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Category Archives: Omni-Channel Retail

How Can 3PL Logistics Services Add Value and Drive Customer Purchases?

Consumer behaviour is an interesting field of study, and one that is in a constant state of evolution. Thanks to the introduction of new technologies, new retail and e-commerce models, and global social communications, the way we shop and evaluate our options as consumers is vastly different than it was even a few years ago.

Traditional marketing thinking often focuses on the benefits and advantages of the product itself, taking in to consideration factors like price, features, functions, and style. Indeed, while these are all extremely important elements, modern consumers are looking at the entire experience from end to end in-depth and with greater scrutiny than ever before. This is especially true in commodity-based items like consumer electronics, where 10 other retailers all carry the same models.

This means that all of the other elements that impact their shopping experience need to be carefully evaluated and optimized, and this includes your supply chain and logistics operations. When you take a step back and look at the whole customer experience that your company offers, you’ll realize just how critical your supply chain is, and how drastically it can influence the experience your customers have.

Let’s explore some of the key factors that are tied directly to your supply chain and logistics processes, and how you can leverage them as added value to your customers.

Retail & E-commerce Experience

The first point of direct contact that your customers have with your business is generally either your website or a retail location, and this is where set the tone for their experience. As your customer browses your retail showroom or navigates the various sections of your website, inventory management plays a critical role in determining if they can find what they’re looking for – if it’s available in their local store, and if they can order online and pickup in store, a popular option these days.

Inventory needs to be well-organized, appropriately stocked, and accessible to the customers. If your supply chain falls behind in maintaining stock volumes or hits delays in shipment times, the impact on your customer experience is significant. However, by enabling transparency in stock volumes and providing an easy way to navigate through all the available options, you are able to manage expectations and provide alternatives in the event that a particular item may not be immediately available.

In addition, the retail experience can be enhanced with e-commerce tools. Allowing customers to place their order for the desired products, having it either shipped directly to their home or notifying them when the products come in to stock at their preferred retail location, provides a lot of added value and convenience. 3PL logistics services can help reduce friction in these areas by integrating retail and e-commerce systems that simplify the customer shopping experience.

Picking, Packing, and Shipping

The speed of order fulfilment is also an important element of the customer experience. Once they’ve placed their order with you, how fast will it get picked, packed, and shipped out the door? By equipping your supply chain with efficient methods and tools like automation, you can reduce the time between order placement and delivery.

Leveraging 3PL services will help you refine your warehousing and distribution operations by increasing efficiency of fulfilment, as well as greater accuracy and consistency in picking and packing processes. Furthermore, 3PL logistics can improve your packaging to help prevent damage during shipping and make for a more pleasant customer experience during the unboxing and setup steps once they receive their items.

Flexible and on-demand transportation resources from 3PL logistics providers allow your company to reduce delivery times, as well as serve distant or remote markets more effectively. This means that customers that were previously inaccessible to you due to geographic limitations are now able to place their orders and receive them quickly.

Transparency & Communication

Another potential point of friction in the customer experience is the ability for customers to obtain information on the status of their orders and the availability of products. Enhanced e-commerce tools available from 3PL service providers allow up-to-date inventory volumes to be displayed directly on your product pages on your website and allow customers to track their orders in real-time directly from their account.

Communication of status updates can also be automated using 3PL services. This way your customers can be automatically notified regarding a wide range of topics that can help add value to their experience. They can receive stock level notifications, order updates, shipping times, returns processing details, and more. By providing greater transparency about the information that matters to customers, 3PL services help to further enhance their overall experience.

Reverse Logistics

Customers are also placing a great deal of importance on the returns policy and processes that a company offers in the event that there is some type of mistake with their order. While this can occur for a variety of reasons, such as ordering the wrong size or colour, or perhaps due to a missing part or component, the ability for the customer to have the issue corrected is of critical importance.

You can offer a simpler and easier returns experience for your customers by utilizing 3PL services to handle your reverse logistics. Tools can be implemented that allow your customers to easily submit returns requests online and get the information they need. Alternatively, phone systems and support can be put in place that provides personal service directly to customers and assists them with their needs.

