{"id":2092,"date":"2020-11-25T15:51:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T20:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/e-fulfillment\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:01:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:01:29","slug":"e-fulfillment","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/e-fulfillment\/","title":{"rendered":"What is E-Fulfilment? Automating and Accelerating your Ecommerce Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What is e-fulfilment?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without e-fulfilment, your ecommerce growth may be stunted<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes e-fulfilment so successful?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why not do e-fulfilment yourself?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an e-fulfilment provider?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 best e-fulfilment providers in 2021<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successful online shops: a 3PL e-fulfilment partner changes the game<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

E-fulfilment FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What do you want to learn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn About E-Fulfilment<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Why Use a 3PL for E-Fulfilment<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Request Fulfilment Pricing from ShipBob<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Managing a warehouse. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picking and packing items.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running to the post office to ship orders. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are just a few of the tasks that make the up the entire e-fulfilment process if you choose to manage it yourself. Each ecommerce business is different and will have to choose the strategy that makes sense for them to efficiently and accurately fulfil and ship orders to their customers. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot that goes into e-fulfilment, such as managing a warehouse, tracking inventory<\/a>, shipping orders, and even managing returns. Most brand founders don\u2019t start an ecommerce brand to spend most of their time on time-consuming logistical tasks, so the thought of managing the e-fulfilment process can be overwhelming.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But e-fulfilment is one the most crucial components of running a successful ecommerce business, and, when done right, it can create a remarkable brand experience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does a business owner tackle e-fulfilment in order to scale? In this article, you will learn what it takes to manage the e-fulfilment process and how a <\/span>third-party logistics<\/span><\/a> (3PL) can help. <\/span>
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is e-fulfilment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

E-fulfilment is short for \u2018ecommerce fulfilment,\u2019 which is the process of fulfilling and shipping orders to customers. This part of the retail supply chain<\/a> entails receiving and storing inventory, <\/span>processing orders<\/span><\/a>, picking and packing items, shipping packages to their final destination, and facilitating <\/span>ecommerce returns<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

E-fulfilment can be handled in-house by a brand, but most fast-growing brands choose to <\/span>outsource fulfilment<\/span><\/a> to a third-party logistics (3PL) company as they are the experts and it can be challenging and time-consuming to manage alone. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without e-fulfilment, your ecommerce growth may be stunted<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A streamlined e-fulfilment process is important because it can help you meet customer expectations set by established or competing brands and marketplaces like Amazon. Online shoppers expect fast and affordable shipping and a positive <\/span>last-mile delivery<\/span><\/a> experience. A proper e-fulfilment process, with the help of technology, can optimise <\/span>logistics operations<\/span><\/a> and automate processes to reduce human error and promote higher <\/span>order accuracy<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes e-fulfilment so successful?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of different factors that make up a successful e-fulfilment process. From choosing warehouse location(s) for inventory storage<\/a> to implementing inventory management<\/a> tools, it takes manpower, technology, and resources to optimise <\/span>fulfilment logistics<\/span><\/a>. Here are some of the major components of a modern e-fulfilment process. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Order processing automation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By implementing <\/span>automated order processing<\/span><\/a> software, ecommerce businesses can significantly increase order management efficiencies and optimise their supply chain<\/a>. A fully automated order processing system should integrate easily with your ecommerce platform and other sales channels. This way, orders can be automatically verified as soon as a customer places one so the e-fulfilment process can begin, and order status is updated right away. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inventory management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Inventory management is the process of ordering and restocking inventory<\/a>, storing products, and tracking inventory levels<\/a>. By implementing <\/span>inventory management software<\/span><\/a>, you can track and control stock<\/a> in real time, lower inventory storage and labour costs, set automatic <\/span>reorder points<\/span><\/a> to prevent stockouts<\/a>, and more. By implementing inventory management technology, you can gain access to valuable data to make better business decisions and prepare for the unexpected.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand forecasting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Demand forecasting<\/span><\/a> is important because it allows businesses to better estimate the total sales and revenue for a future period of time while also planning for inventory needs. By forecasting demand, you can make decisions like when to run a <\/span>flash sale<\/span><\/a> or how frequently you need to reorder inventory based on which items are selling fast or moving slowly. <\/span>Inventory forecasting<\/span><\/a> will never be 100% accurate, but the insights gained by collecting historical data can help you better plan for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warehousing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Warehousing<\/span><\/a> is a key stage in the e-fulfilment process that involves storing and managing <\/span>finished goods<\/span><\/a> before they are sold. There are several key parts to <\/span>warehouse management<\/span><\/a>, including the safety and security of products, <\/span>inventory control<\/span><\/a> processes that help to optimise inventory storage<\/a>, and much more. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A <\/span>warehouse management system<\/span><\/a> (WMS) is used in tech-enabled warehouses, which provides full visibility into real-time inventory levels and storage, staff productivity, and e-fulfilment workflows within a warehouse. A WMS ultimately eliminates much of the manual work and speeds up processes without compromising accuracy rate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why not do e-fulfilment yourself?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Self-fulfilment<\/span><\/a> might make sense when you\u2019re first starting out, but once you see a surge in monthly order volume, packing orders and keeping track of inventory on your own will soon become costly and time-consuming. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be a challenge to scale if you and your team are spending most of your time on fulfilling and shipping orders. You might also think taking care of fulfilment in-house<\/a> is a more cost-effective approach than hiring a 3PL, but there are hidden costs to self-fulfilment<\/a>, from inefficiencies to purchasing your own packaging materials, to the time lost and opportunity cost that e-fulfilment takes away from growing your business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an e-fulfilment provider?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An e-fulfilment <\/span>logistics service provider<\/span><\/a> (also known as a 3PL or fulfilment company) takes care of all-things e-fulfilment and shipping that business owners don\u2019t have time or manpower to take on themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An e-fulfilment provider can offer an expansive fulfilment infrastructure, including a network of <\/span>fulfilment centre locations<\/span><\/a> across the US and internationally that you can grow into over time. A good e-fulfilment company will also have<\/span> best-in-class technology to automate much of the process, speed up transit times, <\/span>reduce shipping costs<\/span><\/a>, and improve accuracy. <\/span>
<\/a>Many e-fulfilment providers also offer a network of partners<\/a> that offer end-to-end ecommerce solutions<\/a> to accelerate business growth.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 best e-fulfilment providers in 2021<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outsourcing e-fulfilment to the experts is key to scaling your business, but not all <\/span>logistics companies<\/span><\/a> offer the same set of capabilities and services. To maximise the benefits, it\u2019s important to  to partner with an e-fulfilment provider that offers space for your business to grow by offering solutions that go beyond picking, packing, and shipping. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. ShipBob<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ShipBob is a best-in-class logistics and e-fulfilment provider that goes beyond picking and packing, with an <\/span>international fulfilment<\/span><\/a> network, proprietary technology, built-in inventory and <\/span>order management<\/span><\/a> tools, dedicated customer support, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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