One of the major challenges in running an e-commerce business is ensuring your customers get their deliveries on time. It may be easy to manage deliveries by yourself at first. However, this could become overwhelming and more challenging as your customer base increases and the daily orders you've been used to double or even triple. This is where third-party logistics (3PL) are most useful. 3PL is a link in supply chain management that connects manufacturers, wholesalers, and customers. 3PL providers offer logistic services, which include transportation, freight consolidation, distribution management, and warehousing. If you're looking for a 3PL provider for their warehousing functions, it's imperative to ask for the warehouse management system (WMS) in place. A good WMS reduces labour costs and improves efficiency in storage. Here is what you need to look for in the WMS.

Ease of Use

Look for a WMS that is easy to use. Systems that are complex to use will result in delayed fulfilment of orders. A simple WMS should have easy-to-follow menus. What's more, data entry should be simple, allowing users to create various templates with ease. Automation will also make a WMS simpler. Therefore, look for a system that updates data automatically and in real-time to streamline the data entry process.

24/7 Visibility

Proper storage is imperative to your fulfilment services. Therefore, when choosing a 3PL warehouse, consider a provider that operates on a 24-hour basis as this will be an added advantage. 24/7 visibility allows you to access data any time of the day, which promotes transparency in your storage solutions.

Inventory Tracking

How easy can goods be located inside the warehouse? Warehouses can store a variety of products. Therefore, you need a good inventory tracking system in place to make it easy to find products or goods that need to move. This has to happen promptly to prevent delays in deliveries. Some of the inventory tracking features to look for include barcode scanners and radio-frequency identification.

Design

The design of the warehouse can make all the difference when it comes to the effectiveness of the storage and distribution of your orders. Look for a design that will optimise inventory allocation to maximise on the available storage space. A bin slotting design, for instance, is ideal when it comes to space maximisation.

When choosing a 3PL warehousing service, market proximity is an important factor to consider. The closer you are to your customers, the faster you'll deliver goods to them.