Whatever the best method for managing returns and reverse logistics tasks will be for your customers, the most important aspect is to make sure that the process is smooth and easy from their perspective. By making it simple for customers to have their problems corrected, you can provide a lot of value and help improve customer retention and satisfaction.

Add Value in Everything You Do

If you’re sensing a theme throughout this article, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that providing value in the customer experience wherever you can is the ultimate goal, and your logistics and supply chain processes are no exception. Your business thrives when you offer the best combination of value and experience to your customers, and so it’s important to look for every opportunity you can in order to achieve that goal.

For companies looking to gain a competitive advantage through value-added 3PL logistics services, you can get started by contacting the team here at SCI today.

We are ready to help your business provide a better consumer experience, improve customer acquisition, and boost loyalty with efficient and effective logistics solutions.  Contact us today and get the conversation started.

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Supply Chain Flexibility: the Benefits and Limitations

Optimizing your supply chain to better suit the unique needs of your business is a wise move, and one that leads to higher efficiencies, an improved customer experience, and greater competitive advantage. However, many companies face challenges in determining if they would be better off striving for a lean and simplified supply chain or if they should opt for supply chain flexibility that is more dynamic.

This is not an easy question to answer, and each company will inevitably reach a different conclusion that is somewhere on the spectrum between the two. Most businesses quickly realize that a blend of the two approaches is the best way to go, picking and choosing logistics elements from each supply chain strategy that provide the greatest benefits for their future success.

To understand what the best balance of a lean supply chain and supply chain flexibility will be for your business, it’s important to take a look at the benefits and limitations of each approach. Then you can adjust your supply chain strategy accordingly to leverage the elements that best fit the demands of your market, the needs of your customers, and your competitive situation.

Benefits of a Lean Supply Chain

By definition, a lean supply chain will provide the most cost-effective approach to ensuring that your products are moved efficiently and consistently throughout your supply chain. It achieves this by determining the minimum resources needed to achieve each task along the path in the supply chain, without making sacrifices that would negatively impact quality or other critical aspects of your business.

Lean focuses on reducing waste, improving speed, maximizing floor space utilization, and continually building greater value in to the entire supply chain. The benefits that a lean supply chain can bring to a company are numerous, such as lower operating costs and reduced overhead. Employee productivity, improved quality, shorter lead times, and reduced waste generation are additional benefits that come from a lean approach to supply chain management.

By leveraging a lean supply chain, businesses can help improve their bottom line and redirect resources in to other aspects of their operations such as product development, marketing, manufacturing, and many others. Lean supply chains can be a significant advantage in markets where competition is fierce and profit margins are challenging.

Limitations of a Lean Supply Chain

While the benefits of a lean supply chain are certainly appealing for many businesses, it’s important to also understand the limitations that a lean supply chain carries. Specifically, lean supply chains work best when the flow of products through the system are predictable and consistent. This is because the processes are optimized for maximum efficiency based on a certain level of throughput, and if the throughput changes, the efficiencies will change along with it.

In the event that the flow of products suddenly decreases, which can occur for a wide range of reasons including seasonal trends and competitive activity, then there is potential for a lean operation to experience underutilized resources. Excess warehouse space and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments are just a couple of examples of how this can occur.

Contrarily, if the flow of products experiences an unexpected surge, there may not be enough capacity in the supply chain to effectively handle the increased volumes. This can result in a spike in operating costs stemming from overtime hours, additional transportation costs, temporary warehousing, and many other factors.

Benefits of Supply Chain Flexibility

For companies who face unpredictable markets, or for those businesses that are experiencing rapid growth, the limitations of a lean supply chain can hinder their ability to effectively meet demand. In these types of instances, establishing a flexible and dynamic supply chain can be the better approach.

Flexible supply chains are far more effective at dealing with the ebbs and flows of seasonal industries, as well as changing demand due to new advancements in product technologies, and rapid expansion in to new and emerging markets.

