In the current climate, we’ve become accustomed to expecting the unexpected. This uncertainty has resulted in a greater need for operational efficiency than ever before and tools to mitigate risk due to unforeseen supply chain disruptions and unprecedented demand. This is particularly true for 3PLs, who are responsible for the logistics of several customers in an industry that is becoming increasingly competitive.
Our Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report 2023 showed that despite economic uncertainty, online sales remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels across all non-food sectors, a net proportion of consumers plan to shop more online than they did last year.
So, what does this mean for 3PLs?
The demand from retailers for 3PL services will continue to rise alongside the increase in online purchasing. This means more competition and you’ll have to provide the best possible service while maintaining effective cost management to thrive in 2023 and beyond.
Boosting operational efficiency
Automation is an integral part of increasing operational efficiency. 3PLs can no longer afford to waste hours on manual tasks such as invoice management, reporting, and order management. By relying on manual processes, you’re immediately putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage.
Metapack’s Shipping Software & API helps 3PLs automate their pick-and-pack processes and enables the handling of massive volumes with ease. We have intelligent logic that makes speedy allocation decisions, with a 99.99% uptime, ensuring carrier-compliant labels are printed in less than 300ms.
Investing in this sort of technology can maximize your operational efficiency and significantly reduce carrier maintenance costs and resources. Use automation to give yourself the upper hand over your competition and provide the excellent service your customers expect.
The need for data
To minimize risk and maximize growth, you need to be able to make data-driven decisions. With an increase in demand, as well as an increase in supply chain disruptions, you must have the data to empower you to negate any negative impact.
Your customers expect top-notch service and any disruptions will have minimal impact on the shipping of their goods. They want access to insights around delivery performance and the confidence that you understand any issues and the best way to resolve them.
Metapack’s Intelligence product provides you with these insights. The tool offers several reports that help increase warehouse productivity, avoid failed delivery promises, strengthen your delivery proposition, and reduce carrier and shipping costs. You’ll have the data you need to make the best possible decisions and mitigate risk, so your customers can feel confident in the service you provide, no matter the external factors.
To learn more about how Metapack can help you, visit here.
