For most individuals in the consumer sector, fulfillment centers, together with warehouses, are usually seen as the same thing, especially when it comes from the perspective of eCommerce fulfillment. But, they play unique roles in these sectors.
Being an eCommerce merchant, you should have heard that different fulfillment centers can aid the management of unique operations aspects of an eCommerce business. But what happens in the China fulfillment center? How different is it from a specific warehouse?
Background Check
A warehouse refers to a building used to store goods. All too often, warehouses are used by importers, exporters, and transport businesses. Customs also use warehouses for different activities in the commercial sector. These spaces usually have some loading docks used to load as well as unload products from trucks.
The Difference
Fulfillment centers play a significant role in inventory management processes. How? These areas handle different activities as follows:
- Inventory management
- Picking
- Packing
- Storage
Roles Of A Fulfillment Center
In our first series of a fulfillment center, we based our discussion on the definition and nature of the operation. But in this segment, we are going to break it down for you in detail. What do fulfillment centers do?
Let us break it down for you, shall we?
The fulfillment center of operations comprises of the tasks that assist in getting different online orders to a customer’s doorstep. Usually, the process is also commonly known as the broad range of order fulfillment process.
But note, to be successful in the order placement, an eCommerce business inventory will be stored strategically in the fulfillment center. This is typically in preparation for processing customer’s orders. When the shopper has completed his or her purchase on the eCommerce store, then the inventory will be picked. Boxes will then be packed and later on labeled in readiness for shipment.
Different fulfillment centers are always capable of processing B2B orders of high volumes. The box will be sent to a retailer and consumer and shipped to their home. And when a seller decides to outsource eCommerce fulfillment, then the 3PL is going to complete the entire fulfillment process on behalf of the store owner. This includes everything from negotiating different rates with the carriers to the exact inventory management.
If you decide to use a fulfillment center in the case of your B2C eCommerce business, then you must understand that the items will move faster than in a storage warehouse since the products are already sent directly to the relevant consumers.
For example, a white shirt is going to be stored in the same rack as other given products in the same category. These shirts can further be separated into different sizes and stored on shelves. Immediately a customer decides to place an order for a shirt, then the workers at the fulfillment center will pick the item from the shelf and then pack it in preparation for delivery.
Final Thoughts
A fulfillment firm is capable of having relationships with different shipping carriers. Because the centers operate to help fulfill direct orders as soon as possible, then will need carriers to help pick up the shipments daily.