This is accomplished by leveraging a wide range of dynamic resources such as shared warehousing, LTL and same-day transportation, and many other 3PL logistics services.

By having the ability to add or subtract supply chain resources at any time, companies who take a flexible approach are able to adjust quickly to the needs of the market. In many industries, this nimble logistics method can be a substantial competitive advantage, especially when time-to-market is of critical importance.

Limitations of Supply Chain Flexibility

It’s clear that many companies are best suited to flexible supply chains, but there are still some factors at play that can be a challenge for businesses that are not prepared for them. For example, because flexible supply chains often rely on third-party logistics providers, they require a certain level of trust to be placed on those 3PL firms to provide a customer experience that lives up to the brand promises. For this reason, companies using flexible supply chain strategies need to choose their 3PL partners carefully.

In addition, the costs associated with temporary warehousing and transportation resources will likely be slightly higher than what would be seen with dedicated resources that have been optimized with a lean approach. Although they do carry the added advantage of only being an expense when they are actually needed, for companies that require them often these additional costs can add up.

Which Approach is Right for Your Business?

So, which method is the best choice for your business? Well, the answer of course is ‘it depends’. The reality is that every company will need to incorporate elements of both in to their logistics strategy. Although your needs may sway more to one approach than the other, there are benefits to be gained by using both where it makes the most sense.

You may choose to invest in a very lean approach to your warehousing, inventory management, and order fulfillment operations, while simultaneously taking advantage of flexible transportation resources to get products where they need to be quickly.

On the other hand, perhaps the best approach would be a combination of shared and dedicated warehousing capacity that your transportation fleet can move between during the peaks and valleys of your seasonal sales cycles.

Whatever solution your company decides to go with, it’s absolutely essential to partner with 3PL logistics providers that have the expertise and experience to help your business succeed.

To learn more about how you can incorporate lean or flexible supply chain strategies in to your business, contact the team of logistics experts here at SCI.

We’d be glad to assist you and answer any questions you may have.

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Elevate Apparel Retail with Strategic 3PL Logistics Solutions

The apparel market is rapidly evolving, and many retailers are turning to 3PL services for a competitive advantage. Canadian apparel retailers are experiencing a very different market landscape than what existed even just a few years ago. E-commerce shifts are continually causing consumer purchasing habits to change, and their expectations for service and accessibility are changing right along with them.

Apparel retailers are under increasing pressure to provide a more personalized shopping experience for their customers, while simultaneously streamlining a complex and well-established supply chain system. As you can imagine, this can be exceptionally difficult for many businesses, and the limited resources of time and capital aren’t making things any easier.

Nevertheless, there are solutions to many of the supply chain problems faced by apparel retailers. In this article, we will illustrate some of the key trends affecting the world of apparel retail, and how the services available from third-party logistics companies (3PL) are helping to change the game for many apparel retailers.

Balancing Inventory Levels with Fashion Trends

The fashion industry has always moved pretty quickly, with new styles traditionally arriving each and every season. However, digital media has accelerated this time frame dramatically, and new fashion trends don’t wait for seasons to change before the demand rises. With trendsetters constantly sharing the latest and greatest looks from all over the world, 24/7, demand for a particular style or product can change literally overnight.

Retailers who used to invest in stocking millions of units of the same products to distribute across their nationwide locations are now realizing that they need to adapt to a nimbler method. This is called “fast fashion”: smaller quantities of products in far greater ranges of variants are needed now, and the demand patterns are often unpredictable at the local level.

Agile warehousing and rapid transportation services that are offered by 3PL logistics companies can help ensure that your apparel business is able to quickly and effectively get new product in to the right locations at the right time to capitalize on this challenging consumer behaviour.

Package Consolidation & Duty Fees

International shipping carries its own set of challenges for apparel retailers, too. For shipments heading to the US, it often makes more sense to ship individual orders directly to customers in order to avoid incurring duty fees associated with packages that hold a larger dollar value. In these cases, individual shipping right from the factory works quite well.

