In uncertain times where government decree may curtail high-street shopping, consumers will turn to e-commerce in droves. You may produce a widget that is in increasing in demand and will want to scale up your operation so that you can take advantage of the situation. Yet you will need to store all of these products somewhere to make sure that they are accessible, so you may be looking at third-party providers to help you. Why do you need to choose your provider very carefully to ensure that their warehouse will be a help and not a hindrance?

Choice

There are many different third-party logistics, or 3PL, companies in the marketplace, but not all of them are as well organised as they could be. They'll need to be part of a seamless operation that runs from your online booking form to the customer delivery point, however, so you need to work with those that pay close attention to this area.

Flexibility

These warehouse providers must have the capacity to grow — and quickly. It's difficult to predict how long this heightened level of demand will last, but you need to work with a partner who has both the immediate scenario in mind and a growth mentality.

Integration

To begin with, determine how well they can fit into your order trail. Can you integrate operation into your shopping cart mechanism, so that they can begin processing the order right away? If you have any roadblocks here, remove them, and make sure that their system can "talk" to yours without any hindrance. Ask them about their internal operation and make sure that they do not have any unnecessary steps in place. The sooner that the product can be picked once the credit card has been swiped, so to speak, the better.

Internal Management

Ask them about their inventory management system as well. There should be no wastage, and management should have the capability to scale up or scale down with relative ease. If you suddenly experience an additional surge and need to step up your production, do they have the capacity to help you out?

Prioritisation

Most warehouse facilities like this will cater to far more than just one consumer. This is acceptable, so long as the business is able to prioritise when needed, and has designed the facility accordingly. If your operation represents the highest volume, it makes sense to store all of your products as close as possible to the loading bays. Find out how long it takes for each of your items to move from picking to packing to departure.

Decision Time

Gather as much information as you can from your prospect before you make your decision. Reach out to 3PL warehousing to learn more.