effective fulfillment solution.

In this article, we’re going to take a concise look at when and why ecommerce brands migrate to new 3PL partners, and what you can expect should you choose to make the change before summer turns to fall and peak season is upon us.

Pain Points

Before you decide to stick with your current 3PL provider for the sake of not rocking the boat, consider if the familiarity of your 3PL has more positive impact than the possibility of a new 3PL. The below reasons are some of the most common that ecommerce brands migrate to ShipMonk for order fulfillment services. If you connect with these reasons, a switch may be in order. 

Ongoing Issues

• You’ve experienced operational errors with your current 3PL provider (mispicks, lost inventory, missed SLA’s).
• Expenses are too high, too rigid, and aren’t customizable to your brand’s unique situation and needs.

Visibility 

• Opaque pricing that makes it hard to keep track of everything you’re being charged, when you’re being charged, and why.
• Limited data to help you make decisions of ordering, stock levels, and more.

Technology

• Software that is difficult to use and/or limited in terms of functionality is hindering growth.
• Fewer available integrations are limiting your selling channels and ability to spread your brand across marketplaces.

Reach

• A limited national or international warehouse footprint is preventing you from delivering to your customers at faster and/or more affordable rates.

Support

• Outsourced customer support that leads to slow responses, delayed resolution times, and lack of understanding because “customer service” is not physically located at the facility where your order fulfillment is taking place.
• Limited liability on your provider’s end that puts shipping problems, inventory problems, packaging problems, etc. on your shoulders.
• Little to no flexibility offered for customization because of a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t work for everyone.

Opportunities

Above are stressors that should also serve as indicators for high-growth brands that the time has come to search for greener 3PL pastures. Now let’s talk about the good that’s waiting for you in those pastures. If you migrate to a new 3PL, particularly in this crucial pre peak season time, here are some of the opportunities you’d look forward to at ShipMonk from setup to ship out.

Onboarding Success

• Personalized onboarding experience based on your pace and needs.
• A dedicated Onboarding team member assigned to your individual account so you have a consistent guide through the process of changing fulfillment providers.

Visibility

• Transparent pricing clearly defined in your ShipMonk contract, plus line-by-line billing going forward so you’re always aware of your finances.
• Access to readily available reports to analyze every aspect of your business, such as sales, shipping, and inventory.
• Real-time visibility for complete order, inventory, warehouse, and transportation management.

Technology

• 100+ integrations to facilitate business growth, cross-channel selling, and marketplace domination. 
• Easy-to-use software with an intuitive user interface that provides access to all those integrations, reporting, and total operation management.

Reach

• A singular global 3PL provider with 12 tech-optimized locations that can help your orders reach customers quickly and affordably vs. partnering with assorted 3PLs to reach different regions or a smaller 3PL that will charge you more to reach farther regions they’re not located in.

Support

• Live, boots-on-the-ground customer support with designated Account Managers and client experience team members known as Happiness Engineers.
• Flexibility and customization where every client is treated like a unique entity vs. a one-size-fits-all approach so your needs are better met. 
• Ability to scale while maintaining cost. And we’re not just talking about more inventory space or employees in a building to fulfill orders; this is also about having the technology, support, shipping flexibility, and other tools to expand your business affordably.

A Peak into Your Future

The summer months are a critical time to make plans for an effective and efficient peak season strategy. So if you’re looking to upgrade your company’s potential there is no better time to migrate to a new 3PL than right now when it can have a dramatic impact on your Q4. That being said, any time you decide that you’ve outgrown your current provider, or are tired of the stress and limitations of that provider, ShipMonk is here to help you move forward. At the end of the day, ecommerce merchants need 3PL partners that have:

• Cutting-edge automation that helps fulfill orders quickly and accurately
• Software that saves you time with user-friendly features
• Customizable solutions to your brand’s specific needs
• Transparent pricing and billing at all stages
• Our commitment to service levels
• 12 modern locations that we 100% own and operate
• Designated, onsite support for faster communication and resolutions 

This is what ShipMonk brings to the table. If you’re ready to make the migration over to our fulfillment family, contact us today. Our customer-centric operation means that we’ll guide you through every step so transitioning to our 3PL will be simple and stress-free.