External warehouse for online stores
When thinking about E-commerce service, it seems that these types of warehouses are no different from any other. However, selling in this particular model poses increasingly higher challenges for brands offering online sales. This situation makes the E-commerce warehouse require many specific solutions from the retailer. In this article, we will try to explain what warehouse services will improve the operation of an online store. When choosing, we should consider several important aspects of the warehouse we are interested in. One important element is the type of building and the technical aspects of its construction.
Storage
Warehousing is a very important concept for all areas of logistics, transport and shipping. Increasing customer expectations are forcing a customized approach to delivery, in which warehouse space and warehouse logistics play a key role. The demands of next-day or same-day delivery service underscore the importance of having adequate warehouse space and providing good quality warehouse services.
How are goods stored?
Efficient management of warehouse processes is the key to efficient logistics. In terms of logistics services, warehouses not only guarantee efficient and secure management of goods, but are also able to automate data exchange processes. In our warehouse logistics management solution, each customer can count on a personalized approach and professional advice.
Technical aspects of a warehouse for online stores
We can start the selection with the building in which you could implement services for E-commerce. The specifics of your product will be key here. Pay attention to the heights of racks, unloading ramps and space that will suit your needs. It is worth mentioning at this point that not every warehouse runs the type of service that will meet your needs. Going forward, you could consider a warehouse where a significant portion of the order picking and shipping is done by specialized workers equipped with the latest technological warehouse service equipment. Such a warehouse will best optimize storage and shipping costs for your products. Operating in the E-commerce industry, you will find that the more automation, the better for your business. This is undoubtedly a great convenience for the warehouse personnel themselves, but also for you as a potential customer, if you want your customer to receive goods properly packed and in a short time, then pay attention to this. The next most noteworthy are standard class “A” buildings, which have a height of min. 10 meters, a dust-free floor with a load capacity of min. 5T/m2, skylights in the amount of min. 2% in relation to the area of the entire floor, equipped with fire sprinklers, automatic docking gates. These are some of the elements that make it worth considering offering such a warehouse. This type of building is probably the most versatile and cost-effective choice, as it can store a great variety of goods. At the stage of research and discussions with your logistics partner, it is worth indicating the types of goods you trade.
Check out all the logistics services that Omida VLS offers!
Technological aspects of a warehouse for online stores
Another important consideration when choosing a warehouse is the capabilities of the WMS. E-commerce warehouses use the support of WMS systems, where product picking is done via barcodes and readers. Such a system should be integrated with your CMS and allow you to automatically upload information about each order. Also consider whether the WMS interfaces with your ERP, or invoicing system, as an additional important asset. Integrations between all environments are the key to saving time and getting your online store working properly.
A huge advantage of such a system is that it saves delivery time, but also saves the warehouseman himself. This is because he does not have to search for goods all over the warehouse, as information about the location of the goods sought and how they are packed is displayed on the reader. This, of course, positively affects the cost of handling your orders. An additional benefit of such a system is the proper placement of goods on the shelves without fear of putting the goods in the wrong place or storing them in excessive quantities, thus optimizing the space occupied by your goods in the warehouse occurs on its own. This will, of course, reduce the cost of operating your online store. You will be able to read about the exact functions that a WMS system performs in the next post of our guide.
The most important warehouse services for online stores
When choosing a warehouse for your online store, pay attention to the additional services offered by the warehouse management company.
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“Value-Added Services” known broadly as Fullfilment. These are value-based services designed to improve order processing and influence consumer behavior during the brand decision-making process.
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Co-packing is a broadly developed service that includes the following activities: packaging of products, labeling, preparation for shipping, foiling, and placement of advertising brochures inside the packaging.
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Labeling, which is part of the range of co-packing services, is responsible for labeling goods that provide information about the contents of the product. With this service, you can familiarize yourself with the contents of the goods and how they are packaged directly from the label placed on the package.
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Repacking is understood as the repositioning of the goods into another box of packaging or carton from bulk cartons or cartons used only for storage. To add aesthetic value, the product is repackaged into the brand's chosen packaging for shipping. Repacking is important from the perspective of brand image, which with nice packaging wins customer trust.
These are just some of the warehouse functions of an online store for the 21st century's dedicated product for online business, which is Omida E-commerce. It is this product that offers comprehensive warehouse services for online stores. You can find a more detailed description on our Omida Ecommerce subpage.
