How to Choose the Right 3PL

Many successful business owners start their businesses out of a garage and have to wear many hats until sales grow to a certain level. If your business has grown to the point where you’re struggling to keep up with order fulfillment and inventory management, inventory is taking over your space, and you don’t have any time to keep building your brand; these are signs that you may be ready to outsource logistics.

Partnering with the right 3PL allows companies to reduce overhead, improve delivery times, and focus more on growth and customer experience. Some business owners hesitate to outsource logistics because they think a 3PL will add to their costs, but a 3PL can often save merchants money through volume-based shipping rates, accurate Amazon FBA inventory management, elimination of warehouse and labor expenses, reduced seller fees, and fewer order fulfillment errors.

How to Choose the Right 3PL

There are several critical factors to evaluate when selecting a trusted 3PL partner. Consider each of these 10 factors as they can significantly impact your supply chain efficiency, customer satisfaction, and long-term business growth:

1. Seamless Integrations. If you’re a multi-channel seller, look for a 3PL that offers customizable, seamless integrations with all major retailers using either EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) or API (Application Program Interface).
2. A Modern Warehouse Management System (WMS). By leveraging a 3PL with a modern warehouse management system, your business can gain real-time inventory visibility, improve order accuracy, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
3. Retail and Wholesale Fulfillment Expertise. There are many benefits of 3pl for retail order fulfillment (for DTC) and wholesale fulfillment (for B2B). Effective fulfillment services help businesses save money, increase efficiency, and frees-up time to concentrate on core business functions that will support growth.
4. Accurate Same-Day Order Fulfillment. In today's fast-paced world, speedy delivery is crucial for keeping customers happy. Choose a 3PL with a commitment to same-day fulfillment and quality control measures to ensure quick, accurate orders.
5. Great Customer Service. There is nothing more frustrating than being forced to submit a ticket that sits in a queue every time you have a question or need support. Choose a 3PL that offers a dedicated account manager and customer service team.
6. Scalable Inventory Storage. Scalable 3pl solutions are vital for maintaining efficient fulfillment and customer satisfaction as your company grows, and that includes adequate inventory storage that can grow with you.
7. Custom Packaging and Branding. If you want to elevate your brand with customization options, choose a 3PL that has the capability to add branded materials to your packages and create custom engravings and embroidery for your products.
8. Kitting, Bundling, and Value-Added Services. By choosing a 3PL that offers kitting, bundling, and value-added services such as secure packaging, your business will be able to deliver a more customized and cohesive product experience.
9. Returns Management. Partnering with a 3PL that offers efficient returns management will allow your business to streamline the reverse logistics process, improve customer satisfaction, and recover value from returned products.
10. Meets Your Unique Needs. If your company has a particular need such as Hazmat fulfillment, kitting, or cold storage, look for a 3PL with expertise in that area. Choosing a provider that aligns with your business model can streamline operations and reduce costly mistakes.

Click here for the top 10 Questions to ask when interviewing a 3PL.

G10 Case Study: Nori Clothing Care

Nori Clothing Care was founded by Courtney Toll and Annabel Love. The brand was launched out of a desire to reinvent how people remove wrinkles—starting with their flagship product, the Nori Press.

As Nori prepared to launch, the team quickly realized they needed comprehensive support for inventory storage, Shopify fullfillment, Amazon FBA, influencer kits, returns management, and more. They also needed a partner who could scale with them through DTC growth, retail expansion, and seasonal surges.

Nori chose G10 Fulfillment after a careful search and glowing recommendations. G10 has been meeting their needs in a variety of ways ever since at is supports their growth:

1. Seamless integrations with Amazon and Shopify
2. A dedicated account manager and access to our customer service team via phone or e-mail
3. Amazon FBA
4. Real-time inventory management
5. Accurate order fulfillment
6. Same-day order fulfillment
7. Kitting for influencer kits
8. Scalable storage at strategically placed warehouses around the country
9. Returns management

"We needed help with return management; we needed help with inbound and outbound shipments. We needed a place to store all of our goods because I don't think doing it all in your garage is totally scalable. Your team has been with us since the very beginning and has fulfilled seasonal Amazon FBA and allowed us to really scale and operate our supply chain as smoothly as possible…You've been able to help us create different influencer collab pieces, but mainly you’ve been able to help us grow and scale from zero to 20 million in revenue last year." - Annabel Love

Partner with G10 Fulfillment

If you believe your business is ready to outsource fulfillment to a 3PL or you would like to make the move to a 3PL that is a better fit, the next step is simple: reach out.

Our sales team is eager to learn all about your business and your goals and needs. We will ask a wide range of questions to help us understand how we could serve your business should you choose to partner with us, including your current order volume, fulfillment challenges, growth goals, and any specialized needs. From there, our team will provide a personalized fulfillment assessment to help determine if now is the right time to outsource or if we could be a better fit than your current 3PL, and how G10 can support your long-term success.

We’re excited to talk with you about what’s next for your business. Please click here to fill out the contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.