At the 2019 Shopify Unite, Shopify's Chief Product Officer, Craig Miller, announced that the company would move into the fulfillment space. Per Miller, fulfillment by Shopify was made to address specific pain points that merchants experience when using large marketplaces, such as missed branding opportunities. Shopify's move underscores the need for a streamlined order fulfillment process for a business to remain afloat in the eCommerce retail space.
According to Avarto, 53% of shoppers value delivery speed when shopping online, while 25% had canceled their orders due to delivery speeds that were too slow to match their needs. Further, 54% of shoppers refrain from an online purchase because of costly shipping, while 83% consider free delivery the most crucial factor in online shopping. Because of this, fulfillment by Shopify may seem like a decent choice for the platform's merchants. But it won't work for everyone.
That's why Simpl fulfillment can help you streamline your order fulfillment process. We integrate with all the major marketplaces and eCommerce platforms to manage your order, shipments, inventory, and returns. We also integrate with Shopify so that you can use our platform directly with your store to easily sync products and orders.
However, suppose you prefer to manage your business entirely with Shopify. In that case, this guide will explain what the Shopify Fulfillment Network is, its pros & cons, how it compares with Amazon FBA and other fulfillment services you can use if fulfillment by Shopify doesn't work for you.
fulfillment by Shopify is a network of fulfillment centers in different geographical locations supported by powerful machine learning technology to enable intelligent demand forecasting, inventory allocation, and order routing, all of which can ensure faster order delivery. The Shopify fulfillment service offers the following features:
Related article: Different Ways to Fulfill Shopify Orders
With the Shopify fulfillment service, you get free custom packaging using your own branded material so that you can further enhance your brand identity.
The Shopify fulfillment network will pick, pack, and ship your products to your customers and give them peace of mind with tracking information sent automatically after fulfillment.
fulfillment by Shopify helps you maintain full visibility of your inventory level with real-time updates across all Shopify channels and receive inventory notifications so that you never run out of stock.
Related article: eCommerce Inventory Management Tips & Tricks
fulfillment by Shopify will handle returns and exchanges on your behalf. All returned, saleable items will be repackaged and added back to your active inventory.
How Does it Work?
It's easy to set up using these four steps:
1. Install the Shopify fulfillment Network app from the Shopify App Store: fulfillment by Shopify.
2. Select fulfillment by Shopify as your fulfillment service in the Orders section of your Shopify admin.
3. fulfill orders through the fulfillment by Shopify app.
4. Track your inventory levels using the fulfillment by Shopify app.
The Shopify fulfillment Network is for any merchant using Shopify's powerful machine learning technology to manage their inventory, orders, and shipments. The service is particularly well-suited for businesses looking for an end-to-end solution to streamline their eCommerce operations.
However, it's important to note that Shopify's fulfillment is only available to merchants based in the US. If you're in another country, you won't have access to the service, in which case, Simpl fulfillment may be better able to manage your order fulfillment.
Shopify's decision to offer fulfillment was a power move by the platform to get in on the eCommerce fulfillment market. While it seems like an excellent service, there are, of course, a list of pros and cons that come with it. Here’s what you should know
PROS
Sync inventory information You can keep track of your stock in real-time across multiple selling platforms through integrated third-party accounts
Manage all information on the same platform: Orders placed on platforms like eBay and Amazon are automatically forwarded to your Shopify account. You will be able to process orders for dispatch, receive messages, and collect payments without having to monitor other accounts.
Lower operation costs: You don't have to build your fulfillment center or develop a packaging system from scratch.
Inventory Distribution: fulfillment by Shopify has fulfillment centers located in different parts of the country, which can help you distribute your inventory and ensure that products are delivered to customers faster.
Manage Returns and Exchange: fulfillment by Shopify will handle returns and exchanges on your behalf. All returned, saleable items will be repackaged and added to your active inventory.
Branding and Packaging: With Fulfillment by Shopify, you get free custom packaging using your own branded material. This way, you can further enhance your brand identity.
Two-Way Shipping: Fulfillment by Shopify offers two-way shipping for merchants who want to return items to the fulfillment center.
CONS
Costs: Shopify is known for being reasonably expensive, charging $299 for a premium shop plan; its fulfillment by Shopify service will undoubtedly be similarly priced
Less control due to third-party providers: Shopify integrates with many third-party fulfillment providers, so you don't know who has your products and is shipping your orders
Less control over the fulfillment process: Since Shopify works with 3rd party providers and everything is done in the app; it's difficult to control your fulfillment processes.
No Hands-On Support: You'll have to work with Shopify support to solve any issues, and as they aren't actually in the warehouse or near it, it may be difficult to get problems solved quickly.
Shopify offers monthly and yearly pricing plans for fulfillment by Shopify. The monthly price is $29 for a basic, $79 for Shopify, and $299 for advanced.
Online Store: You can manage and update your inventory from a centralized location, track sales and customer behavior across all your sales channels, and take advantage of Shopify's built-in eCommerce platform.
fulfillment by Shopify: fulfillment by Shopify gives you access to Shopify's powerful machine learning technology to manage inventory, orders, and shipments.
Shopify fulfillment Network: The Shopify fulfillment Network is a nationwide network of fulfillment centers that allows you to distribute your inventory and ensure that products are delivered to customers faster.
If you're interested in using fulfillment by Shopify for your business, you can sign up for a free trial on the Shopify website. After your free trial, you'll be charged the monthly or yearly price, depending on your chosen plan.
To sign up for fulfillment by Shopify, you'll need to:
1. Create a Shopify account: You can sign up for a free trial on the Shopify website.
2. Connect your Shopify account to fulfillment by Shopify: After you've created your Shopify account, you'll need to connect it to fulfillment by Shopify. Go to the fulfillment by Shopify page in your Shopify admin and click "Connect."
3. Choose a fulfillment by Shopify plan: After you've connected your Shopify account to fulfillment by Shopify, you'll need to choose a fulfillment by Shopify plan. There are three plans to choose from Basic, Shopify, and Advanced.
4. Start using fulfillment by Shopify: Once you've chosen a fulfillment by Shopify plan, you can start using the service to manage your inventory, orders, and shipments.
fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a popular online order fulfillment service offered by Amazon to its sellers. Since Shopify competes directly with Amazon in the third-party fulfillment space through its Shopify Fulfillment Network, it’s worth comparing the two services.
SIMILARITIES
Both offer delivery within two days, and both will likely use a similar pricing model and order fulfillment methods
DIFFERENCES
Brand identity- With Amazon FBA, you lose control of your brand identity; with fulfillment by Shopify, you can retain your brand identity with customizations.
Pricing model- Amazon FBA has a transparent pricing model; since the Shopify fulfillment Network offers custom pricing, it’s hard to estimate how much you’ll pay.
Network- Amazon has an extensive fulfillment network of 175 fulfillment centers worldwide compared to Shopify, which is still building its infrastructure.
Shipping- Amazon's expert shipping management practices are already established, while fulfillment by Shopify is still very new.
One challenge with Shopify order fulfillment is still a work in progress. Plus, merchants must ship between 10 and 10,000 daily to qualify for the Shopify order fulfillment. As such, many smaller merchants won’t be able to use the service. The opaque pricing policy can be of concern for smaller merchants who need to have accurate numbers to make sound business decisions.
If fulfillment by Shopify won't work for you, consider using Simpl Fulfillment. We integrate with Shopify, and you’ll always get exact pricing estimates for each shipment with our rates calculator. Our software helps you to automate your order fulfillment, inventory management, return management, and shipping.
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