On the other side of the 49th parallel, Canada presents a different problem with high shipping costs for smaller, individualized packages. Many US retailers are learning to save costs by consolidating multiple packages destined for individual customers in to one main shipment as it enters Canada. Once inside the country, the larger package is then broken down at a 3PL facility and the individual packages are shipped out to their final recipients.

3PL companies that provide picking, packing, and shipping services alongside advanced inventory management and material handling capabilities are able to deliver a great deal of value to apparel retailers. Because of these advantages, 3PL companies can quickly and accurately get high volumes of orders fulfilled and shipped to customers in less time.

Increasing Levels of Product Personalization / Customization

If you’ve ever bought a shirt that fits great around the body but the arms are either way too long or way too short, you know the frustrations that are inherent in standard apparel sizing. To provide a better product and an enhanced customer experience, many apparel companies are now choosing to offer a level of customization in their products that was not possible previously.

Online tools such as videos, infographics, and tutorials are provided to instruct customers on how to accurately gather the necessary measurements and style criteria for their items. To simplify the process, forms are often used and the customer can select from a range of pre-determined options for things like fabric, colour, trim, or other essential elements.

Based on the details provided, software tools then compile the data and assemble a digital pattern that follows the customer’s requirements. This pattern is then provided to the manufacturing facilities where the product is made to spec, packed, and shipped out.

Because of these extra steps in the process, retailers who offer customized apparel are under immense pressure to reduce the time between receipt of an order and the moment it ships out the door. 3PL logistics services that focus on more efficient material handling, accurate inventory management, and speed through automation are extremely valuable for apparel companies who are choosing to offer increased customization for their customers.

Choose a 3PL with Apparel Experience

It’s quite clear to see the advantages that partnering with the right 3PL can provide, but it’s also important to choose one that has experience in dealing with the retail apparel industry. When it comes to clothes, customers have high expectations of what their shopping experience should be like, and that includes fulfillment and delivery times, packaging, and even the returns process.

Canadian 3PL businesses such as SCI are experienced in the world of apparel retail logistics and have the knowledge and capabilities to deliver a world-class solution for your apparel business. Our team of experts will work closely with you every step of the way to ensure the solution that is implemented provides the competitive advantage your company needs to succeed and thrive.

To learn more about 3PL services for apparel retailers, contact our team of logistics professionals today. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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Benefits of Scalable and Flexible 3PL Warehousing Space

Growing companies are faced with many challenges, especially their supply chains. As the volume of products increases, market size grows, and new locations are added to the distribution range, Canadian businesses in particular encounter a wide range of factors that impact their ability to remain competitive. In order to gain competitive advantage, it’s critical to evaluate your approach to warehousing and make smart choices that enable continued growth and success. This article will show you how flexible and scalable 3PL warehousing space is improving Canadian logistics.

For many companies operating in Canada, storage and warehousing of products presents numerous problems that must be overcome. The distance between major urban centers can be quite vast in this country, and market demands can fluctuate substantially as the seasons change. In order to meet these challenges, more and more Canadian companies are turning to third-party logistics (3PL) warehousing solutions.

Flexible 3PL warehousing provides several advantages to companies that are faced with growing pains in their supply chain. Although each company will naturally have a different set of circumstances under which they operate, the overall benefits of 3PL warehousing are generally the same for most companies. Let’s now explore some of these benefits in more detail.

Benefits of Scalable and Flexible 3PL Warehousing

Flexibility

Sales seasonality has some serious implications on business operations, as it means fluctuations in your consumer demand throughout the year. These ebbs and flows in the sales cycle can be extremely difficult for fixed warehousing assets to accommodate, since these fixed resources are always either under capacity or over capacity depending on the time of year and the volume of sales.

3PL warehousing resources add flexibility to your supply chain by providing the extra space you need during higher volume surges, and then keeps costs low when you require less space during quiet sales periods. This flexibility provides your company assurances that no matter what the upcoming season may bring, your warehousing capacity will meet the needs of the business. To read more about managing sales peaks, read this whitepaper.

