warehousing

Avoid Brexit effect, move your stock to FLEX.

How will Brexict impart my warehousing and supply chain?

Does my company have the relevant experience in clearing the customs?

How long will it take to deliver the goods from the UK to my clients in France, Germany, Italy and the rest of the European Union?

Can I handle additional paperwork needed in terms of additional labelling or updating technical files?

How can I continue servising the remaing EU Member States?

Do I have necessary assets and data to deal with a new customs border between the UK and the EU?

All the questions come down to the location of your warehouse, where do you store your goods and how do you fulfill your orders. With so many questions remain unanswered across countless industries and businesses. Don’t get suprised – contact FLEX now to discuss how we can prepare your business and what are the options for moving your goods away from the UK and keeping it inside the European Economic Area.

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How to find a perfect 3PL for your ecommerce business?

Outsourcing ecommerce warehousing and order fulfillment to third party logistics providers (3PL) is a popular solution which can bring several benefits to your business.

Please find a list of important factors you should consider when selecting the right partner for your 3PL needs:

What business goals do you have when looking for a fulfillment partner?

What is the characteristics of my products? Do they require any special processing?

What WMS (warehouse management software) is the warehouse using?

Do you have a flexible contract agreements?

What are your monthly order minimums?

Do you provide inventory management & control services?

How quickly will my inventory be received & ready to ship out?

What happens if my inventory arrives at your warehouse(s) already damaged?

What valu-added services do you offer e.g. kitting, labeling, custom boxes, inserts?

Do you offer Returns processing services?

Do you offer multiple shipping carriers to choose from?

Do you provide international shipping?

Do you have a risk free trial period so we can test out your services?

Do you offer free account setup?

Do you offer free system integration?

Do you provide shipping discounts?

In all, a 3PL can be a huge time and budget saver for start-up and growing businesses, just be sure to find the right partner for your business needs.

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How to choose your fulfillment warehouse location?

When looking for a fulfillment warehouse, you need to take several factors into consideration:

1 Location

Some say: location, location, location because it all comes down to the distance to your customers. You want your products to be delivered quickly. It doesn’t have to be your local fulfillment warehouse located next to where you live. Nowaday it is quite easy to sell your products online on the other part of the world. A fulfillment center that’s close to your customers will serve your business better than one that’s close to you.

2 Concentration

Don’t spread your products among too many warehouses – your costs will go up and most probably, you will have to deal with different tax regimes. It is also hard to coordinate your stock between multiple warehouses and establish effective sales and delivery patterns.

3 Delivery time

Online shoppers expect to receive their products within a couple of days and at a low cost. Ecommerce fulfillment warehouse can move your goods closer to your clients which will allow you to offer same-day shipping or even delivery within a matter of couple of hours.

4 Shipping costs

Shipping rates are based on so called – zones. The greater the distance between your fulfillment warehouse and your customer, the more zones your package will have to cross, the higher your shipping costs will be. Choose your warehouse close to your customers to save on shipping and fulfillment costs.

Consider asking yourself the following questions before talking to your fulfillment warehouse provider:

What do my customers want and expect?

How imporatant is same day dispatch for me and my clients?

Do I want to offer free shipping?

What is the most economical choice?