The UK may be gradually resuming normal service, post pandemic, but for many retail companies life will never be the same again. Emarketer reports a massive 46.5% growth in ecommerce sales in 2020, with an increase of 20.5% growth in 2021. Due to lockdown, many retail businesses switched to ecommerce, and rapidly found themselves in need of a 3PL order fulfilment partner.
In normal circumstances, choosing a fulfilment partner takes time – after all, they’re your proxy at the critical moment customers receive their goods. If you had to find a provider fast, whether due to high demand or an increasingly complex supply chain, you may want to review the service you’re receiving. Logistics providers are evolving rapidly in response to ecommerce requirements, so switching can be hugely beneficial.
If this is your first logistics partnership, how do you know whether you’re getting a good deal? There’s 5 warning signs you shouldn’t ignore:
- Customers are Let Down. Big alarm bells! This is the primary function of a fulfilment provider, so if customers are regularly let down there’s a big problem.
- They’re Not Innovators. A good fulfilment partner doesn’t just do the basics well, they spot the opportunities for enhancement of your process and work with you to improve it.
- Can’t Get Hold of Them. If it’s difficult to communicate with your providers – by email, or phone – then they’re not working with you to build a professional relationship.
- They Have Trouble With Their Software. If your providers’ tech isn’t up to the job, look elsewhere. Tech is currently a major driver for innovation in the logistics sector.
- They Can’t Help You Grow. If your provider is telling you that you’ve hit the limit of their storage capacity, tech capacity, or market capacity – it’s time to move.
If you think it’s time to switch to a fulfilment partner, but you’re not sure how to take the next step, contact Prolog Fulfilment for support and guidance. We provide B2C, B2B, FBA & FBM fulfilment, subscription services, kit building, print and mailing solutions, and returns processing.
All our value-added services are designed to exceed your customers’ expectations whilst offering end-to-end visibility.
- Order traceability. Orders are tracked from order receipt to the customer’s door.
- Continuous Improvement. Cost savings for customers are created through innovation, with the additional value of an enhanced customer experience.
- Dedicated Customer Support Team. Help and support is on hand whenever you need it. Alternatively, clients can access their account portal to review orders.
- Onsite IT Team. Our IT team is available to help with any queries. The backup and emergency process is regularly tested to ensure we don’t have any ‘real-time’ faults.
- Growth strategy. Prolog Fulfilment is on a journey of growth, in partnership with our customers. We work in alignment with customer growth strategies to ensure we always have the capacity required to allow for their growth and fluctuations in order patterns.
Good luck from all the team at Prolog Fulfilment https://www.prolog.co.uk/en/ for the remainder of 2021 and we hope to speak with you soon!
