Order Fulfillment Process

How To Guides

Learn how proper inventory management improves profitability and how merchants of all sizes can use data to make smarter business decisions.

 Learn the qualities of a successful distribution network and how merchants of all sizes can build them into their fulfillment strategy.

How to Use Hub and Spoke Distribution for SMBs

Learn how to lower time in transit and offset freight costs with a hub and spoke distribution model designed for businesses of any size or order volume.

How to Get Ahead with Demand Forecasting

Learn how accurate demand forecasting and key partnerships enables you to optimize fulfillment and accelerate growth.

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Order Fulfillment Strategies

Strategic Warehousing & Distribution

Use this guide to understand warehousing services, prioritize service level agreements, and choose the right warehouse partner for your business.

Outside of the Box
Fulfillment Stories

How HealthWay Put 47k Air Purifiers in Classrooms Across New York City

The New York City Department of Education was in search of a safer way to resume in-person learning. They decided to equip every classroom with a HealthWay portable air purifier.

 

HealthWay needed to quickly find a fulfillment partner that could inbound and store 225,000 units, and ship over 47,000 units before the school year started.

 

The Results

1-day transit on 99.9% of shipments

47,095 units delivered to NYC Dept of Education

99% pick and pack accuracy

How O2's Flexible Fulfillment Model Grew Business by 5x

O2 Sports Recovery needed a flexible fulfillment partner that could fulfill orders to all of their sales channels — large retailers, independent gyms, and direct to consumer.

 

With Ware2Go, they got a seamless integration with their existing Shopify store, unmatched service levels, and the ability to fulfill quickly across all of their sales channels.

 

The Results:

  1. eCommerce order volume increased 10x
  2. 1-2 day delivery to 99.5% of US customers
  3. 5x business growth across all sales channels

How LS2 Helmets Developed a New Distribution Network to Drive Growth

With only one warehouse location in Illinois, LS2 Helmets struggled to fulfill orders quickly to dealers on the west coast. Their 4-5 day delivery speeds were preventing some dealers from carrying their helmets in stores, inhibiting LS2’s expansion.

 

The solution was to develop a broader distribution network that positioned LS2’s helmets on the west coast closer to those dealers.

 

The Results:

  1. 60% increase in delivery speed
  2. 1-2 day delivery for west coast customers
  3. 70% of customers within 2-day distribution footprint

More Fulfillment Strategy Resources

Schedule a Fulfillment Consultation

Let’s chat about your fulfillment strategy and how Ware2Go can help you simplify operations and grow your business

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Flexible fulfillment is a strategy used by retailers to manage multi-channel sales channels and seasonal demand. Merchants using this method benefit from on demand warehousing, seasonal inventory needs and network availability to position the right products in the right places to meet customer demands.

 

Order fulfillment is the process of preparing, packing and shipping orders to customers. There are different types of fulfillment that businesses can use depending on operational support needs.

There are four main types of order fulfillment that you can use for your business. You can choose to handle everything in-house, which gives you full control but also comes with significant operating costs and logistics management.

 

Alternatively, you can outsource fulfillment to a partner who will then manage the entire process for you, which reduces your operating costs and saves hours a week managing logistics. There is also the option to do a hybrid fulfillment model, which gives merchants the flexibility to fulfill certain products in-house and outsource when and where needed. 

 

The other main fulfillment type is dropshipping, which is when a business doesn’t keep products in stock, but instead purchases each order through a third party – manufacturer, wholesaler or another retailer – and they fulfill to the customer. 

Omnichannel fulfillment is a sales strategy that involves listing products on multiple channels in order to establish a ubiquitous presence and get in front of as many consumers as possible. An omnichannel merchant will list their products on their own ecommerce website, on all major marketplaces (such as Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, eBay, and Wayfair), on social media, and in retail stores.

 

Check out our omnichannel fulfillment guide for more resources to optimize your strategy.

A fulfillment center is a facility that stores, processes and ships products to your customers. These are third-party service providers that handle the logistics required to fulfill orders so you don’t have to pick, pack and ship each order yourself.

The cost of fulfillment varies depending on your approach, volume and parcel size. If you choose to outsource fulfillment then you save a lot of money on managing warehouse locations, staff and day-to-day shipping. Additional costs, and cost savings, are dependent on factors like your product size, typically order volume, time in transit, and more. 

Retail fulfillment refers to the process of storing, picking and packing, and shipping orders to customers.Â