Apparel fulfillment centers have gained quite a hype among the clothing businesses because of the exceptional services they provide. However, they are still sort of new and not many people know about it. If you are a clothing business owner looking to learn about what an apparel fulfillment center is and which is the best clothing fulfillment center in business, then you have landed on the right page. Hop on below to read a detailed guide on everything you should know.
What Is the Apparel Fulfillment Center?
An apparel fulfillment center like all other fulfillment center is a third-party service which store, pick, pack and ship the clothing and accessories on behalf of a clothing and accessory retailer. These third-party companies have a scalable infrastructure which allows them to manage the inventory received rather effeciently and handle peak seasons and fluctuations with better flexibility than how the retailer would have done.
Key Services Offered by Apparel Fulfillment Center
Now that you know what the apparel fulfillment center is, we are sure you’d be intrigued to dive into some of the key services that these clothing fulfillment stores offer. If that is the case, then we have some of the best key features listed for you below:
Inventory Management System
For any apparel business, inventory management is an important factor that supports a seamless order fulfillment process and helps avoid any stock runouts. Any clothing fulfillment center which offers an advanced inventory management which is more than just simple tracking can be a game-changer in maintaining its integrity and name in the market. Through an advanced set-up, third-party companies can easily ensure the availability of stock levels and the customer’s order status.
Shipping Service
If there is one service which makes or breaks any fulfillment center, it is their shipping services. Clothing fulfillment centers should have several delivery options available that work well with their business demands. These include services like international shipping, last-mile delivery, and other cost-effective options that can cover a greater margin of consumer base.
Returns Handling
Return handling and management is a crucial service of any fulfillment center but for a clothing fulfillment center it is the most important. Why is that? Well, because clothing items when received by the customer can often encounter problems like sizing issues or color defaults and hence need to be sent back.
Any 3PL service which deals with apparel should have a seamless return process which can cater to the return demands quickly without leaving any impact on the inventory.
Customer Support
While return handling is an important factor, customer support services should be just as strong for any apparel fulfillment center. This is because a high-quality and available customer support service would help customers evaluate and guide them through their purchase. The customer support can be provided through phone, emails or chat to ensure help is always availale for customers.
Challenges of Apparel Fulfillment Center
Despite the exceptional key services, there are still a few challenges that the apparel fulfillment centers have to work towards overcoming. What are these? Well, take a look for yourself:
Seasonal Demand
The apparel industry can forsee sudden rise and fall in the demands of their products and hence such challenges of season demands should be taken in account. Companies should look out for the stocks and prevent any runouts during peak season.
Customization Complexities
Customization of products can complicate the overall iventory management and order picking and packing for the fulfilment centers and hence many clothing companies sell apparels in standard sizes.
Shipping Costs
Shipping costs can be quite a nuisance for both the apparel fulfillment centers and the customers. Hence, the clothing fulfillment centers should always look into finding favorable shipping rates especially in cases of international shipping where services charges are quite high.
Returns Management
As mentioned above, managing returns can be quite a crucial aspect of any business. Hence, overcoming any challenges with return management is quite important for any business to maintain its profitability and customer satisfaction.
Benefits of Partnering with a Clothing Fulfillment Center
With the challenges out of the way, which the clothing fulfillment center tackles quite efficiently, it is now time to look into the benefits of partnering with a clothing fulfillment center. Here are some of them:
Reduced Operational Costs
There is no denying that the shipping and inventory services of apparel fulfillment centers can be costly, given the shipping and storing services. This can be quite problematic for the purchasers as well as the retailer, given no one wants to spend a hefty amount when purchasing a single or a few products, right?
Hence, in such cases, partnering with a clothing fulfillment center can be beneficial. How so? Well, these companies have access to better routes, good terms with shipping services, which can help them avail discounts, and a more streamlined approach towards handling any unforeseen challenges.
Better Scalability in Growth
One major benefit that the clothing fulfillment centers provide is the increased flexibility that they come with. What does this mean? Well, it refers to better scalability in terms of growth. Hence, when a businesses operation will increase, the fulfillment center would automatically raise their operations in order to meet the demand.
Streamlined Order Processing and Shipping
There is no denying that an apparel fulfillment center has a streamlined business system. The apparel fulfillment system comes with a lot of operations which need to be handled side by side and correctly too. Hence, these fulfillment centers can streamline all such operations like picking, packing, shipping, delivering and returns all together ensuring a smoother and faster work process.
Commendable Customer Service
A growing business means an increasing demand for customers, all of which need to be catered to. Hence, having a apparel fulfillment center which can benefit your business with its commendable customer services is very important. With proper customer support, your new and old customers will feel heard and helped, providing them with a good experience and a reason to shop again with your business.
How to Choose the Right Apparel Fulfillment Partner?
Given that you know everything about apparel fulfillment services, we are sure you’ll be intrigued by choosing the right apparel fulfillment partner for your business. However, the question is how will you do it. There are multiple aspects that you should consider before choosing a clothing fulfillment center for yourself. Some of these factors are:
Real-Time Inventory Updates
Teaming up with an apparel fulfillment center that has a proper inventory management service with advanced technology is extremely important. Why is that? Well, with proper inventory the company would know what it is in stock, what is running out and update the associated business about it on time to ensure that the stock doesn’t sale out completely making new customers coming in go back empty handed. This can be quite a loss for any business.
Global Reach
Another aspect that you should consider before partnering with any apparel fulfillment center is its global reach. Businesses that have a set-up in several different countries around the globe can help expand your products internationally with ease, bringing better profits for your company.
Profitable Rates
Checking the rates offered by different apparel fulfillment centers is quite important. Other companies offer different rates as they have partnerships with varying shipping services. Choose the one that suits your budget best.
Apparel Fulfillment Services with NextSmartShip
With everything clear, the last step for you would be to find the best apparel fulfillment service. Well, let us sort it out for you too. If there is one of the best apparel fulfillment centers in business, it has to be NextSmartShip.
The company has been in operation for years and has served several businesses with its high-quality inventory management and shipping services. With over 400 shipping lines and 10 fulfillment centers around the globe, giving you international reach and a guaranteed 40% off on the overall cost, NextSmartShip is one place with which you should trust your business.
Conclusion
If you are someone who wants to learn about apparel fulfillment center, then we hope this article was helpful for you. While we did try to cover all the basics, from what apparel fulfillment centers are to their challenges and the benefits they provide, choosing the best clothing fulfillment center for yourself is in your hands. For that, we suggest you check out NextSmartShip, which is undeniably the best in business.
