A fulfilment centre uk is a third-party logistics (3PL) company that stores an ecommerce retailer’s inventory strategically so that the orders can be quickly processed and shipped to customers. It differs from a conventional warehouse, which is designed to store items for the long-term and is more static in nature. Fulfilment centres are staffed to quickly process customer orders, so the products can be quickly shipped out to consumers. Fulfilment centres typically specialise in either business-to-business (B2B) or direct-to-consumer (D2C) orders.
When a consumer buys an item from an online store, the order information is sent to the 3PL fulfilment centre via the eCommerce platform that powers the website or app. The fulfilment centre’s technology then alerts staff to pull the order from inventory, package it into a box, and label it for shipping. The tracking information for each shipment is then shared with the customer so they can track its progress.
Streamlining Operations: How Fulfilment Centers in the UK Can Boost Efficiency
Managing ecommerce order fulfilment alongside day-to-day business operations can become overwhelming for many companies, especially small businesses with limited internal resources. Outsourcing your logistics can allow you to free up time and energy to focus on other critical areas of your business, such as marketing, customer service, and product management. Here’s how one company, Nature’s Ultra, did just that by partnering with ShipBob.