SUPPORTING THE E-COMMERCE SECTOR

No one seems to be really sure when e-commerce first began – a quick search on the internet will unearth varying tales of who, and what was first.

One thing is for certain though. Today, it’s an industry worth almost £110 billion. Cited as the ‘most advanced e-commerce market in Europe’, it’s little wonder that in 2021, 30% of overall retail sales were made online.

The pandemic firmly cemented the role of e-commerce in everyone’s daily lives. Even those that had been a little reluctant or simply enjoyed the pleasure of shopping in person capitalised on the benefits it brought. And whilst some have gone back to our high streets and shopping centres, it’s fair to say that e-commerce plays a part in the acquisition of goods from food to luxury items.

Therefore, choosing the right 3PL partner to facilitate your e-commerce operations is key to its ongoing success and ensuring that it continues to meet consumer expectations.

From the multi-million sq ft warehouses that support the likes of Amazon to the independents such as Carlton Forest 3PL – all play a key role in supporting e-commerce transactions.

So how do we support our e-commerce and online retailers to maintain stock levels, cope with peaks in demand, and deliver direct to their customers from our warehouse facilities?

Stock and Serve

Maintaining the correct levels of stock is critical to the success of most e-commerce operations. Customers choose to buy online for the speed of the process; right from point of ordering to point of despatch. Making sure stock is maintained either to deliver direct or simply to deliver more stock into a despatch facility is very important.

We work with a number of customers who choose to tailor our range of services to their own personal requirements.

For some, we operate a full direct-to-customer despatch service and receive the orders directly into our system which we have integrated with our customers to provide full visibility, accurate reporting, and stock management.

For others, we simply support their e-commerce operations which take place away from our premises.

Coping with demand

Our agile, flexible approach to delivering the full cohort of 3PL services means we can respond to customer requirements in a much more fluid way when compared to some of our larger competitors.

Many of our customers, that have been in partnership with us for many years, can accurately predict their peaks and troughs of demands, perhaps due to the seasonality of their goods, or simply from accurate statistics and run data that has been collated over the years.

Our approach allows us to respond to these demands in a timely and sensible manner. For new customers, we can source new facilities and services to support them as required.

Tailored approach

One thing is for certain – there is no one size fits all solution that we offer.

Our experienced sales team understands how 3PL, and specifically the e-commerce network operates, and tailors services to facilitate this.

From storing goods, container de-stuffing, and re-palletising, to operating systems that receive customer orders and dispatch those goods, the team finds solutions that work.

Not only do we offer a wide range of services we also appreciate the importance of delivering those services with accuracy, integrity, and professionalism.

Stability and capability are also key – you need to understand that your preferred 3PL partner can do exactly what you require and that they offer stability and longevity in the marketplace.

Vanessa Hope, Chief Commercial Officer, of Carlton Forest Group commented; “Carlton Forest 3PL has an embedded ‘can-do’ attitude that brings a refreshing approach that our customers really buy into.

“Built on traditional levels of service and professionalism, but with all the capabilities of doing business in a modern world, the team is experienced at delivering 3PL solutions for all the varying facets of the e-commerce and online sector.”

With a range of bulk, racked and COMAH storage on offer customers can benefit from the right type of warehouse and the right type of storage. Coupled with a tailor-made solution, it’s a match made in heaven.

To discuss the range of services that we offer that support the ecommerce sector get in touch with our Head of 3PL sales – alistair.plant@carltonforestgroup.com.

To discover more about the services we offer visit www.carltonforest3pl.com