Scalability

Another benefit that 3PL warehousing provides is the ability to scale with your business as it grows. Unlike seasonal cycles which raise and lower with at least some level of predictability, the need for ongoing increased warehouse capacity as a result of business growth cannot always be foreseen.

When your company experiences substantial growth in a short period of time, you need a warehousing solution that can provide the additional capacity immediately, which is exactly what 3PL warehouse facilities provide. Your business can rest easy knowing that when you need more space, it will be there and ready for you to use at the right time.

Of course, rapid and unexpected growth isn’t the only reason that scalability is a benefit. In cases where your company is aggressively seeking new markets, additional scalability can come in the form of 3PL warehousing resources in other locations across the country. As your company sets its sights on new markets in distant locations, the coast-to-coast coverage of a 3PL warehousing network can be a major strategic advantage.

Reduced Overhead

Every company needs to manage their overhead costs to help ensure financial stability and predictability, and the ideas of taking on additional overhead in the form of dedicated warehousing space is not something that many companies would be excited about. 3PL warehousing solutions help alleviate that stress by providing your company exactly the space you need at exactly the time you need it.

Flexible and scalable warehousing solutions from 3PL logistics firms allow your company to minimize the costs associated with warehousing while simultaneously enabling greater supply chain efficiency and improved ability to adapt to market demands.

Value-Added Flexible 3PL Warehousing Services

In addition to simply providing the extra space your company needs, 3PL services also include many other benefits that your business can leverage. Besides distribution services (inventory management, material handling, automation, packaging, and fulfilment), a 3PL can provide a variety of value added logistics services which you can leverage to supplement your internal capacity, shorten turnaround times, and improve overall consistency for your customers.

3PL warehousing resources can also include assistance with regulatory compliance, which is especially valuable for companies that are involved in the healthcare industry.

These specialized facilities are equipped specifically to deal with the stringent rules and regulations that are necessary to properly store, handle, and transport sensitive products and equipment.

Expanding Your Capacity for Growth

Overall, all of these benefits work towards the common objective of your company’s growth. By providing your business with nimble warehousing solutions, the ability to expand capacity virtually instantaneously, and cost savings through greater efficiencies, 3PL services help ensure the continued success of your company.

As the market evolves to become even more competitive, your business needs every advantage it can get in order to maintain and grow market share. Flexible and scalable warehousing solutions can provide a substantial edge over your competition.

To learn more about 3PL warehousing and how flexible warehousing solutions can benefit your company, contact the SCI team today.

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How 3PL Logistics Services from SCI are Making Retail E-commerce Better

There’s no denying that the rapid growth and evolution of e-commerce retail has created a fiercely competitive environment for Canadian companies in this sector. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like this trend is likely to slow down any time soon, so you’ll need to take every step and leverage every advantage you can in order to ensure the success of your business today and in the future. This includes investing in a supply chain that is efficient, flexible, and capable of scaling to meet the demands of your growing business.

Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities that exist to improve your supply chain, streamline the flow of products, and enhance the overall customer experience. E-commerce retail companies need to carefully evaluate each area of logistics, from warehousing and transportation to order fulfilment and returns handling. Only by optimizing your entire supply chain can your business achieve the maximum competitive advantage in your markets, and SCI’s range of 3PL logistics services are designed to do exactly that.

SCI’s omni-channel retail capabilities have made a huge difference for many Canadian businesses who are challenged with increasing aggressiveness from domestic and international competitors. By leveraging SCI’s vast array of logistics capabilities and resources, these companies have been able to deliver a better retail experience for their customers, resulting in increased satisfaction, greater customer retention, and a boost to their bottom line.

Here are just a few of the advantages that SCI is able to deliver.

Coast to Coast Coverage

One of the keys to efficient nationwide distribution and fast order fulfillment is the ability to warehouse product in strategic locations across the country. Canada’s population is mainly concentrated near the US border, with scattered pockets of densely populated areas in varying frequency as you move north. Since many of these urban centers are separated by great distances, the time savings that can be achieved through a coast-to-coast warehouse and distribution network can be substantial. Fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, and capital investment can all be minimized by utilizing SCI’s extensive transportation and warehousing resources.

