3PL Solutions
3pl solutions are flexible services through which a business can outsource its order fulfilment operations. At a basic level, 3pl services include secure warehouse storage of goods, packaging of customer orders, and delivery and distribution via third-party transport.
Invenco is a comprehensive 3pl logistics provider. Our 3pl solutions are designed specifically to help you optimise your online commerce business. We offer a range of information resources and real-time inventory management systems which integrate directly with the largest eCommerce platforms. This means you’ll know the exact status of your inventory at any time, allowing you to accurately forecast goods manufacturing and maintain consistent sales.
In addition to managing your inventory and carefully packaging each customer order, we offer the ability to track each package from dispatch to delivery. You can feel confident in every step of the order fulfilment process and be able to answer customer enquiries with ease.
Simply put, partnering with a third-party logistics provider means you’ll immediately gain back all that time and labour cost spent personally packaging orders, worrying about your inventory, and negotiating shipping rates. With our 3pl fulfilment centre taking care of distribution logistics, you can focus on the more sensitive aspects of running the business such as scaling your operations.
To see how Invenco can help you optimise your business and to get a quote for our 3pl services, complete our handy online form or chat with one of our customer representatives online via the pop-up chat window.
What are the types of 3PL solutions?
We understand that there’s a lot of jargon surrounding 3pl solutions. With the exponential growth in the eCommerce industry, you may be overwhelmed with all the information around when it comes to choosing the best 3pl provider.
There are several types of 3pl vendors. Each 3rd party logistics provider offers different levels of 3pl services. This ensures their customers can optimise business by getting the maximum benefit from a tailored 3pl contract.
If you are seeking to utilise only the most basic 3pl process, partnering with a standard 3pl provider is the way to go. Standard 3pl companies offer warehouse storage and simple third-party transport logistics. They’ll store your goods, pack your orders, and deliver them, but they won’t be able to track them.
Most commerce businesses require higher quality 3pl solutions than those provided by standard 3pl providers. Service Developer 3PLs represent the next stage of 3rd party logistics services. These 3pl companies provide crucial business support across inventory management, order fulfilment, storage security and sale software, ensuring all platforms integrate smoothly with their internal information management system. They also offer the ability to track packages.
The most comprehensive 3pl solutions are those provided by the Customer Developer 3pl. In this partnership, the 3pl business adapts the existing logistic operations into its own system. They also provide business support across inventory, order fulfilment, shipping and tracking, and software integration.
This means a Customer Adapter 3pl will simply take on the existing order fulfilment process of their partner company instead of creating a new one.
Each of these 3pl solutions can be further identified by characteristics and primary areas of focus specific to the industry they serve. These include:
Transportation
Transportation 3pl companies offer a comprehensive range of 3pl services you can outsource for the completion of logistics operations. They are categorised as either leveraged (in which they leverage the warehouse storage facilities and/or transportation of other third-party companies) or un-leveraged (in which they own all assets and provide each service in-house).
Warehouse/Distribution
These 3pl providers manage inventory and product distribution in-house.
Forwarder
Forwarding 3pl companies act as conduits between a series of third-party service providers in extended or complex logistics operations.
Shipper/Management
Shipper/Management 3pl businesses oversee the complete shipping process. They facilitate crucial business relationships with carriers, allowing for the negotiation of competitive freight costs and distribution windows. They also provide comprehensive shipment data reporting, allowing for transparency of operations.
Financial
As their name indicates, these 3pl companies offer key financial services to businesses such as accounting, auditing, and the processing of invoices.
Information
Unsurprisingly, Information is the fastest-growing area in 3pl. These companies specialise in supporting B2B and e-commerce 3pl logistics and operations online.
The 3pl services you need are entirely dependent upon your business needs and goals. Invenco is here to help. Optimise your business now by using our handy online quote form or pop-up chat window.
Is it cost-effective to opt for 3PL solutions?
Yes! Gone are the days of trying to balance freight cost with delivery times, or losing days painstakingly packaging each order and stressing out while manually checking inventory. By opting for Invenco 3pl solutions to support your online business, you’ll recoup hours of time and significant labour costs immediately.
You’ll also directly benefit from our industry expertise and broad professional network. That means you’re guaranteed fixed-price shipping, short delivery times, and real-time online inventory management—all at the most competitive 3pl cost.
At Invenco, we do it all. To find out how our 3pl solutions can help optimise your business and to get a quote, simply complete the simple online form on our website. You can also ask all your 3pl-related questions in real-time with one of our friendly customer representatives via the pop-up chat window.