That’s why we started Max Packer 3PL: to create a 3PL partner that we wanted to work with, and help other businesses avoid those same headaches.
And, through this experience, there have been some common signs that meant we needed to engage external 3PL services.
Here are 6 signs that your business will benefit from a 3PL partner.
Your overheads are increasing
As your business grows, so too do your overheads. You’re paying for storage space, which only gets costlier as your warehouse expands. You’re engaging staff to take care of the picking and packing, and you want to pay them a decent wage. You’re trying to seek out the best deal on postage and parcels, but finding a competitive rate is proving challenging.
Every new step in your growing business comes with a cost.
A 3PL warehouse partner enables you to consolidate your costs, combining them into one flexible service. You only pay for the services you need, and combine all your overheads into one ongoing operational pricing model.
- You spend all your time managing the logistics yourself
Maybe you’re excited about your growing business, but you’re finding that the burden of your logistics has fallen on your shoulders. Instead of planning your next long-term goals, communicating with customers and vendors, or developing new products, you’re stuck trying to manage your logistics yourself.
Or have you found yourself feeling like all your time is taken up by negotiating postage deals with couriers, and your nights are spent picking, packing, and posting your products?
It’s unsustainable—and makes you feel that it’s not even worth running your own business.
Working with a 3PL partner allows you to free up your time to focus on your business, while they manage your logistics for you.
- You’re running out of storage space
Whether you store your products in your home, you’ve organised a warehouse space, or you have your own warehouse already, storage is crucial to growing your business.
But as orders increase, you may find yourself running out of room. The rooms of your house are filling up with packages and boxes—or maybe you’re down to the last shelf in your warehouse, and you’re not sure where to turn next.
These pressures put a great strain on an ecommerce business. If you can’t store your inventory, how can you expect to grow?
A 3PL partner provides you with flexible storage space that grows as you do, so you can take comfort that there’s always room for your inventory. You only pay for what you need, so during seasonal fluctuations, you won’t ever pay for storage space you don’t use.
- You can’t fulfil your orders fast enough
Order fulfilment is a critical part of running an eCommerce business. But as your customer base grows, and your orders start to increase in volume, it can get overwhelming.
If you’re the one left taking care of order fulfilment, you’ll quickly find it’s not just a one-person job. Soon, you may start to find that the orders are piling up, that they’re taking longer and longer to be dispatched—and you’re starting to make obvious mistakes.
By partnering with a 3PL company, they provide a team of specialist staff whose job is to pick, pack, and post. You get to oversee the process—but you can leave the practical side to the experts.
- Your customers start to notice a decline in quality
Not in your product, necessarily, but in your customer service. High-level customer service is crucial in running an eCommerce business, so if your customers are receiving the wrong order, receiving it late, or not receiving their product at all, then they’ll start looking elsewhere—not to mention the effect negative reviews can have.
When your customer service starts to suffer, then it’s time to engage a 3PL warehouse partner to manage the process—before it’s too late.
By engaging a 3PL partner you’re able to rely on a specialist team to manage your stock. With more people available to pick, pack, and post your products, you relieve yourself of the burden, and ensure there’s less chance of making errors you could easily avoid.
- You’ve put your dreams on hold of scaling your business
Building a thriving eCommerce business is a noble goal. You’ve worked hard to create a product people love, and you want to widen the net to a bigger audience. But if your warehouse space is at capacity, or you’re run off your feet picking and packing your orders yourself, then this big dream just isn’t possible. So you’ve put them on hold, waiting for the time when you can get your head around the process.
A 3PL partner can help you expand your business into new markets, taking care of your warehousing, order fulfilment, and other logistics services as you expand.
A 3PL warehouse partner gives you the flexibility you need to grow your business
No more picking and packing your orders, losing hours waiting for couriers. No more incorrect or lost orders. No more time spent worrying about where to find reliable warehouse employees, or that your current space is no longer big enough for your order volume.
It’s time to take back control of your eCommerce business and watch it grow, with a dedicated 3PL warehouse partner.
Max Packer is here to help eCommerce brands of all types and sizes free up their time, save money, and take control of their business. So if you’re ready to take the headache and the hassle out of managing your logistics, get in touch with our friendly team today to schedule a discovery call and discuss a 3PL solution for your business.