Multi-Node Fulfillment
Multi-node fulfillment allows for orders to be shipped from locations closest to customers, reducing the number of shipping zones a package must travel through. This model can significantly save ecommerce companies time and money, while keeping customers happy with faster, affordable shipping.
ShipBob offers a robust fulfillment center network powered by best-in-class proprietary technology.
We love that ShipBob actually operates its fulfillment centers — they know their operations and they are very clear about it. ShipBob having multiple locations was also huge for us. Keeping our inventory in Chicago and Los Angeles has brought cost savings since we ship from the locations that are closest to the customer.
Courtney Lee,
founder of Prymal
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What is Multi-Node Fulfillment?
Multi-node fulfillment refers to a distribution infrastructure network that is strategically designed to help merchants broaden their customer reach while reducing shipping costs and transit times.
Also known as distributed inventory, multi-node fulfillment offers a wide range of fulfillment center locations in different regions around the globe. Merchants have the freedom to choose which fulfillment locations to store inventory in. This also provides the opportunity for merchants to grow with their fulfillment provider without switching to a different fulfillment solution.
Benefits of Multi-Node Fulfillment
Drive down shipping costs
When you ship from only one warehouse, it can take a long time to reach your end customer. With today’s standard and expectation of two-day shipping, a longer time in transit can prevent your customers from buying from you in the first place or making a repeat purchase. Storing inventory closer to your customers helps lower shipping costs and reduce last-mile delivery times.
Get your orders shipped to customers faster
Multi-node fulfillment lets you significantly reduce delivery times. For instance, if you use fulfillment centers in hubs like Chicago or Los Angeles, you can reach a large amount of the population in different areas of the country. It is easy to get the package delivered the same day to people who live in these cities, because the inventory is already close by. Ultimately, the quicker a customer gets their order, the happier they are.
Spread risk in case of emergencies
Multi-node fulfillment helps you be prepared and have options in the event that your orders can’t leave a particular fulfillment center. For example, a delivery exception is bad weather that delays an order. There are many catastrophes and natural disasters that prevent shipping carriers from making it to the fulfillment center or cause delays while in transit. When you split your inventory across geographic areas, you will have backup inventory in other locations.
Distributed inventory
With ShipBob’s network of fulfillment centers, you can strategically split your inventory across our locations to get your products from point A to point B more quickly and affordably. Storing inventory near your customers helps reduce the shipping zones and costs associated with shipping orders to faraway destinations.
Distributed inventory also helps you stay competitive by offering fast shipping to your customers. When an order is placed, ShipBob’s algorithm automatically selects the warehouse and carrier that will give you the quickest turnaround at the best price. This strategy has helped our merchants bring 13% savings to their bottom line.
100% Coverage Across the Continental US
If you’re looking to expand into the United States, ShipBob has 2-Day Express Shipping that provides 100% coverage in the continental US from even just one fulfillment center.
You can also distribute your inventory across ShipBob’s fulfillment centers across all regions of the United States. We leave it up to you to decide where you want us to store your inventory.
Order management
At ShipBob, we track your orders from A to Z. Filter orders by status, search for specific orders, see a quick timeline view of where your order is in the fulfillment process (e.g. when an order is picked, packed, or shipped), easily find shipping-related information (e.g., weights, dimensions, or carrier service), and get a quick snapshot of any orders that require action.
With order management software for your direct-to-consumer and wholesale shipments, you can manage subscriptions, make changes to your orders post-purchase, map your store’s shipping options to ShipBob, and automatically share tracking information with your customers.
Reporting and analytics
To provide you with visibility into our operations and performance, and also hold ourselves accountable, ShipBob’s free analytics tool is packed with charts to help you with everything from year-end reporting, to better supply chain decision-making.
Data can be a competitive advantage, and our reports show an analysis of which fulfillment centers you should stock, days of inventory left before you run out, impact of promotions on stock levels, each shipping method’s average cart value, shipping cost, and days in transit, your fulfillment cost per order, storage cost per unit, and much more.
End-to-end customer experience
We care about the customer experience as much as you and strive to be an extension of your team. From custom branded boxes to free plain packaging, ShipBob works with you to provide the unboxing experience you want. We also help you offer the fastest, most cost-effective shipping options to meet your customers’ expectations.
As soon as an order ships, tracking is pushed back to your store. We also offer return management services, allowing customers to generate return shipping labels and track returns, while getting your products processed and back into your available inventory as efficiently as possible.
How ShipBob improves your fulfillment and logistics
Save on fulfillment costs
Coffee creamer brand Prymal joined ShipBob in 2019 and was quickly able to save $8,000 per month on fulfillment costs, while at the same time achieving 4x growth.
Improve your conversion rate
Not only was BAKblade able to scale internationally by partnering with ShipBob, but they found adding 2-Day Shipping increased their conversions as well.
Store, ship, and grow internationally
Sunglasses brand Ombraz distributed their inventory across 3 fulfillment centers in two different countries. This has allowed them to ship to 55 countries on seven continents.
