The global apparel and fashion brands market is predicted to advance by 1.7 trillion dollars for manufacturers and retailers in the international clothing market. Since the apparel or fashion industry is expanding at a large scale, so does the sales.
But is managing the business as easy as it is? No. Therefore, you can hire 3PL services for your apparel or fashion brand and effectively handle the core business activities.
In this guide, you will understand how 3PL services are different for apparel or fashion brands, how they work, and what benefits you can enjoy.
What Is Different About Apparel And Fashion Order Fulfillment?
The apparel or fashion industry changes rapidly and has trends every season and month. Therefore, you should constantly update and maintain the ideal stocks to meet customer demands.
Moreover, apparel or fashion brands require optimized warehousing services to retain them long-term.
Therefore, handling apparel or fashion brands differs from handling other brands. Moreover, orders need to be fulfilled on time and accurately. Even if there was one late delivery, it may lead to a negative review or lousy perspective for the buyer, affecting their purchase decision.
What Is 3PL For Apparel And Fashion Brands?
3PL is a third-party logistics provider, a company or team that handles your business’s storage and order fulfillment assistance. Regarding apparel or fashion brands, 3PL will handle a list of tasks and responsibilities. They include the following:
- Warehousing
- Shipping
- Picking and packing
- Customer relationships
Since the workload in apparel or fashion brands is extensive, hiring a 3PL provider helps you reduce the workload for the above list of work.
Therefore, all you need to do is get timely updates, guide them on what they need to do based on your requirements, and focus on the core business activities.
How Does 3PL Work For Apparel Or Fashion Brand?
So, how does a 3PL provider handle your tasks if you run an apparel or fashion brand? Let’s discuss each below using a step-by-step approach.
Step #1: You Find A 3PL Service Provider
Finding the right 3PL service provider fitting your apparel or fashion brand would be best. Finding the right one might be challenging, but here’s a quick checklist of what the team or company needs to possess:
- Proven expertise in managing apparel and fashion products.
- Ability to offer branded or unique packaging solutions.
- Effective integration with your e-commerce and inventory systems.
- Ability to handle seasonal demand fluctuations and growth.
- Efficient handling of returns and exchanges.
- Provide support for international shipping if required.
- Transparent, upfront pricing without hidden fees.
- Consists of a dedicated team for real-time issue resolution.
Step #2: Sending Inventory To Your 3PL
Once you have found the ideal 3PL for your business, it’s time to switch the activities you did to your 3PL provider. As the first step, you can send your inventory for storekeeping to your 3PL.
Step #3: Warehousing Your Inventory
Next, your 3PL will hold the inventory in their warehouse and facilitate all the warehouse optimization. So, after placing an order, they will make sure that the products are stocked and the order delivered within the required period.
During warehousing, the 3PL provider will pay attention to the following factors:
- Ensure proper shelving and categorization to ensure easy access.
- Maintain the required level of storage conditions for delicate fabrics or materials.
- Regularly conduct inventory audits to prevent discrepancies.
- Implement robust safety protocols to protect apparel or fashion products.
- Efficiently utilize the warehouse space to reduce costs and improve workflow.
- Streamlining processes to fulfill high-priority orders quickly.
Step #4: Picking And Packing
Once the customer has placed the order, your 3PL will pick the product from the shelf or storage. Then, they will pack it according to the brand policies and send it for shipping.
If your 3PL has apparel management software, you can get instant inventory and order management updates. But if they don’t have one, you can use a spreadsheet or any other method to get stock and order updates.
Step #5: Shipping
After an order is picked and packed, it’s time to ship the goods. The workers will pack and send the order according to the shipping carrier’s requirements.
The tracking details would also be shared with the customer, who would receive real-time updates on the delivery status.
Step #6: Return
One of the instances is what happens when the product returns. You call such instances reverse logistics. However, your 3PL may handle reserve logistics but require a small fee and adjust accordingly.
The return management process includes the following steps:
- Inspecting returned items for damage or resale condition.
- Restocking inventory or setting aside for resale.
- Handling exchanges and refunds.
- Impaired items are either restored, recycled, or handled effectively.
- The customer is given a refund or replacement based on the return policy.
What Are The Benefits Of 3PL For Apparel Or Fashion Brands?
By getting assistance from 3PL, you can enjoy many benefits. Knowing these benefits helps you optimize tasks effectively and formulate strategies for enjoying them.
1. Enhanced Efficiency
When you manage an apparel or fashion brand, you and your team must handle plenty of work. Therefore, it would be time-consuming to handle every task.
Therefore, you can hire a 3PL provider and set aside the tasks they can do. Consequently, you will have more time to focus on the core business operations.
2. Save Your Pennies
Without a 3PL, how do you handle all the warehousing and other activities? You dedicate a unique team to it, spend money on logistics, vehicles, warehousing, storage arrangements, and even pay for maintenance.
Isn’t it quite a lot of expense? By hiring a 3PL, you don’t need to do all these activities and pay only the 3PL provider.
Therefore, it would save you a lot of pennies. Also, the 3PL providers have many warehouses and fulfillment centers at different locations. Hence, you can get the opportunity to use them and even expand your business.
3. Enjoy Shipping Discounts
When a 3PL provider handles your orders, they provide discounts based on the volume of shipping packages, reducing your overhead cost.
4. Reduce Shipping Errors
We know shipping errors are expensive. Correcting them will incur an extra cost and even increase shipping costs further. But when a 3PL handles all your shipping activities, you don’t need to worry about shipping errors. Whatever the error comes, they hold it by themselves and even incur the cost.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, apparel or fashion brands need 3PL services to facilitate business activities and optimize work management. This benefits them and helps them focus on expanding the business further.
But do you need help finding the right 3PL provider for your apparel or fashion brand? Then, check out our 3PeeL, an optimized 3PL matchmaker that can help you find a reliable 3PL provider.
