eCommerce fulfillment services come in handy in a number of sectors and industries, and fashion is certainly one of them. In this article, we will take a closer look at clothing delivery services, or to be more precise, apparel fulfillment. What does logistics in the fashion industry look like? And what can you do to find the best company that will help you with fashion logistics? Let’s find out!
If this is the very first time you’ve heard the eCommerce fulfillment term, don’t worry. It’s still a relatively new service. But, as you will see for yourself in a few minutes, it’s also a true game-changer for medium-sized and large online fashion stores.
What is product fulfillment?
Shortly put, order fulfillment is a different name for logistics outsourcing. It’s a logistics model in which a 3PL (third-party logistics) company takes everything logistics-related off your shoulders and deals with it on your behalf.
In the fashion industry, order fulfillment comprises the following elements:
What makes Apparel Fulfillment different?
The very nature of this industry makes apparel fulfillment quite special. For starters, the warehouse has to be adjusted to the needs of a clothing company. This means that there has to be at least one section with the range of rack infrastructure. For the majority of clothes, keeping them in boxes and plastic wrapping is not a good idea. Primarily long and heavy pieces of clothing (such as dresses, jackets, and coats) should be stored on racks.
The next thing you ought to think through is related to personalized packaging. Online fashion stores go to any lengths to make their parcels look gorgeous. Every single element is branded, and the majority of parcels go to customers along with inserts and vouchers. Therefore, a logistics center that offers services for the clothing industry must consider these elements and provide extensive personalization options.
Let’s go further: What about returns? If you run an online fashion store, you surely realize that returns can cause some serious headaches. Many customers order 2-3 sizes of the same piece of clothing by default. They try them on, choose the one that fits best, and send the others back. And that’s all well and good from the customer standpoint, but it means tons of additional warehousing work for you as a fashion entrepreneur. Apparel fulfillment companies typically offer handling of returns and complaints. They take the returned goods, prepare them for selling again, and put them back in the inventory. And while we are on the subject of preparing clothes:
In-House Laundry and Sewing Rooms
Every returned piece of clothing should be washed before it can be sold again. Of course, not every store lives up to this standard, but that’s a whole different story. Washing clothes before they can be shipped means that the in-house laundry is beyond necessary. In fact, every decent order fulfillment company that works with fashion brands needs to have an in-house laundry so that the process of accepting returned goods and putting them again for sale is not overcomplicated.
And what about sewing rooms? Actually, the same thing. Minor problems like a loose button happen all the time. Your logistics company should have at least a small sewing room with a skillful seamstress so that when such a problem occurs, it can be fixed on-site quickly. Bear in mind, every missing button, every piece of thread sticking out, and every stain means that the given piece of clothing cannot be sold, and it takes up valuable space in the warehouse.
The Dead Stock Issue
The brutal truth is that clothes become outdated and unattractive pretty quickly. This means that many online stores have to deal with the dead stock problem. If your marketing campaigns are not efficient, or your inventory is incorrectly selected, you will eventually have to face this issue as well. Of course, there are ways to deal with dead stock, but it’s certainly not welcome in any online fashion store. But no worries! The professional logistics partner will surely help you cope with this problem.
What do Fashion Fulfillment Services include?
The general idea behind the fulfillment service is that it’s fully adjustable to the clients’ needs. Therefore, you can ask for a service tailor-made for your store. Typically, order fulfillment in the fashion industry comprises four crucial areas that we’ve already talked about:
Personalized parcels and branding
Handling returns and complaints
Adjustable rack sections
A laundry and a sewing room
And then, there are typically logistics services:
Storing and accepting products
Picking and packing orders
Shipping parcels to customers
Now, let’s go back to the title question. Is fulfillment for the fashion industry worth your attention? The answer is yes. With a fashion fulfillment company, you have whatever it takes to serve your customers effectively and seamlessly. The side benefit is that the clothes you offer are continually in perfect condition! And on top of that, you save a lot of time on dealing with logistics on your own.
If you want to find out more about eCommerce fulfillment services, visit the Omnipack website and ask for details. Additionally, we invite you to find out how fashion companies can benefit from order fulfillment.