5 Ways 3PL Services Help E-Commerce Businesses Avoid Late Deliveries!

3PL Services

There’s nothing that haunts e-commerce businesses more than the idea of dealing with late deliveries. However, it’s a part of reality for many online stores. 

For various reasons, they might fail to deliver their products on time. This happens mostly for logistics reasons, which is why working with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider is so important. 

3PL services are a valuable resource for local e-commerce businesses. They offer you a variety of benefits to help streamline operations and improve customer satisfaction. One of the most significant ways they do so is by helping your e-commerce business avoid late deliveries. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how 3PL services help e-commerce businesses avoid late deliveries. To keep things concise and to the point, we’ll specifically focus on local e-commerce businesses that operate locally within a specific geographical region. 

1. Improved Inventory Management

One of the most common reasons for late deliveries in e-commerce is a lack of inventory management. 

Without accurate inventory tracking and management, e-commerce businesses may not know when products are running low. This can lead to unforeseen delays in restocking and fulfillment.

However, with the help of 3PL services, you’ll have access to advanced inventory management solutions that can help businesses keep track of their stock levels and prevent stockouts. Partnering with a 3PL provider will allow you to receive real-time updates on your inventory levels and automate reordering processes to ensure that products are always in stock and ready for delivery.

2. Faster Shipping and Delivery

Another way that 3PL services can help local e-commerce businesses avoid late deliveries is by offering faster shipping and delivery options. With a network of distribution centers and shipping carriers, 3PL providers can often offer expedited shipping services that can help businesses meet even the tightest delivery deadlines.

This is perfect for local e-commerce businesses that can always provide deliveries from the nearest warehouse to the customer. Southern California would be a good case study here. 

Online sellers here team up with 3PL providers like Sooner Logistics to better cater to their customers. That’s because such providers have warehouses spread throughout Southern California for faster delivery. 

However, there might be tax implications that you might need to be aware of is using 3PL in CA, so make sure you check that with the service provider. 

You can visit a provider’s website or physical store to get a quick overview of their reach. A close look at the locations will help you understand how these 3PL providers distribute warehousing services to ensure efficient and faster deliveries for their clients. 

3. Reduced Shipping Errors

Shipping errors can also contribute to late deliveries, as incorrect shipments may need to be returned or resent, leading to additional delays and costs. However, 3PL providers have strict quality control measures in place to ensure that orders are picked, packed, and shipped accurately. 

Since local e-commerce deliveries normally require less travel, it’s possible to make the most of this by ensuring efficient same-day or express deliveries. As 3PL services will also be helping you, there’s no question of your deliveries being late. 

4. Improved Customer Service

Late deliveries can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction, which is essential for building and maintaining a loyal local customer base. When you team up with a 3PL provider, you can offer improved customer service and support. 

With 24/7 support and real-time order tracking, your platform can provide your local clientele with accurate information about their orders and quickly address any issues that may arise.

Since you’re already working on a niche target (people in your local area), you’re already limiting the size of your clientele. On top of that, if you fail to provide quick deliveries and also fail to address customer queries, there’s a high chance that you’ll lose that customer base. 

The presence of efficient customer service means that even if the delivery is late, your customer will be notified and dealt with appropriately, which the 3PL provider can manage. 

5. Better Scalability

If you expand your business outside the geographical region at some point, you’ll need to make fast deliveries in those areas as well. The best way you can do that is through 3PL services. 

Your 3PL provider will likely have warehouses near the new areas you want to deliver to. Because of that, you don’t have to worry about delayed deliveries once you expand your business or range of operations. 

Based on the above discussion, it’s evident how 3PL services can help your local e-commerce business avoid late deliveries and also ensure efficient services to your clientele. At the same time, these 3PL providers can also help you expand your operations as you grow bigger and start catering to more customers.

Article and permission to publish here provided by Stephen Evans. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on March 21, 2023.