Subscriptions are a norm in the average American household today. Most Americans, especially from the Millennial and Gen Z generations, have a subscription to something entertainment-based. The average number of subscriptions each for all generations is 12! Many of these subscriptions include subscription boxes. As an entrepreneur, it is likely you know how popular the subscription box business model is today. It is also likely you are involved in running a subscription box business yourself or have at least thought about it.
The consensus among subscription box business owners is that fulfillment can be very tricky. Many problems can occur, especially when you are relying on yourself or your business to pick, pack, and ship your boxes. If you are just starting out or haven’t begun yet, you might not have yet experienced the growing pains involved with running a subscription box business. As you receive more orders and your business starts to grow, you will find that fulfillment gets more and more difficult to deal with.
In cases like this, it is time to look to a subscription box fulfillment service for help. Third Party Logistics companies (3PLs), such as The Mail Group, are often the best suited for this job because they will not only fulfill your boxes with precision but will also ship your boxes for you at the best rates.
If you are not sure whether or not you should outsource for your subscription box fulfillment service yet, here are a few factors to consider.
A 3PL Will Help You With Packaging
3PLs Allow for Business Growth
3PLs Handle Logistics (it’s quite literally what we do)
There are many logistical components when it comes to subscription box fulfillment. From picking products off the shelf, to labeling, to the actual shipping process, everything must be timed and carried out just right.
The subscription box model, specifically, is on a unique schedule. These boxes must be delivered periodically—usually monthly but sometimes bi-monthly or even weekly. This means that they must be fulfilled and shipped at precisely the right time in order to reach customers on the same day. This sounds straightforward until you consider the fact that customers may be situated across the entire United States or even the world. Obviously, it will take longer for a package to get to Florida than California if it is sent from Arizona. Because of this delay, each package must be on its own specific schedule and journey. 3PLs are especially handy for this because we have the right technology and experts to keep track of every order, where it needs to go, and when it needs to be fulfilled and sent.
