How to Finally Tame the Ecommerce Fulfillment Beast

| Jesse Kaufman

Just as the lion tamer must teach huge, hot-tempered animals to respond to commands without becoming their lunch, so must ecommerce fulfillment must get customers’ goods delivered on time and intact — all while preventing costs from skyrocketing. Here are some tips to help you get there.

Tompkins Launches Ecommerce Fulfillment Alliance

| Mike O'Brien

After years in the supply chain consulting business, Tompkins International is launching the MonarchFx Alliance, a consortium of technology and service providers it says will eventually provide more efficient, faster ecommerce fulfillment across sectors including apparel, furniture and appliances, cross-border, cold storage and stores. See what else the alliance has in store, and who has partnered with it.

5 Steps to a Better Third-Party Logistics Relationship

| Curt Barry

Outsourcing fulfillment and customer care operations is not for everyone, and many merchant companies feel they can keep costs low by maintaining control. But for those who do use a 3PL, here are 5 ways to get the most out of the relationship, helping them deliver value while improving your results.

What to Look For in Selecting the Right 3PL Partner

| Jake Rheude

Hiring a third-party logistics provider (3PL) has become a popular option for ecommerce companies in recent years. But because finding the right one is so vital to the success of your ecommerce business, how should you go about evaluating the right options? Here are a few do’s and don’ts of the 3PL selection process.

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Use of a 3PL A Small But Growing Option for Merchant Shippers

| Mike O'Brien

While there are many clear advantages to using a third-party fulfillment (3PL) partner for outsourcing some or all of your operations, the majority of merchant companies still opt for keeping these functions in house and firmly within their control. According to respondents to the MCM Outlook Survey, 26.5% of respondents said they use a 3PL in 2016, up from 21.2% in 2015, while the rest said they handle fulfillment internally. Of those who said no, only 2.9% said they are considering use of a 3PL, down from 6.2% in 2015.