Your 3PL & Fulfillment Provider 
for International Growth

A fulfillment provider handles the entire processing of orders for e-commerce companies. This includes incoming goods, warehousing, order picking, packaging, shipping and often also returns management. The big advantage: retailers no longer have to worry about storage space, personnel, shipping processes and much more themselves and can instead concentrate fully on their growth.

There are different services depending on the fulfillment provider — some specialize in certain product categories or shipping regions, while others offer flexible solutions for a wide range of business models. If you want to grow in the long term, you should choose a fulfillment service provider that can scale with your requirements.

The costs for fulfillment can be summarized under:

• Software usage,
• warehousing,
• pick & pack fees,
• shipping costs,
• and additional services such as returns management or personalized packaging.

Many providers offer flexible pricing models based on order volume. A transparent price structure is particularly important here — hidden fees or complicated billing should be avoided. Retailers who want to optimize their costs should compare different providers and pay attention to a clear breakdown of costs.

At Quivo, we attach great importance to transparent prices without hidden fees. Our software packages are staggered according to order volume, so you always pay exactly what you really need. You can also find all fulfillment costs in detail here. 

3PL, or Third-Party Logistics, refers to outsourcing logistics and supply chain management functions to an external provider. These services can include warehousing, transportation, order fulfillment, inventory management, and freight forwarding. 

3PL providers help businesses optimize their logistics operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency by leveraging their expertise, infrastructure, and technology. This allows companies to focus on their core business while ensuring a smooth and scalable supply chain.

3PL companies & Fulfillment providers offer numerous advantages for e-commerce companies by optimizing processes, reducing costs and simplifying order processing.

1. Lower fixed costs: Having your own warehouse space, staff and infrastructure is expensive. With a fulfillment service provider, you only pay for the actual storage space and the orders processed, without high fixed costs.
    
2. Faster delivery times: Thanks to automated processes, strategically located warehouses and optimized shipping routes, orders get to customers faster — often the very next day.
    
3. Scalability: A good fulfillment provider grows with your business. At peak times, you can flexibly use more capacity without having to worry about staff or warehouse expansion.
    
4. Cost benefits for shipping: Fulfillment providers ship high volumes and therefore receive better shipping rates from logistics partners. These savings can be passed on to you.
    
5. Less administrative work: Warehouse management, packaging and shipping take up a lot of time. Outsourcing allows you to concentrate fully on growth, product development and marketing.
    
6. Improved customer satisfaction: Optimized processes reduce error rates and ensure fast, reliable deliveries. Satisfied customers mean more repeat purchases and better ratings.
    
7. International shipping: Many fulfillment service providers enable smooth expansion into new markets through international warehouse locations and customs clearance.
    
8. Efficient returns management: Returns are part and parcel of e-commerce. A professional fulfillment provider handles returns quickly and in a customer-friendly manner, which improves service and reduces costs.

Not every fulfillment provider is suitable for every business model. Choosing the right partner can make all the difference to the success of your logistics. When making a comparison, you should pay particular attention to the following criteria:

1. experience & specialization: Is the provider a good fit for your business?

A provider with experience in your industry can design processes more efficiently and respond to industry-specific requirements. This is particularly important for sensitive products such as food, electronics or fashion items with a high returns rate.

2. technological connection & store integration:

A good fulfillment service provider should enable smooth integration with your store system. Make sure they offer interfaces to platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce or Amazon FBA to automatically forward orders and receive real-time updates.

3. transparent pricing structure: no hidden costs:

Many providers have complicated pricing models with hidden fees. Make sure that costs for storage, picking, shipping and returns are clearly communicated. A transparent cost structure helps you to better calculate your margins.

4. flexibility & scalability: Can the provider keep up with your growth?

A fulfillment provider should be able to grow with your company. In growth phases such as Christmas sales or Black Friday, they should be able to process larger order volumes at short notice without causing delays.

5. locations & shipping options: how quickly can delivery be made?

A provider with several strategically located warehouses can ship orders faster and more cost-effectively. Also check whether international shipping options are offered if you supply customers abroad.