The main logistics partner for Brazilian brands in the United States

E-commerce fulfillment is the logistical operation of an online store. For entrepreneurs expanding operations to the United States, it’s worth considering a Third-party logistics (3PL) company, which will be responsible for storage, preparation, and delivery of orders to end customers. Learn how to choose your fulfillment partner company in the USA!

Choosing the fulfillment operation for virtual stores is an essential step for e-commerce success. It is through this process that all the preparation and dispatch of products to end customers take place. In practice, when a purchase is completed, the order is received by the warehouse team for the product to be prepared and sent to the end customer.

Relying on third-party companies that handle e-commerce fulfillment operations in the USA is a great strategy for entrepreneurs looking to explore this international market. This way, the entrepreneur avoids the costs of organizing the entire operation in a foreign country and still manages to monitor the progress of their business, even from a distance.

How e-commerce fulfillment operation works in the USA

To illustrate the e-commerce fulfillment process, let’s detail the step-by-step operation of USA Ecommerce Fulfillment, based in Orlando, Florida (USA).

Receipt and storage of products

Products are sent to the United States and received at the warehouse. Subsequently, the merchandise undergoes verification and counting to be then positioned in physical stock and registered in the Warehouse Management System (WMS), software used to manage the entire fulfillment operation.

Inventory maintenance

With the support of the Warehouse Management System, all inventory is kept up-to-date on sales channels. In practice, if a brand sells on Amazon, for example, and also has its own e-commerce, the available stock is automatically updated on both channels as soon as a purchase is made.

Order processing

Once the order is placed, the WMS receives this information and automatically places the order in the processing queue to be prepared for shipment.

At this stage, the following steps are performed: product collection (picking), packaging (packing), and label creation (labeling) for carriers. Then, the WMS updates your sales channel with the order’s tracking number.

Transportation

Still with the support of WSM, the merchant can choose the type of shipping for the purchased product. This is possible because the software is connected to carriers, allowing the entrepreneur to select the type of shipping according to the merchandise or delivery location.

At USA Ecommerce Fulfillment, this configuration is done automatically according to the client’s preference, for example, whether they prefer the cheapest shipping option or the fastest delivery time possible.

Reverse logistics

At the USA Ecommerce Fulfillment fulfillment center, it is the responsibility of the warehouse team to receive and process return requests from partner e-commerce.

The entire procedure is done automatically and follows these steps: when the customer requests a return, a process is generated in the software. Once the shipment arrives at the warehouse, it is analyzed by the responsible team, which will determine whether the product can be put back into inventory or should be disposed of, following pre-established rules.

How to choose a 3PL company?

Fulfillment is essential for the success of your business. Only with a well-structured operation will it be possible to meet your customers’ expectations, so choosing a partner company to take care of your e-commerce logistics is an important step.

When researching 3PL companies, or third-party logistics, it is worth paying attention to some points. Check:

Find out if logistics for items of different volumes are handled in that warehouse. For example, smaller products such as clothing, and larger ones such as furniture. If so, it is a sign that the operation is well-structured. Inquire about the storage of products. At USA Ecommerce Fulfillment, for example, all items are stored with a unique barcode. This code is read by the system when the product is removed from the shelf for shipment. Once packing occurs, a second reading is also done for control of all stages. Seek to understand the margin of error of the system used in that fulfillment center. See this practical example: in the USA Ecommerce Fulfillment warehouse, due to the barcode reading designed to control all stages of the process, the margin of error is 0.0005%, meaning one error per 2000 shipments. Also, inquire about the procedure adopted if the company makes any errors in the logistics process. It is important to understand if the mistake is covered by the fulfillment center and at no cost to the e-commerce or end customer.

FBA or Fulfillment by Amazon

Entrepreneurs who sell through Amazon can opt for the fulfillment service offered by Amazon, called FBA or Fulfillment By Amazon.

Through this service, the seller chooses to store their products in the marketplace’s warehouse, and deliveries are also handled by Amazon. They also have the competitive advantage of being part of the prime sellers, meaning they deliver orders with free shipping and within two business days.

In situations like this, it is still possible to rely on a third-party fulfillment service, which will be responsible for sending your products to FBA when necessary. The team prepares the goods according to Amazon’s specifications.

In the case of USA Ecommerce Fulfillment, the Fulfillment Center has a system integrated with Amazon’s, making the entire process automated.

Want to learn more about this topic? Download the USA Ecommerce Fulfillment e-book “Everything you need to know about Fulfillment” for free.