Emphasis on Speed and Accuracy

As your company continues to grow, it can be difficult to maintain speedy turnaround of customer orders, accuracy of picking and packing, and quick delivery times. This is an all-too-common problem for companies as surging order volumes can stretch limits of your facilities and your employees to the breaking point. Eventually, you need additional help with these processes in order to maintain and improve customer satisfaction. SCI’s 3PL services place an emphasis on both speed and accuracy to ensure that your products are picked, packed, and shipped quickly and correctly each and every time.


Improving the Final Mile

It will probably come as no surprise to you that the final mile accounts for a disproportionate amount of the total cost of the transportation of goods. However, you may not be aware that this can be up to 30%, or possibly more, of the total cost of transportation of products for some types of businesses. This makes the final mile a critical element of your logistics operations, and one of the biggest opportunities for companies to improve their ability to serve their markets. With a nationwide distribution network and a fleet of trucks of all sizes, SCI helps ensure that your final mile will be much more effective.

Data-Driven Recommendations

We live in the world of big data. With an overwhelming amount of information available to businesses about customer habits, logistics performance, competitor intel and sales patterns it can be hard to sort through the massive piles of data and extract truly valuable insights from it. Having SCI’s team of transportation management experts on your side, who can analyze the data and provide deep insights and recommendations, can help your company develop and implement an effective growth strategy and allow you to surpass your competitors. Having the data available is one thing, but being able to decipher the underlying messages within is where the real advantages come from.

Full Product Lifecycle Management

All too often, companies underestimate the importance to the customer of the returns experience. Whether the product was ordered in error, or perhaps arrived damaged or defective, the ability to provide an easy and hassle-free returns experience can be a major factor in customer satisfaction and retention. If the customer feels frustrated by the returns process or needs to jump through too many hoops in order to complete it, they may very well opt to do business with one of your competitors next time.

Time and time again, research tells us a negative customer experience that is turned around and has a positive outcome can have a greater likelihood of generating repeat business than a normal, problem-free experience. This is because a company is often judged with greater scrutiny on how they handle fixing a problem than they are when things go smoothly. The way in which they solve the problem is an opportunity to showcase customer service dedication and commitment to excellence. SCI works with your business to develop a returns process that works for your customers and delivers a smooth, hassle-free experience to help keep your customers satisfied and boost retention.

Conclusion

As you can clearly see, there is a great deal of value that SCI has to offer through 3PL logistics services. Whether your company is challenged with reaching distant markets, speeding up delivery times, or providing a seamless returns experience, SCI has the experience and expertise you need to succeed.

If you’re ready to learn more about how you can leverage SCI’s 3PL logistics services to boost your retail e-commerce business, contact us today and we will be glad to arrange for a consultation to help answer any of your questions. So, don’t hesitate, get started down the right path with SCI.

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The Different Reasons Small, Medium and Large Businesses Outsource to 3PLs

When people hear the word “outsource”, they tend to have a stereotypical image that pops in to their head of gigantic corporations hiring massive workforces in foreign countries. However, the reality is that outsourcing can be done by businesses of all sizes for a wide variety of reasons, especially in the world of logistics, in order to achieve an equally wide variety of benefits. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the common challenges that businesses face at different stages of their evolution, and how leveraging an outsourced 3PL logistics provider can help solve the problems and set the stage for further success and growth.

Logistics Challenges Change as a Business Grows

Regardless of the nature of the product or service, small businesses often face common challenges when it comes to logistics. Since they are often dealing with a proportionally smaller customer base or volume of orders, they may not necessarily need their transportation resources to be constantly available. Some small businesses may only need to physically move product or supplies in stages, and not all day, every day. Warehousing and storage capacity are also common issues, with limited funds available with which to purchase or lease space. This limited space often translates in to great urgency when stock is depleted and rush shipments are required to replenish it.

