{"id":24090,"date":"2021-03-12T16:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T16:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/localhost:10003\/?post_type=scaleup&p=24090"},"modified":"2024-08-22T16:05:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T15:05:14","slug":"start-up-fulfilment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/resources\/scale-up\/start-up-fulfilment\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Signs You Shouldn’t Outsource Fulfilment (Yet)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While we\u2019d be the first people to champion the benefits of outsourced fulfilment,<\/a> we\u2019re also transparent about the fact that it\u2019s not for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deciding to outsource fulfilment to a third party isn\u2019t a light one. It\u2019s a big investment. It involves placing significant trust in another party to do right by your customers. It requires a fair bit of work at the outset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So today, we\u2019re going to do something a little different. We\u2019re going to explore a few signs that indicate that outsourcing fulfilment might not be the best solution for your business right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 Signs You Should Wait To Outsource Fulfilment <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Low Or Inconsistent Order Volume<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We speak to a lot of incredible eCommerce brands<\/a> of all shapes and sizes. As a general rule, we advise smaller brands not to outsource fulfilment until they\u2019re consistently shipping at least 300 orders per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simple reason for this is that smaller brands won\u2019t usually feel the cost-benefit of outsourcing. Most 3PLs<\/a> charge based on volume and throughput, so if you\u2019re not shipping 300+ orders consistently, you may find that costs are higher than expected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you aren\u2019t hitting those higher sales numbers just yet, chances are you\u2019ll be able to get by with a smaller, in-house operation. It also gives you the flexibility you need to maintain a close oversight and make adjustments quickly, which is imperative when building a strong foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Want To Retain Full Control <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We get it \u2014 it\u2019s difficult to relinquish control of something that you\u2019ve invested time, money, and your soul into. You\u2019re the one who understands the needs of your customers best, and the fulfilment process has a huge impact on the customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We try to be flexible with brands who want to have more control over their fulfilment operation. That\u2019s largely done via our fulfilment platform, ControlPort<\/a>\u2122, which gives brands the ability to view their operation in full and even communicate with our teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, it\u2019s inevitable that you will need to place a lot of trust in the hands of your fulfilment partner. You\u2019ll need to place trust in their <\/em>processes and their <\/em>people and have confidence that they also want what\u2019s best for your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all of that sounds like too much right now, outsourcing probably isn\u2019t for you just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve Not Run Out Of Physical Space<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re comfortable in your environment and don\u2019t feel as though units, packaging materials, and other fulfilment-related peripherals are getting the best of you, chances are your operation is still small enough to manage in-house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your home has been taken over by cardboard boxes or your rented space looks like the emptied contents of a car boot sale, you may feel like outsourcing fulfilment is the best option to reclaim your space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the above might indicate it\u2019s time to outsource, that\u2019s not always the case. Sometimes it\u2019s just down to organisation, while at other times it might be because you\u2019ve ordered too much stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things Aren\u2019t Perfect, But They\u2019re working<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everything in life is a balancing act. If you\u2019re still doing things in-house, you\u2019re probably aware that a lot of day-to-day tasks and processes probably aren\u2019t as efficient as they could be. Perhaps you\u2019re recording everything manually on a spreadsheet, or printing label after label. You probably know it\u2019s not the best way of doing things, and you\u2019d rather give all the hassle to someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if things are manageable, your customers aren\u2019t complaining and you\u2019re not pulling your hair out, chances are that keeping things in-house is probably the best option for now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those inefficiencies would become a real problem if sales started flooding in, and that\u2019s when it\u2019s time to think about outsourcing \u2014 when it\u2019s impossible to keep up without going mad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re Not Proactively Driving Growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s perfectly okay to run an eCom brand as a side hustle or hobby. Not every business owner needs to shoot for the moon. If you\u2019re running your business on the side and have no real plans to drive growth, then you\u2019re best off keeping fulfilment in-house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the main reasons people choose to outsource is to get the time and headspace back to pursue growth activities, whether that\u2019s marketing<\/a>, networking, product development, or nurturing their team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not overly focused on growth, keep things simple \u2014 keep things in-house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re Struggling Financially<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This one is a given, but we thought it best to mention it. You shouldn\u2019t consider outsourcing fulfilment if you\u2019re amid financial instability or your business is facing issues with cash flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite outsourced fulfilment being incredibly cost-effective in the long run, there is still the initial investment to think about. You\u2019ll have the cost of shipping your stock to the fulfilment centre, as well as a set-up fee at the outset. There are also regular invoices to pay going forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only consider working with a 3PL if you\u2019re financially able to do so, as you could find yourself in bigger trouble if you\u2019re unable to meet the contractual obligations to your provider<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At J&J, we want what\u2019s best for your business. And if that means being honest upfront and advising that now\u2019s not the best time for a partnership, then so be it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If after reading this article you think exploring outsourced fulfilment is the right next step for your business, then we\u2019d love to speak with you. With our international network of fulfilment centres<\/a> and industry-leading 3PL services<\/a>, we\u2019re well equipped to take growing brands to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find out more, give us a call on +44 (0)1604 968 820<\/a> or fill out our online form<\/a>, and we\u2019ll be in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While we\u2019d be the first people to champion the benefits of outsourced fulfilment, we\u2019re also transparent about the fact that it\u2019s not for everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":34886,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[376],"tags":[415],"class_list":["post-24090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scale-up","tag-uk"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Simon Fryer","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/6-signs@2x-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/6-signs@2x-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":"J&J Global Fulfilment","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/author\/james-and-james\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}