Your fans want your merch — and they want it ASAP. Having merch printed is only half the battle; you need to manage ecommerce fulfilment for your online merch store. Using a 3PL can help you streamline merchandise order fulfilment for faster shipping and happier fans.

Merchandise order fulfilment

Merchandise order fulfilment refers to how you process, pick, pack, and ship merchandise orders to customers (and fans!). From CDs and signed posters to band t-shirts and hats, efficient and affordable merchandise fulfilment is an important part of building your brand.

Can a 3PL help your merchandise fulfilment?

Want to ensure that your merchandise fulfilment goes smoothly? Consider outsourcing it to a 3PL. Here are some questions that can help you determine if a 3PL can help your merchandise fulfilment.

How much merchandise do you ship a month?

If you’re only shipping out a few pieces per month, then it likely makes more sense to continue fulfiling orders in-house. If you’re seeing more than 200 orders come in each month, however, then you may want to consider outsourcing fulfilment.

How much time are you spending fulfiling your merch?

You don’t have time to spend hours each day fulfiling merch orders. Working with a 3PL can help take operational tasks like inventory management, packing orders, and shipping off your plate — giving you more time back in your day to focus on what you do best.

How big of a following do you have?

As your fan base grows, your merch order volume will, too. Partnering with a 3PL now can help you keep up with an increase in orders — without having to worry about a backlog in the event of overnight success.

Benefits of using ShipBob to fulfil your merchandise

If working with a 3PL seems like the right choice for your merchandise fulfilment, consider partnering with ShipBob. Thousands of brands have like 100 Thieves’ merchandise store.

ShipBob is a modern 3PL that offers simple, fast, and affordable retail fulfilment for ecommerce brands.

Here’s how ShipBob can help you streamline your merch fulfilment:

Ship new inventory directly to ShipBob’s fulfilment centres

As soon as your merch is printed, you can ship it directly from the manufacturer to one of ShipBob’s several fulfilment centres in major US cities. This makes it fast and easy to start shipping new merch as soon as it’s ready, so your fans don’t have to wait.

Distribute inventory

If your fans are spread across the country, your merch fulfilment should be, too. With fulfilment centres in several different urban areas, ShipBob allows brands to split inventory across several warehouses, ensuring it’s closer to more of your customers. Distributing inventory across locations helps reduce shipping costs and transit times, meaning your fans get your merch faster and more affordably.

Manage inventory easily

Keeping track of your merch has never been easier. ShipBob offers real-time inventory management features, allowing you to track inventory levels and forecast demand right from the ShipBob dashboard. Track the stock levels you have available at each of ShipBob’s fulfilment centres and receive automatic notifications when you need to reorder fast-selling merch from your manufacturer.

Handle customer returns

Returns are an unavoidable part of selling merchandise online. ShipBob helps ecommerce merchants automate the returns process, making a typically difficult process more simple and streamlined.

When a customer returns an order, ShipBob will process the return and restock or dispose of the item depending on your preferences. This makes the process easier for both you and your customers; you won’t have to handle returns in-house, and customers can easily track the status of their return shipment.
Ready for a better merchandise fulfilment solution? Request a quote from ShipBob today!

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