There is a new method to get orders to customers easily and quickly – Shopify Fulfillment Network. This network can meet the delivery date and reduce shipping costs. So many merchants in the U.S. apply to access this network to improve customer experience.
In this article, we will discuss the Shopify Fulfillment Network (SFN), the costs of using it, its pros and cons, and the top 5 best Fulfillment Services for Shopify.
Contents
About Shopify Fulfillment Network
SFN is an in-house fulfillment service launched in 2019 by Shopify. SFN is a network of warehouses in many different locations in the United States and Canada.
When the customer completes the checkout process, Shopify will be in charge of preparing and shipping the order. Merchants have to send products to a single fulfillment center, then Shopify will suggest where to send the inventory based on sales and available customer base. This will save time and delivery costs. You will have to apply and get accepted to move products forward. This process takes around two weeks.
Because the Shopify Fulfillment Program serves stores in the U.S., it is used by businesses in the U.S. and has fulfillment centers in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, your business has to have more than three daily orders within those two countries. You can apply to the Shopify Fulfillment Program if your business meets those requirements. Then Shopify will evaluate your business to decide whether to provide service for you or not.
Shopify Fulfillment Network Pricing
When going to the cost of SFN, it is clear that Shopify is cautious in establishing a pricing structure for SFN. It is difficult to calculate how much you need to pay as Shopify Fulfillment Network allows custom pricing. You can give the request a quote on their website, and then Shopify will connect to you and give a suitable solution within your budget. The costs are estimated every day based on transportation needs, requirements of picking and packaging, storage, and many special projects:
- Domestic Fulfillment: This fee is based on each completed order in the United States. It combines inbound receiving, picks and packs, supplies, and domestic delivery.
- International Fulfillment: This fee is calculated based on each international order. It included inbound receiving, pick and pack, supplies, and international delivery.
- Storage: You do not need to pay this fee for products that are sold within 180 days of being sent to the SFN fulfillment center. Long-term storage fees will be calculated when the inventory amounts are not changed compared to your inventory from 180 days ago.
- Domestic return: Domestic returns will be charged if SFN processes a return from a customer. This fee combines transportation costs to return the package to the SFN fulfillment center and the expense of processing it.
- Non-compliant inbound receiving: Inbound transfers can be charged a non-compliant fee when they are received at a fulfillment center of SFN.
- Barcode labeling: This fee will be calculated if products that are sent to SFN have the problem of missing, incorrect, or unreadable barcodes.
- Notable projects: Any particular project requiring an additional process by SFN personnel must pay an hourly fee.
Pros and Cons of Shopify Fulfillment Network
Pros:
- Control everything based on one platform
- Pick and pack, ship, and track order
- Inventory distribution
- Deal with return orders and exchange items
- Does not collect data of merchants
- Customize both branding and packaging
- Quick delivery
Cons:
- Only sellers in the U.S. can use it;
- The sellers need to have at least ten orders per day and at most 10000 orders per day;
- Expensive;
How to collect the right Shopify fulfillment network partner
Meet all your demands
Currently, many fulfillment companies will claim to meet all your demands and promise to deliver products at the right time to the right place. However, you need to choose a company that has known about your industry or has customers that operate in the same sector. Therefore, they can easily and quickly understand your company and business structure.
It is critical to ensure that their capabilities can match all your demands of sale channels, including Omnichannel, eCommerce, Retail, etc. Make sure that all the stuff they bought fits your company’s demand. Cooperating with someone who can grow with you step by step is ideal.
A partner that accompanies your business in the long term
An ideal Shopify fulfillment service partner will strive for the development of your brand and success. With the development of your business, they also have to adapt and grow with you. All of their services, from integration technologies to reporting systems, compose three elements – customization, automation, and scalability. There will be unexpected circumstances, so the company selection that provides the flexibility, extension, and capabilities to benefit your business in the long term is vital.
Various shipping solutions
One of the most crucial factors many businesses consider is to avoid delivery delays. Enterprises want to choose partners that can deliver products on time, anytime, anywhere at a cheap cost. This is to ensure customers have a perfect experience. Therefore, you must choose trustworthy shipping carriers such as TNT, DHL,… However, many businesses have to deal with the problem of being overcharged for their parcel shipments. Therefore, they always look for a partner with a relationship network with all the major shipping players in the market and can deal with creative solutions based on the transit time, unfortunate circumstances, and costs.
Seamless integration
Businesses must put their brand image on the line. Therefore, if you cooperate with an ill-equipped provider, such as a new provider or a provider without the necessary insights, your company will risk delivering a poor brand experience to your customers. You can work with an established, reputable company with many years of experience and expertise in this area. In addition, you can ask for customer references and find reviews from individuals that they work with are also an effective way to find out more about their practical performances.
