Why It’s a Good Idea to Work with a 3PL Service During the Holidays

During the holidays, it can be overwhelming to fulfill and ship your products to your customers on your own. The increase in customer demand can lead to serious warehousing problems that affect your ability to be successful during this high sales season. This is where a third-party logistics (3PL) partner can help. They can take a huge amount of work off your shoulders by handling the time-consuming process of managing your warehouse, inventory, shipping, and delivery. Here’s why working with a 3PL service this holiday season is a great idea.

Lower Shipping Prices

3PL providers are often able to negotiate shipping rates for their customers since they handle many orders each day. These special shipping rates they receive can benefit their clients, which means huge savings for you. Access to better shipping rates can also provide you with new marketing and sales opportunities. You can pay it forward by offering free shipping, which is a big selling point for online brands. If you’re trying to boost customer interest before the holidays, you can add a free shipping feature ahead of peak season.

Outsourced Warehousing Saves Space

From a practical perspective, working with a 3PL provider can be a serious space saver, even if you have large products. Before peak season this December, you’ll want to be sure you have enough inventory for the increased demand. If you have a wide assortment of products, stocking all these items at home or in your office may not be practical or organized. A 3PL service can store and manage these items for you, and ship and deliver the items your customers want in record time.

3PL Providers Are Experts at Handling Rush Season

Since 3PL providers have strategies and systems to store, move, and conduct the flow of inventory, they can offer the same advantages during peak season. Operators of these organizations must ensure the inventory you have is prepared for the upcoming flow and that plans are in place to keep up with the increase of customer orders. They will make sure your business has the accurate amount of equipment and personnel to move the increased inventory, as well as whether you have the automated technology and software to keep you up to date.

Avoid Customer Dissatisfaction

Another benefit of working with a 3PL provider during the holiday season is that they have multiple warehouses. When you resort to fulfilling your orders in your house or office, you may have a harder time reaching customers from further away. Since 3PL providers have warehouse locations all around the city, state, or country, you can keep your customers happy by reaching them faster and ensuring your orders are delivered on time.

Save Time

Another reason why you should consider partnering with a 3PL service during the holiday season is because they can save you a lot of time. They can help you prepare for major sale events, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas Eve, or Boxing Day. During this time, you’ll need to save your energy to focus on your store, marketing campaigns, customer support, and sales, instead of getting bogged down with packing and shipping out your products. With the help of a 3PL service, you can ensure your customers are having a festive and fun shopping experience, while your orders are safe in the hands of capable experts.

Promote Your Brand

Most 3PL providers are “white label,” meaning they won’t include their branding on your orders. However, they may provide you with the option to personalize each order label with your own brand logo or slogan to highlight your company. That way, buyers will think the package came straight from you, rather than through a 3PL service.

Reduce Order Fulfillment Times

If you think you can handle the increase in customer orders this holiday season on your own, consider how a 3PL provider can help you with order fulfillment times. Warehousing orders have shorter fulfillment times by far and can be fulfilled in just one business day. If you can offer same-day or next-day shipping for your customers, you’ll see a huge increase in your brand reputation and customer retention rates.

Let APS Fulfillment, Inc. Help You This Holiday Season

Before choosing any 3PL provider, it’s important to know that each company has its own rates, additional charges, and pricing. Depending on the company, you may need to pay for order fulfillment fees, storage fees, custom packaging fees, and more. The advantages of working with a 3PL provider should outweigh the cost and should make financial sense to you.

When you’re ready to team up with a 3PL provider for the holidays—or for the long-term—look no further than APS Fulfillment Inc. We can help your business grow while reducing costs so that you can see tangible growth in profit and efficiency. With our help, you can meet customer demand during peak seasons and stay competitive even if you are a small company. For more information about how we can help you, or to request a quote for our services, contact us at info@apsfulfillment.com or by phone at (954) 582-7450.