If your eCommerce fashion brand is beginning to grow, it may be time to reach out to a 3PL provider.

3PL (third-party logistics) firms exist to help your eCommerce brand manage its supply chain.

Key services provided by 3PLs include warehouse and inventory management, order fulfilment, shipping logistics, retail distribution, exchanges and returns.

How can a 3PL help your fashion brand?

If you run a fashion brand, you'll know only too well how much there is to do. Products need to be developed, marketing strategies planned and implemented, sales maximised – and on top of all these brain-stretching, time-swallowing activities, you need to manage your stock and fulfil sales.

A 3PL like Stowsafe takes fulfilment out of your hands and, in doing so, allows you to focus your expertise on other key areas that will help your business flourish.

Many startups begin life at home, with a garage or spare room doubling up as a warehouse. But as you begin to scale up and demand grows, you may find it worth your while to outsource the management of your stock.

3PLs store your stock in their warehouse. When a customer clicks "buy" on your online store, the order is processed directly from the 3PL warehouse and the sale is picked, packed, and dispatched.

This is beneficial to you because it allows you to cross one significant area of eCommerce off your to-do list. It also has the advantage of helping you to meet your customers' expectations.

Fashion moves fast, and your customers have come to expect fast, seamless shipping – used as they are to fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M and Primark. A priority for SMEs is to match these expectations and give customers the satisfaction of superfast global delivery and exceptional customer service.

In an age of persistent supply chain disruption, 3PLs help your eCommerce store maintain instant consumer access to the latest trends, and in doing so help you to boost your online profile.

What can Stowsafe do for you?

At Stowsafe, we understand the needs of your sector and have experience working with all kinds of small and large brands.

We pride ourselves on providing flexible, 100% bespoke services that work for you. Each fulfilment plan is customised and built around the individual requirements of your business. We know that "one size fits all" is a shortcut that won't help you fully realise your potential.

Here are the main services we provide – but keep in mind that each step of the way, we'll work with you to meet your needs.

Receiving and storing stock

Each of our partners gets a dedicated space in our 24,500-square-foot warehouse. Once your stock is received – whether by parcel, pallet, or container – we unload and inspect it to make sure there's no mismatch between the order the customer placed and the item or items ready for delivery.

Having checked your stock, we promise to have it stored safely and securely within three hours of receipt.

A priority for you is to deliver clothes that are clean and presentable and to remove any possibility of their going astray in transit. We ensure the former by keeping our warehouse space spotless, and the latter by keeping it environmentally controlled and monitored by 24-hour CCTV.

Picking, packing, and dispatching

The second a customer orders from your online store, we receive an instant notification and begin picking, packing, and dispatching.

As we said above, your customers have high standards for customer service. Our system of automated order notifications and same-day dispatch on orders placed before 2.30 pm helps you meet these expectations.

We pack up your deliveries in high-quality packaging – that way, there's no possibility of goods arriving creased or damaged, an eventuality which could result in a negative review that could damage your online presence.

We're also able to help you out with your brand identity, which we know you'll have spent a lot of time and thought over. Do you want branded packaging, personalised customer labels, flyers, or thank you notes? Let us know and we'll help you realise your vision.

Stowsafe gives you options. When it comes to delivery, you have a choice between selecting a courier that you know and trust, or letting our software automatically pick the most cost-effective courier for each order.

Overall, we can offer you fast, seamless shipping and same-day dispatch. As soon as an order is shipped, both you and the customer will receive a notification including tracking details – so neither you nor they have to worry about the fate of their purchase.

Keeping on top of inventory

At Stowsafe, we have a warehouse management system (WMS) that's updated in real-time – so every time a purchase is dispatched, your inventory level is changed accordingly. You'll also hear from us the second that an item's stock is running low. This is crucial to avoid being stung by any kind of stock shortage.

Our system also has the great advantage of being integrated with all major eCommerce platforms, such as Amazon, eBay and Shopify. This means your in-house order management system can be updated simultaneously with our WMS.

Handling returns

Finally, we can handle your returns if required. Any item returned by a customer can either be disposed of or placed back in stock.

Looking for fashion fulfilment services?

If you're running a fashion eCommerce store, don't allow yourself to become bogged down in sales fulfilment – allow a 3PL like Stowsafe to take it off your hands, freeing up valuable time and energy to focus on taking your business to the next level.

Here at Stowsafe, our mission is to save you time and money. We have a proven track record of providing 3PL services to fashion brands, and we pride ourselves on flexibility, dependability, and fast service. In short, we provide everything that you need from a logistics partner.

If you're looking for fashion fulfilment services, please get in touch and we'll arrange a meeting to discuss your needs in detail.