A trustworthy fulfillment partner
The most effective way to ensure fast and accurate order processing is to cooperate with a fulfillment provider. The partner who uses modern technology can directly integrate your sales channels with visibility.
Top 4 Best Shopify Fulfillment Services
Shopify Fulfillment Network (SFN)
SFN, fulfillment service currently supported by Shopify, is a perfect option for businesses with a Shopify store. It will be easy for your customers to know exactly when to make their purchases. Shopify can ensure its delivery time within two-day, ensuring your customers get the purchases as quickly as possible. Brands offering shopping and delivery via the same platform will generate a seamless experience.
Features
- Ensure two-day shipping
- Display the delivery date on the product page
- Custom packing slips to promote brand strength
- Seamless inventory management depends on your customer data
Price
Thanks to Shopify fulfillment network, there will be no overhead costs as you only have to pay if your inventory is sold. The delivery cost will base on the product’s weight whenever your products are sold. With multiple items orders, there will be discount rates for you. Shopify users can get free storage within the first six months. For products in the inventory for about six months, the fee will be $2.25 per cubic foot of storage fee.
FedEx Fulfillment
FedEx Fulfillment is one of the best Shopify fulfillment services. It supports small-sized and medium-sized businesses to fulfill orders and handle inventory. Also, it offers third-party logistics, including warehousing, order fulfillment, packing, etc.
FedEx Fulfillment is highly suitable for fast-growing small businesses thanks to its visibility and clear product, inventory, and control policies. In addition, small companies will receive the support of many professional employees. Besides, the customer services of FedEx Fulfillment have made a massive difference in any process, such as throughput, warehousing, outsourced logistics, and transportation.
FedEx Fulfillment also gives a committed specialist to support small enterprises to understand and complete the process efficiently. You also can store your goods in FedEx’s warehouses to save overhead costs.
Features
- Ecommerce integration: FedEx Fulfillment offers eCommerce integration for all eCommerce platforms, such as Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, etc
- Customization: FedEx offers packaging customization and value-added services, which help small businesses establish their brands.
- Tracking and visibility in just one place: FedEx allows you to use a single platform to control your orders and inventory. Therefore, it will be easier to analyze and improve the fulfillment processes.
- Expertise Consulting: FedEx Fulfillment has experts in the logistics field who will support you in optimizing the logistics process.
ShipBob
ShipBob is a third-party logistics company. It can deliver the best shipping and logistics solutions at a reasonable price. It also provides services for small-sized and medium-sized companies with its distribution centers distributed. Besides, ShipBob offers full transparency in its operations.
Features
- Omnifulfillment: Even if your customers are purchasing via different marketplaces, ShipBob can fulfill sales.
- Customizable shipping materials: This feature improves brand strength and order fulfillment of wholesale and retail drop shipping.
Price
Brands can ask for a quote to get more information about pricing; however, their pricing page also includes a calculator to support you to know what might be the cost for each month.
FreightPros
FreightPros is one of the best fulfillment services for Shopify and is a suitable option for many small businesses. It offers competitive rates and outstanding customer service. In addition, it allows you to access many services and tools such as LTL (less than load), permits you to manage your shipment directly, and rail carriers,…
Features
- Impressive Customer Service: FreightPros offers its customers the best customer service by supporting users in setting up accounts, booking tools, and freight management.
- Suitable for Startups: FreightPros is an appropriate option for startups as it enables a new business owner to deal with things quickly, even if this person has not had any experience with the FreightPros system.
- Simple Onboarding: FreightPros is easy to use due to the functionality in the dashboard, including booking, scheduling, and other tools.
- Management Systems: You can tackle booking, controlling, and shopping for freight rates in a single dashboard. Besides, the systems can monitor and book preferences precisely for you.
Price
FreightPros will give you a cost structure so that consumers can know where to spend their money. FreightPros covers all basics with suitable freight classes and load insurance.
In addition, by using FreightPros, you can save a lot of money thanks to its flat-rate freight classification. To sum up, spending on freight will minimize costs as much as possible.
READ MORE: Best Shopify Fulfillment Apps For Increasing Customer Experience
Final words
That is all about Shopify fulfillment network and top best Shopify fulfillment services. We hope that our review will help you improve the fulfillment process. So, if you have any problem, please contact us to get more information about it.
BSS Commerce Shopify is a leading company with more than nine years of expertise in eCommerce. We provide Shopify Development Services, so we can support you to generate intuitive, sales-driven, and promote online stores. If you choose to cooperate with us, we can provide you with:
- Professional Service: We can meet all your requirements if you cooperate with us
- Time-zone Flexibility: We can deal with urgent requirements with quick deliverables.
- Global Client Base: We have served 21,000+ customers all over the world.
- Shopify Solution Partner: We have modern technology and up-to-date analytics
READ MORE: Everything You Need to Know About BSS’s Shopify Partner Program
