Now more than ever, value-added services are key to navigating changes in ecommerce. No matter what vertical your business falls into, it’s vital to stay flexible and find ways to make your business’s fulfillment logistics as efficient as possible, especially during a time when trade policies are rapidly changing.
That’s where your 3PL comes in. A proactive 3PL partner can offer value-added services that help you save money, shorten delivery times, and improve your customers’ experience. These services could involve everything from assembly to kitting to fixing defective parts on-site. Value-added services delivered by an experienced omnichannel logistics provider can make all the difference when it comes to navigating changes in tariffs, finding ways to optimize your operations, and improving your customers’ experience.
Kitting
In order to cultivate happy, repeat customers, it’s important to make sure bundled products are kitted properly. This can also cut down on operating costs.
Effective kitting might look like adding a part or accessory to a main unit that came in separately, such as:
- Adding grill pellets to a smoker
- Adding flavor pods to a kitchen appliance
- Adding designated combinations of hairstyling accessory tools to a main hairstyling tool
When it comes to preparing a kitting project, sometimes there are also tech updates that are needed to ensure kits are organized efficiently.
Motivational Fulfillment Example
We have a customer who wanted to organize kits based on specific data points such as expiration date, lot code, and SKU.
To support our customer’s goals, our in-house tech team quickly developed logistics system updates that allowed us to sort this customer’s products per their specifications.
Our customer appreciated our willingness and ability to work with their custom request, and we learned from the experience too. While rework labels normally come out after rework is completed on an item, we adjusted the process to print the label before the rework was done so that we could improve quality control on the kitted items. This was particularly important because the labels referenced things like flavors and expiration dates.
Adding/Changing Product Literature
Adding or changing product literature in-house can be another great way to cut down on costs and remain flexible in the current economic environment. This might involve making changes to user guides or instruction booklets that require quick turnaround. Having a 3PL partner who can pivot and respond quickly to this kind of inquiry can prevent you from losing out on sales.
Motivational Fulfillment Example
One of our clients was in this situation for a positive reason: One of their kitchen products sold out in the U.S., and the only inventory left was meant to be sold in Canada. However, we were able to jump in and adjust the literature on that inventory to include the different language translations needed for the updated location. This allowed us to ship our customer’s additional products and maximize sales in the U.S. without losing time and without the customer having to import additional inventory thereby incurring tariffs on those goods.
Fixing Defective Parts
Quality control ensures that your product is the best it can be. That’s why you should take advantage of your 3PL’s quality control services if they offer them. Some 3PLs, like Motivational, can check items per your instructions to identify defective parts. If there are any, the parts should be replaced as soon as possible. And whether or not something needs replacing, the product should always be properly repackaged.
This is a value-added service that we take seriously. Whether it means replacing defective water reservoirs in coffee machines or swapping out suction cups for a tech accessory, we’re here to help you deliver your products in quality condition. This type of service directly impacts your customer experience by ensuring they receive a properly functioning product, minimizing returns, and increasing opportunities for customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Light Manufacturing or Assembly
In a time of increasing market volatility, a lot of businesses are turning to light manufacturing or assembly services offered by their 3PL to optimize costs.
Light manufacturing is a value-added service that involves shipping a product in an unfinished state, which might allow it to be classified in a lower tariff category. Then the final assembly, packaging, or customization can be done domestically.
This method can be especially helpful if your 3PL is located near certain ports. A California 3PL, for instance, can make it easier to get products ready for both large-scale retailers and D2C shipments in the area. It’s also a great opportunity to make quick adjustments to your products before they continue their journey to retailers or consumers.
Other Value-Added Services
There are a variety of other value-added services to also consider. Each one is designed to make your logistics process easier and more efficient.
- Denesting luggage: For example, suitcases that arrive nested with smaller sizes inside of larger sizes can be denested for sale separately.
- Rewiring: Home appliance wires can be swapped out as needed.
- Re-flashing: Appliances or tools may need software upgrades before reaching their final destination.
- Re-stickering/over-stickering: This includes updating UPC numbers, SKUs, or verbiage on packaging.
Value-added services like these provide an important option that allows you to minimize costs and make quick changes, which is always helpful, but comes in handy especially in the current tariff-driven supply chain.
Ready to work with a 3PL that’s committed to providing your business with personalized solutions like these? Let’s talk.