How the internet affects order fulfillment

The business of order fulfillment and warehousing is one that is central to the running of many companies. Instead of product development companies having to store, process and deliver items they simply outsource that part of the business to a company that specialises in order fulfillment. This leaves them freed up, in terms of time, money and people-power, to continue to concentrate on the parts of running the company that they are best placed to deal with: product development, customer relations, new business and marketing etc…

The internet has had an enormous impact on order fulfillment and warehousing.Not only does the web make it easier for companies to find someone to outsource this part of their business to, but it has been responsible for the huge rise in internet businesses that have been started from people’s kitchen tables.Individuals who run these online businesses don’t want to be confined in terms of what they can produce or sell but neither do they want to be committed to paying rent on offices with large storage facilities and employing fulltime packers and handlers.

One reason is because the allure of an internet-based business is the potential to keep overheads low and another is because it would impact too much on the lifestyle and ethos of the business.The ideal solution in these instances is to outsource the storage, handling, processing and delivering to a third party, in the same way that you would outsource the manufacture of items (if needed). This leaves the brains behind the business to focus on the parts of the business that only they can do: the creation of new products, the website and marketing – all things that are essential to an internet-based business especially.Finding suitable warehousing for your products is crucial. You need to trust your stock will be taken care of and delivered on time and to the right customer.

Happily, thanks to the internet, the right place might be only a click away.