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Fulfilment services for start-up businesses
When you embark on a new eCommerce venture, it’s tempting to use a start-up fulfilment service from the get-go. But unless you’re consistently taking 300 orders per month, it’s unlikely to be cost effective.
That’s because fulfilment services for start-ups tend to charge minimum monthly fees, regardless of the number of orders you take. If you’re spreading this fee across hundreds of orders, it’ll be affordable. But if it’s just a handful, the cost won’t outweigh the benefit.
Here we explain when the time is right to talk to us about outsourcing your fulfilment.
When should you use a fulfilment service for start-ups?
We typically advise start-up owners to come to us when they’re taking 300 orders each and every month. But there are a few exceptions to this rule.
Crowdfunding and pre-orders
If you’ve launched your new venture through Kickstarter, Indiegogo or another crowdfunding platform, you’re likely to have thousands of pre-orders to despatch quickly. Outsourced fulfilment can help you get over this initial peak, and provide ongoing storage and shipping thereafter.
International expansion
If you’ve already had success in another market and are looking to launch in the UK or US, we can support your global growth. Our worldwide network of fulfilment centres and real-time, cloud-based software make it simple to manage international operations.
Experienced entrepreneurs
Maybe this isn’t your first venture. Maybe you’ve worked for an established brand and are now launching your own thing. If you’re experienced at gaining traction in your chosen market, we can help you reach the point that outsourced fulfilment makes sense much quicker.
Angel investment
If you’ve secured outside investment to get your idea off the ground, you’re likely to have a clear marketing plan to ramp up your order volumes quickly. If you’re confident you’ll hit 150 – 200 in the next few months, let’s talk about outsourcing your fulfilment now.
Is our start-up fulfilment service right for you?
Our service is best suited to retailers that have:
Brands that are ready to scale
We help brands with proven products, established business models and growing sales get to the next level.
1,000+ orders per month
We ease the growing pains of brands that are already shipping – or are about to ship – 1,000+ orders per month.
Direct-to-consumer sales
We specialise in D2C eCommerce fulfilment, rather than traditional pallet-based storage and distribution.
Small, lightweight products
We’re optimised for fast-moving consumer products that are smaller than a football and lighter than a laptop.Not taking 300 orders every month yet?
We’ve put together a six-part guide on how to start an eCommerce business and make it a success:
How have we helped other start-ups grow?
Anne Beauty doubles turnover, cuts time spent processing orders by 75%
By setting up a Shopify store and integrating with James and James, Anne Beauty has saved time processing orders, and re-focused on growth.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend James and James. Their level of service, advice and professionalism has taken away many of the risks of scaling our business.
– Shareen Akhtar, Founder, Anne Beauty
Armadillo Merino shoots for the stars with global fulfilment solution
With a customer base of soldiers, firefighters and even NASA astronauts, Armadillo Merino needed a global fulfilment partner that could deliver on time, every time.
We’re building an international brand with a reputation for high-performance garments. We see James and James as an important partner in this global marketing strategy.
” – Andy Caughey, Co-founder, Armadillo Merino
Auteur Limited grows sales and range of sustainable products
With a focus on design-led, sustainable products, Auteur Limited has “grown massively” with support from James and James, and our off-the-shelf WooCommerce integration.
What’s great about WooCommerce and James and James is that we get notifications if there’s a problem, meaning we can really stay on top of the orders. We’d 100% recommend it.
– Kirstie Pendry, Marketing Associate, Auteur Limited
MEMI – a growing cosmetics brand – competes with global giants
When building a unique vegan makeup brand, MEMI enlisted James and James to manage stock and deliver quickly, even during influencer-driven sales spikes.
When people buy online, it’s not just the website experience that’s important, it’s how quickly they get the product. James and James offers a fantastic service and we’ve had great reviews.
– Jack Thompson, Co-founder, MEMI