Most brands that are unhappy with their 3PL partnership have felt that way for a long time. There’s (usually) no single catastrophe that destroys the relationship between your brand and your fulfilment partner but rather, a series of smaller red flags that crop up, and leave you permanently on edge.
The problem is that no matter how many times your finger has hovered over the send button on an “I don’t think this is working” email – actually changing fulfilment provider feels hugely overwhelming. And doing it with peak season on the horizon? A nightmare within a nightmare.
A lot of brands picture moving 3PLs as a whirlwind of missing pallets, stalled orders and a Black Friday campaign that’s sabotaged before it even starts. But when you’re moving to a 3PL that understands the importance of keeping things moving, even during a transition, it doesn’t have to be a painful handover.
So, if you’re having second thoughts about your fulfilment provider, we’re here to help you make the right choice. We’ll cover why brands switch, how the onboarding process works stage by stage, and how your orders can get from A to B, without disrupting your customers.
Sometimes, you just don’t gel with your fulfilment partner. Whether it’s consistently late dispatches, mispicks, or a nagging feeling that your 3PL doesn’t really get your brand and its priorities – there are plenty of ways for the relationship to wear thin.
But, sometimes, there aren’t any glaring issues that trigger the lightbulb moment that tells you it’s time to make the change – sometimes you just outgrow your current set up.
If your brand scaling fast, but your fulfilment provider can’t keep up, you’re at a bit of a dead end. Suddenly, all the tasks that were running smoothly when you were sending out 50 orders a day, become unmanageable at 200+.
It’s usually at this stage that the errors start to creep in, small delays or inconsistencies that probably don’t feel like a big deal to your 3PL but can cause major ructions for your brand. Over 64% of UK shoppers admit that they wouldn’t reorder from a brand after a turbulent delivery process so if Your 3PL drops the ball, your customer blames you.
Before you dive headfirst into your shiny new warehouse – make sure you’re not breaching anything that you’ve agreed with your old 3PL. Every fulfilment partner works differently, and the last thing you need during your transition is an unexpected penalty on your way out the door. Look out for a couple of things in particular:
Notice Period – Check how much notice you’re required to give your current 3PL before you begin the transition to a new partner.
Exit, Or Stock Release, Charges – Some 3PLs charge a fee for processing your stock on its way out, something you’ll have to factor in to your final invoice.
Once you understand your contract a little better, it’s easier to work out when you need to get the ball rolling on your transition. If your notice period is 30 days, it’s best not to spend 28 of them twiddling your thumbs.
Communicate with both your couriers and your new 3PL to establish when stock needs to be collected, when your new warehouse needs to be ready to receive it, and when you want to start getting orders out again. Do that, and you have a timeline that fits snug inside of your notice period.
Signing Your Contract – Once you’re fully set on your new 3PL, and you’re ready to make things official, you can agree pricing, dispatch timelines and any other extras you’ll need to keep your brand moving.
Product and Data Set Up – Your products will usually be the first thing to be digitally onboarded. Each product will have its own SKU which helps your new 3PL to instantly recognise what it is, its size and weight and its sell by date (if you’re working with cosmetics or food products.) They’ll upload everything to the warehouse management system (the WMS, a digital shrine to your brand – it’s where all your product data and orders will pull through to)
System Integration – Your online stores and marketplaces will then all be connected to the same WMS, so orders will be able to roll in automatically, and tracking information can be sent out to your customers.
Goods-In – This is when it feels real, when all your stock is onboarded into the new warehouse. Your new 3PL partner will help you orchestrate the physical transition of stock, before they check, count and store your goods.
Testing Order Flow – Before you go live, your fulfilment partner should run some test orders. These help you to work out any initial teething issues and make sure everything is running as expected for when your real orders start to be processed.
Go Live- The exciting bit! After you’ve been onboarded, you’re ready to get orders moving again as the full ecommerce fulfilment process begins.
Here at GNOC, we pride ourselves on a rapid onboarding process that keeps disruptions to a minimum and can have your brand live in under a week. During especially busy periods, though, your new warehouse may have limited goods-in slots available. If you need the transition to take place over a short period of time, make sure you’re upfront with it on your initial discovery call so you can avoid any pesky, unforeseen delays.
Whenever we speak to prospective partners looking to change from their current 3PL, the same concern crops up time and time again – how will this disrupt my sales?
As an ecommerce brand, keeping a consistent order flow is pretty important… But the good news is that, when you’re supported by a good 3PL, your customers shouldn’t feel much of an effect at all.
A team that has done this before will plan the handover around your busiest days, agree a clear cut-off for orders, and tell you what's happening and when. If you’re still feeling hesitant, though, there are a few things you can do in-house to help keep things steady
Keep Your Customers Informed – If you’re anticipating a small amount of disruption, make sure your customers are aware. Shoppers are surprisingly forgiving of a clearly stated delay, but much less so of a surprise one.
Pick A Quiet Week – You should still be able to transition to a new fulfilment provider even if peak season is sitting on the horizon, but it’s always best to directly avoid coinciding with any new product launches, or major sales events.
Update Your Returns Address – To save any unnecessary stock-chasing, make sure all your paperwork, and returns details, have been updated to reflect your new 3PL. This also means that your new partner can get your returns management strategy set up straight away.
Switching 3PLs is always a daunting prospect, no matter how smooth the transition. But when you’re switching to a partner who really know they’re stuff, they should help to keep your mind at ease.
At GNOC, our onboarding process can have your brand live in under a week. Our team will help to get your products, stores and orders synced across to our WMS, and we’ll always be upfront with the timescale, especially if peak season is breathing down your neck. So if your current 3PL is holding you back, or you can see it struggling to keep pace with where your brand is heading, we can help make the move feel far more manageable than it looks from where you're sitting.
If you'd like a second opinion, we'd be happy to talk through where you are now and what a switch could look like, with no obligation. Get in touch for a no-pressure chat about evaluating your current 3PL against the alternatives.