Why it’s wise to opt for both warehousing and fulfilment services for SMEs

If a business sells products to the wider public, that business needs somewhere to efficiently store said products and ship them when the time is right.

For many SMEs in the UK (and beyond) that need to adopt extra space for stock as they grow, warehousing quickly becomes an attractive option. But why just opt for warehousing services when the very same establishment could take care of fulfilment for you too?

It seems like an obvious choice, but not one that many businesses take lightly.

For instance, in the case of warehousing, Preston businesses will surely choose a nearby Lancashire-based warehousing Preston service to cater to their needs, but could be on the fence about handing the responsibility of fulfilment over to the same service provider as well.

However, combining these two services under the same service provider could save an infinite amount of time, hassle, and money for SMEs seeking to offer the most efficient service to their customers.

Want to know why you should combine warehouse storage with fulfilment services for your UK business? Keep reading to learn more.

What are warehousing services and fulfilment services?

Let’s clear up some basic definitions first…

• Warehousing is a service offered to businesses so they can store their existing stock away from business premises, freeing up space.
• Fulfilment is the act of managing, packing and shipping items once they have been purchased by a customer.

However, it’s often the case that a company that offers warehousing services will also offer fulfilment services.

This means that a business can store its products at a warehouse and have them shipped from the very same location, essentially without lifting a finger as every aspect of the process is taken care of by the provider in question.

How businesses can better serve customers with combined warehousing and fulfilment

It saves time

In the modern digital age in which speed is arguably the number-one desire for all consumers, the time taken between an order being placed and the customer receiving is an essential component and one that can make or break the customer-business relationship.

But if you’re running an SME and you’re relying on your own two hands, or the hands of in-house staff, to package and ship out orders, you could find yourself run ragged very quickly if your business suddenly booms or staff become unavailable.

Then again, the same could be true if you’re utilising warehousing without fulfilment services.

If you experience an influx of orders and need to continuously remove your stock from storage to meet demand, orders will undoubtedly be delayed and you’ll start to struggle.

This is why killing two birds with one stone is such a smart idea; you’ll save time from needing to fulfil orders yourself, having an experienced and reliable team take care of it for you, so you can focus on growing your business and pleasing customers in other ways with the important part out of the way.

It increases order capacity

In the same breath as the above, as your business grows, you may find difficulty in dealing with so many orders in a reasonable timeframe.

And if delays begin to set in, you can almost certainly expect your customers to go elsewhere.

But thanks to the added support you’ll receive from your warehousing and fulfilment team working on your behalf, you’ll be able to ship out orders in record time and record numbers, so you don’t need to compromise on quality as you continue to expand.

In an ideal world, working with the right warehousing and fulfilment provider will help your business snowball, allowing you to sell more and more products – and reap the profits of course!

It makes and saves money

Sure, external warehousing and fulfilment carry fees, as you can expect with every service you interact with.

But the money you invest in warehousing and fulfilment solutions should (hopefully) come back to you in far greater figures as your business reaps the benefits.

Not only that, but this move could actually save you money in the long run, too, compared to alternatives you may be considering.

For example, you could theoretically hire new internal staff completely dedicated to packing and shipping orders as they come in, along with presumably renting a new space where these folks can get to work.

But full-time salaries don’t come cheap – so why hire more staff or rent more space when you could take care of both issues in a two-pronged attack? The choice is clear.

Choose a vetted and trustworthy warehousing and fulfilment provider for your UK SME

If you’re interested in onboarding warehousing and fulfilment to support your growing UK business, be sure to choose an experienced and reliable warehousing and fulfilment expert to handle your goods with the utmost care.