The progression from an idea to a highly successful e-commerce business is described in many ways by experts in the industry. You’ll hear it referred to as a roller coaster, a marathon, a journey, or any number of other metaphors intended to convey the message that it is long and complex.

In many ways, the first stages of that journey are the most critical, as a startup founder takes a great idea and develops it into a prototype, tests it, makes modifications, and finally comes up with a version that is ready to introduce to the public. At the same time, the small company is setting up a public facing website, most likely launching marketing campaigns, and preparing to ship product to customers.

One More Critical Step

The next step in the process is one that too many young startups take for granted. The fulfillment of customer orders is an element that is not just the natural culmination of having a great product and logging sales. It’s an activity that could go many different ways, ranging from quick, accurate delivery of product to a constant stream of mistakes that add up to a disastrous lack of trust on the part of the public. 

One big error on the part of startup e-commerce businesses is to look for the cheapest option for 3PL fulfillment. Cutting costs in this area by settling for the bidder who is willing to move products into and out of their facility at the lowest price is an extremely risky move! Typically a very low cost for this activity means that the provider is inexperienced, understaffed, or has already earned a poor reputation in the industry and can’t get new contracts without undercutting more trustworthy competitors.

What Can Happen?

For better or worse, the customers who purchase from your e-commerce business normally don’t have an awareness of your 3PL partner. Instead, they see the entire customer journey, from finding your website to placing an order to receiving the delivery at their front door, as handled by your organization.

That means that your organization is heavily dependent on your 3PL partner for the most important part of the customer experience: opening that box and finally taking possession of the product they have purchased from you. If the order is correct, undamaged, and has arrived within the expected timeframe, the experience is a positive. If the delivery is late, the box is damaged, or the contents of the package are not what the customer ordered, the experience is a negative one.

Additional Negative Effects

As any e-commerce organization knows, reputation, mainly represented through online reviews submitted by customers, is everything. If an unreliable fulfillment partner gets enough customer orders wrong, the negative reviews will inevitably begin to pile up. Potential new customers will steer clear of your company, and sales will plummet after all your hard work to get your company up and running. Your product may be a game-changer and exactly what customers are looking for, but if they don’t trust you to deliver it, they will not be willing to place an order.

Even More “Invisible” Costs

Struggling with a 3PL relationship has even more costs that don’t show up on your company’s profit and loss sheet. The more time you have to spend meeting with your project managers to go over processes, fix problems, correct address lists, explain packing needs, and deal with the aftermath of mistakes, the less time you have to focus on future growth and how the company can expand. 

Likewise, if your company is spending money unnecessarily to process returns, issue refunds to customers, and perhaps even losing product due to inventory mistakes made by your 3PL partner, you have less capital available to invest in new ideas.

Turn Things Around With Spectra

Perhaps these problems sound painfully familiar to you due to your current 3PL relationship, or perhaps you are starting an e-commerce company and are just nearing the point of engaging with a fulfillment provider to get your products to your customers. Fortunately, there is a great alternative to the minefield of disasters that are possible with a “cheapest option” fulfillment provider.

Spectra offers the exact opposite of all the “nightmare scenarios” that we’ve described above. Here’s how our services compare:

• Accuracy and timeliness: As supported by over 20 years of success, Spectra relies on rigorous internal quality control checks, barcoding, serial numbers, and pick and pack expertise to get the right shipment to the right address at the right time.
• Great customer satisfaction: Spectra not only accomplishes the basic goals of the fulfillment relationship, but also advises the client and recommends upgrades that could make the customer experience even better. Our many years of fulfillment expertise puts us in a great position to make your company look even better to your customers.
• Partner in growth: With the power of Spectra’s advanced fulfillment system and our ability to offer value added services, your most creative ideas have a chance to get off the ground. You have the opportunity to devote your capital and time to strategizing about what’s next, not dealing with problems cropping up with your current system.

Your Best Return On Investment

Think of your 3PL relationship like an investment in a vehicle. Buying the cheapest car on the lot might feel like saving money at the moment, but as soon as things start going wrong, you realize that the long-term costs are much higher; that car simply won’t get you where you need to go without a lot of time, money, and effort along the way. 

We hope you will take the opportunity to learn more about Spectra and our fulfillment capabilities, currently trusted by large organizations that need reliable B2B and B2C fulfillment all over the United States. Our clients love working with us and consistently expand their fulfillment services as our relationships progress. We would love to partner with you to give you the kind of fulfillment support that you need to make the most of your business’s opportunities.