In addition, small businesses often rely on members of their team to fill multiple roles depending on the needs of the business at any given time. It’s not unusual for some employees to be serving customers on a showroom floor at one moment, and the next be packing product and loading a truck for an urgent shipment. While the team member may be doing a fine job of both tasks, more often than not they are not as efficient as a trained specialist would be in one of those roles.

When a company is successful enough to grow to what is considered a medium-sized business, they usually reach a point where some of the usual challenges faced by small businesses are no longer a concern. However, they typically have been replaced by a new set of logistics issues to deal with. For mid-sized businesses, these challenges commonly include warehousing, which is a balancing act to avoid the opposing problems of under-capacity and over-capacity.

Mid-size businesses can also face challenges when seasonal changes in business cause order volumes to fluctuate between full truckload shipments and less-than-truckload shipments (LTL). This presents the problem of inconsistent transportation costs and can add a great deal of unpredictability, especially as the business may choose to expand to serve new markets or geographical areas.

Large companies, such as corporate franchises and enterprise-level organizations, are still not immune to some of the challenges faced by small and mid-size businesses, but also must be wary of many other factors that can impact the success of their logistics efforts. Cost savings is a major concern to businesses of all sizes, but when you begin dealing with multiple international markets, dozens of physical locations, massive warehousing requirements, and round-the-clock transportation of goods, this factor takes on a whole new level of impact. Logistics costs for some large corporations can hit a high percent of their overhead, so any opportunity to achieve greater efficiency is worth seriously considering.

Another major logistics factor that has substantial effects on large businesses is the consistency and reliability of their logistics operations. When dealing with large volumes of products, it’s absolutely critical that each and every shipment is delivered in the same manner, with the same level of care and attention in order to ensure the most consistent end-user experience regardless of where the final sale is made. Logistics has a much bigger impact on customer satisfaction than many people realize, and because of this it is often one of the most underestimated facets of many businesses. On the plus side, this also means it is one of the biggest opportunities, if your company is willing to invest in the right things to take advantage of it.

No matter the size or scope of your business, there are many advantages to be gained by partnering with a third-party logistics (3PL) service provider. These advantages may differ based on the nature of your industry and the type of products or services you provide, but in the end, they are too valuable to ignore.

Small Business Benefits from Outsourcing Logistics

There are many benefits that small businesses can realize through 3PL logistics. A few of the more notable benefits include ability to leverage flexible on-demand storage and warehousing, alleviating the pressure of having limited storage space in your facility. 3PL companies also enable same-day shipping, as well as fulfilment and inventory management for e-commerce businesses.

Mid-size Business Benefits from Outsourcing Logistics

In addition to all the benefits that small businesses can realize with 3PL services, mid-size companies also have the ability to utilize warehousing resources in distant locations in order to better serve growth segments or emerging markets. E-commerce companies are particularly fortunate when it comes to leveraging 3PL services to handle packing, shipping, and even returns in a scalable and flexible way that works with the ebb and flow in your seasonal business cycle.

Large Business Benefits from Outsourcing Logistics

For large businesses, the benefits of 3PL service have never been clearer to see than they are today. Warehousing, transportation, and human resources all carry substantial costs with them, and 3PL providers offer greater efficiency, reliability, and flexibility to meet the varying needs of large businesses. Providing a consistent customer experience through all stages of distribution, including final mile delivery, has never been more important, and choosing the right partners can make a big difference.

Conclusion

While the reasons for choosing to outsource some or all of your logistics and distribution processes may vary from those of other businesses, it is clear that the benefits are substantial and that they can have a serious impact on the success of your business as it grows and evolves. However, just as there are many reasons to choose a 3PL service provider to help your business on its path, there are also many things to look for in a trusted 3PL partner.

The team at SCI is comprised of experienced professionals with the knowledge and expertise it takes to help your business make smart decisions for your logistics needs and help you achieve your short-term and long-term goals.

Contact us today to speak with one of our logistics experts and get started with a free consultation on how we can work together for the future success of your business.

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