Comprehensive fulfillment with InPost - One Stop Shop for e-commerce
Fulfillment
30 March 2023
The process of handing over a certain range of business operations to another entity is a common practice for both large corporations and small companies. In logistics, the outsourcing process is referred to as 3PL (third party logistics), and in the e-commerce industry it is most often referred to as fulfilment. At InPost, such a process also means a number of additional services that create a comprehensive One Stop Shop for e-commerce owners.
Elements of the logistics process in e-commerce
The process of handling the logistics of an online shop, is similar to that of B2B logistics or manufacturing procurement and consists of the following stages: receipt of delivery, storage, preparation for dispatch and delivery to the end customer.
However, due to the fact that in e-commerce the consumer is the final recipient, the In the case of Internet sales, this process requires the modification and extension of standard elements of the logistics process .
- acceptance of delivery - Goods are always accepted in the units in which they are sold, usually in units. Each product must be individually recognisable (each variant, colour and size must have a separate stock code). Additional measures are therefore often required here in the form of the de-packaging and labelling of individual colours in the mix or the addition of Polish labels to imported products.
- storage - due to the unitised, piece-wise releases, storage is mainly at 'zero' level, where an employee can efficiently retrieve goods from the shelf without the need for a forklift truck. The exception to this is automated warehouses, which in turn involve quite costly investments.
- preparation for dispatch - here the differences are quite considerable, because not only do we take individual items from storage, but we also have to prepare them for transport. All products need to be secured appropriately for transport, the right cardboard and fillers selected and the whole thing sealed with tape. For this reason, the basis of an e-commerce warehouse is professional packing tables, which in warehouses supplying e.g. a shop, are almost non-existent in practice.
- shipping/delivery - Here, apart from the sheer size (a small parcel instead of many cartons or pallets), the key difference is the person of the recipient and the place of delivery. In the case of B2B deliveries, the delivery location is generally accessible and the recipient is also generally reachable. In e-commerce, we need to offer forms of delivery that can effectively deliver our parcels to people who work or live in gated communities. For this reason, an essential element of e-commerce logistics is the widest possible portfolio of convenient delivery methods for customers.
- return - in e-commerce is an integral part of handling e-commerce sales. The right to withdraw is guaranteed by law, so e-commerce logistics must guarantee a full returns service.
Synergy of logistics services at InPost
Deciding to put the warehouse and shipping in the hands of professionals, it is essential to consider the comprehensiveness of the services offered and the range of complementary services. Although many logistics operators also act as a courier service broker, when choosing such a solution, it is important to carefully study the provisions of the contract and the scope of responsibility. It is also worth determining, for example, who will be the party in any disputes with couriers.
In addition, logistics companies usually try to make extra money on courier services, so the financial benefit of this type of solution may not be very satisfactory for the e-commerce business owner. The situation is slightly different in the case of a service offer InPost Fulfillment .
By choosing InPost as a business partner, the customer can benefit from a solution One Stop Shop allowing a fairly flexible composition of the service components and, in the broadest sense, covering virtually the entire logistics process - starting with the supplier (even overseas) and continuing through to the acceptance of returns and disposal of recalled products. What is more - all services and process components are provided by a single entity. This is especially important in the area of shipments and optimising their cost.
Using the storage services for e-commerce and parcels offered by InPost, we will not be confronted with the margins imposed by logistics on external courier services because the synergy between fulfilment and transport of InPost is not about generating additional profits at the expense of the customer, but about offering a comprehensive end-to-end service . Within a single organisation, InPost not only provides a full range of services and components for e-commerce logistics, but also enables the use of exceptionally attractive prices for Paczkomat® InPost and Courier InPost services precisely thanks to this internal synergy.
What you can gain by switching to InPost Fulfillment
Choosing a fulfilment solution brings many universal benefits to e-business owners:
- zero or negligible start-up costs
- High potential for business scaling
- conversion of fixed costs into variable costs
- freeing up own resources to be used for the development of e-sales
If the bid is selected InPost Fulfillment In addition to the above advantages, there are also a number of unique benefits:
- special prices for services Paczkomat® InPost and Courier InPost for customers of the fulfillment service
- very late cut-off times (time by which orders placed leave the warehouse the same day)
- comprehensive offer going far beyond intra-warehouse operations and courier brokerage
- homogeneity of the overall process with one entity responsible from start to finish
- a natural choice of delivery method that has been at the top of consumers' preferences for years
- management of all services within a single, coherent Control Tower - it is the customer who decides what and to what extent they use in a "pay as you go" model
The set of competences of the InPost team in the area of e-commerce is also not insignificant. Unlike many logistics operators, whose services for e-commerce have evolved over a long process from full-pallet logistics to clustered deliveries to B2B customers, From the beginning, InPost has been gaining competence in serving the end customer - the consumer . Through these unique experiences, you can count on understanding the needs and values important to both sellers and buyers in the e-commerce channel.
As part of its comprehensive e-commerce support, InPost also offers a range of additional services aimed at developing and improving the business , both at the initial stage and during ongoing operations and expansion:
- e-commerce ecosystem audit which aims not only to prepare in the best possible way for the launch of the fulfilment service, but also to take stock of the applications involved and the team's activities, functionality and value for the consumer.
- cooperation in building an e-commerce strategy in the area of both logistics operations and the development of offerings, building added value or developing the e-commerce ecosystem
- project and business support as part of ongoing cooperation; from training and performance analysis to planning and support for change
- e-commerce training , where InPost specialists can help develop staff and their competences across a very broad spectrum.
The InPost Fulfillment offer is a 360° solution. °, which allows the flexible selection of tools from a very broad catalogue. This means freely deciding which e-business competences to develop yourself and which to outsource to external professionals.
Grow your business with InPost Fulfillment
Storage, packing, shipping – you don’t have to do it yourself! Leave it to the professionals.
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- Lightning-fast delivery
- Cost reduction
- Zero shipping issues
- Peak-season support
- Tailor-made offer
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