B2B fulfillment is storing, picking, packing, and shipping products to other businesses such as retailers, wholesalers, and distributors, rather than to individual consumers. Orders are larger, ship on the buyer's terms, and follow strict retail packing and documentation rules.
What is the difference between B2B and DTC fulfillment?
DTC fulfillment ships one or a few units to a consumer through parcel carriers. B2B fulfillment ships cases or pallets to a business, usually on freight, and has to follow the retailer's routing guide, labeling rules, and documentation like ASNs and EDI. B2B also carries chargeback risk that DTC does not.
What is EDI in fulfillment?
EDI (electronic data interchange) is the standardized digital format retailers use to exchange purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notices. If a retailer requires EDI, your fulfillment partner must send and receive those documents in the exact format the retailer specifies.
What are chargebacks in wholesale fulfillment?
A retail chargeback is a fine a retailer deducts from your payment when a shipment breaks their routing guide, such as a late delivery, wrong labels, a missing ASN, or incorrect carton counts. A B2B-capable 3PL avoids these by shipping to each retailer's exact spec.
Can one 3PL handle both B2B and DTC orders?
Yes. A hybrid 3PL like Simpl Fulfillment runs wholesale and direct-to-consumer fulfillment from one inventory pool, so a brand selling on Shopify and into retail can use a single partner instead of splitting stock across two.
A recent data exposure at a fulfillment vendor affected thousands of ecommerce customers' records. Four questions worth asking about data retention, access controls, breach notification, and subprocessors before you sign with a 3PL.
Apparel fulfillment is harder than standard ecommerce: size-and-color SKU matrices, high return rates, and poly-bag and hang-tag requirements. Here's what changes when you move clothing through a 3PL, what to ask before you sign, and how Simpl runs apparel programs, starting at $7/order.
3PL companies in Austin, TX for ecommerce brands, compared on location, services, and pricing transparency, starting with Austin-based Simpl Fulfillment.
