What does a fulfilment company do for your online shop?

If you run your own online shop, you will surely have heard of fulfilment companies. What does a fulfilment company actually do and what does e-fulfilment entail? Allow us to explain in this article!

In general, a fulfilment company takes care of everything to do with processing and handling orders that customers place in your online shop. The company takes care of the entire logistical process, from the moment an order is placed up to shipping and delivery. In some cases, the fulfilment company even provides aftercare.

When you decide to use the services of a fulfilment company like Active Ants to handle your entire online fulfilment process, you will save a ton of valuable time that you can spend on the growth and development of your online shop instead.

The core services of a fulfilment company: from goods-in and storage to shipping

The core tasks of a fulfilment company consist of various aspects and services that make your job as an online shop owner easier.

Goods-in & storage

That all begins with the reception of goods. Long before the first orders come in, your products are received by the fulfilment partner. The goods are inspected upon arrival and then carefully stored.

Now that your online shop's inventory is stored by the fulfilment company, you no longer have to rent storage space yourself or reserve precious space in your own building. It also means orders can be processed much faster as soon as they come in.

Order picking & packaging

Once an order has been placed, the fulfilment company’s employees pick, gather and sort the ordered products. Next, the products are packaged using sustainable packaging materials and packaging methods that best suit the dimensions of the ordered products. During packaging, an employee inspects the work done by the order picker to make sure the right products are shipped out to customers.

Shipping

Once the order has been packed, labelled and inspected, it is ready to be sent to the customer as quickly as possible. Active Ants has partnered with five different transporters to handle its shipping needs. With a so-called cut-off time of 23.59 for the Netherlands and Belgium, all orders placed before that time can be shipped out that same day. Orders placed before 12.30 can even be delivered the same day!

With the help of fulfilment companies, your customers will receive the products they ordered quickly. All the while, you do not have to worry about this process at all.

Returns processing

Is your customer not entirely satisfied with the product they received? The fulfilment partner can even take care of your returns. This involves everything from inspecting the products to repackaging them and preparing them for sale once more.

Added-value services

In addition to these core tasks, many fulfilment companies also offer a range of useful additional services.

Customer service

Think of e.g. taking care of your customer service needs. Expert employees communicate with your customers via telephone or email. Customers can quickly have their questions answered and any issues can be resolved immediately. A friendly and solution-oriented customer service department contributes to a positive customer experience. Providing the right support can improve a customer's overall experience with your online shop and increase the chance that they will come back to place a new order.

Payment system implementation

The fulfilment partner can also assist with the technical aspects of your online shop. They can assist with selecting and implementing a payment system, which is an essential aspect of offering customers an easy and effortless order process.