E-Commerce Fulfillment for Startups: What Is That?
As a leading e-commerce company for fashion and lifestyle fulfillment in the European fashion sector, we understand the needs and pain points of startups and growing companies. Clients are often not yet familiar with operational logistics processes, or they are taking their first steps in managing their own orders. They frequently ask us what fulfillment actually is and whether it makes sense for startups and small businesses.
In a nutshell, the term "fulfillment" involves outsourcing all processes related to your logistics structure. Our motto is: you take care of the sales, and we'll do the rest for you. Whether it's taking orders, processing returns, delivering goods to individual or major customers, or providing special packaging, MOODJA is the right contact for all these needs.
We see ourselves as an e-commerce fulfillment service provider. You can outsource your entire logistics infrastructure to us, regardless of whether you sell exclusively to private end customers or also make bulk deliveries to business intermediaries. We work successfully with various well-known German and international brands in both business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) fulfillment.
Aside from our expertise in B2C digital fulfillment, we can also leverage our industry contacts to your advantage. We can help place your fashion brand in a variety of digital brand venues that would otherwise be difficult to attain. Among others, we have excellent contacts with industry giant Zalando.
To help you better understand which specific services you can outsource to us, let's take a closer look at the individual sub-processes of an e-commerce order process, starting with the receipt of your produced goods.
Inbound
Everything starts with INBOUND at our facility, where we handle everything from goods receipt and stock inspection to labeling, fulfilling every request you have. We offer these services to save you money, as they can be quite expensive if you handle them on your own.
Step 1 is receiving your goods, whether they're hanging or lying. We store your products with care and check them for damage while ensuring a systematic and organized storage process. At the same time, we verify the contents of the delivery you sent us. If you need help with labeling your products, we're happy to take care of that for you as well. We can also "kitten" your products or bundle them together into a product package. If there are any errors, we can also handle relabeling.
E-Commerce Fulfillment Order Processing
After we have checked, sorted, and stored your inventory, the next step is order processing. This is the point when your end customer orders one or more products directly from your online shop. There are several ways your customer's order can be transmitted to us as a fulfillment service provider. Typically, we integrate our fulfillment software into your Shopify or Woocommerce online store via a special interface.
Once this is set up, our system automatically receives a notification when an order is received in your online shop. After the technical processing of your order, our employees get to work. In the picking process, we start early every day to retrieve your products from the warehouse. This ensures the best conditions for sending your orders as quickly as possible. After picking, we move on to the outbound process, which is the most exciting part for your product.
Outbound
In the OUTBOUND process at MOODJA, we've made the decision not to include any branding or similar materials from our company. We focus on your preferences, whether it's flyers, stickers, tissue paper, or anything else you desire. It's important for us to maintain the integrity of your brand and convey your values to the customer.
For special occasions like Christmas, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, etc., you can share your specific requests with us, and we'll make them happen for you. At the end of the day, customer satisfaction is the most important thing, and we all know that it's the key to success. Once the parcel is on its way, the customer and you can track its progress.
Shipment of Goods
Once the order has been received and the goods have been packed, the package is sent to our shipping station. There, we prepare it for delivery to the end customer. Among other things, this means that the parcel is weighed, and our experts decide which shipping method is best.
The shipping methods are as varied as our customers. Some customers only have a few exclusive national orders, while others receive several thousand orders a day from all over Europe. Our MOODJA experts always know which method is best for you. It is also the responsibility of the shipping station to update the status of the customer's order in the system so that both you and your customers can follow the progress of the order.
Returns Management
Not to be forgotten is returns management. For many customers these days, being able to return a purchased item without hassle is a must. As an e-commerce merchant, you should set up a transparent returns policy. From our experience, we recommend a dual solution: you provide your customers with external information about returns on your website, and you provide us with internal guidelines on how to handle returns after they reach our warehouse.
We know that all four process steps sound relatively simple now, but believe us: the devil is in the details. Our internal quality management pays special attention to the subtleties that distinguish a professional fulfillment partner from a second-rate logistics service provider. For us, the focus is on both you as the client and your customers, which is why we want to grow with you right from the start.
So, if you're wondering whether fulfillment makes sense for small, growing businesses, or promising start-ups, we can answer with a resounding yes. We know that in a world of standard processes, every customer needs individual fulfillment solutions. Therefore, it is best to discuss your individual needs personally - contact us.
