In recent years there has been a steady and incremental increase in the number of online businesses and online retailers making their marks in the commercial space. Many refer to this as the e-commerce boom, where smaller businesses are making their impacts known and felt around the world. As such, you may have heard the notion of 3PL being touted around here and there, this comes part and parcel with the rise of smaller businesses.

How you may ask? Well, they are the glue that holds together many of the very small enterprises, as well as being the all-important cogs in the major players of the online space. They are the middlemen, the ones who transport your cargo from A to B with no issue. When you open a package from an online retailer, wrapped perfectly and delivered to your door, chances are a 3PL service had a steady hand in that. They are important for the same reason good employees are vital for a company, they get the job done well, and they get it done fast.

So, you’re a newfound e-commerce player and looking to jump into the game, well sit back and let us explain the reasons why 3PL is the way forward for you.

1.    They Take Care Of The Delivery

3PL takes care of the more annoying aspects of your business – especially for newcomers, the nitty-gritty, the delivery, the packaging, and the storage of the supplies. These small yet important aspects aren’t nearly as much fun as the creation of products which is the whole reason you’re in the e-commerce market we can assume.

As such, having a 3PL that understands the intricacies, can take care of the packaging and delivery of these services with ease, and do it efficiently will take a lot of stress out of the expansion side of your small business, bringing about the means to grow exponentially.

2.    They Scale With You

Female worker of a 3PL business scanning packages

Here’s another quandary that is sure to exist in your future with e-commerce and small businesses. Warehousing, yes, warehousing. I’m willing to bet you haven’t really considered the notion that warehouses cost money, and that they are not so easily scaled when you’re organizing it with warehouses that have established connections and ways of working, 3PL is where the difference begins.

As your business grows, you of course want your supply to scale with it, without any detriment or delay. The 3PL masters at work make sure this happens seamlessly, their warehouses are more typically suited for the scaled business style which is fast becoming the norm. The 3PL warehouse will grow when you grow, allowing you to feel that energy of a growing business and safety in knowing your supply will continue to be housed effectively and delivered efficiently.

3.    They Have The Connections

It’s all who you know sometimes, especially in the world of delivery and logistics, 3PL is the connection you never knew you needed. To go it alone is a laudable way of conducting business, it’s a high-risk venture. Having the necessary connections with certain delivery companies, packaging companies and even suppliers themselves can be the difference for many people.

A 3PL company doesn’t only make your life easier, it can effectively save you money in the long term with lucrative deals that come with their connections and experience in the industry. Especially for a business just starting out, having the 3PL give a helping hand in the handshakes themselves as well as the work can illuminate the path forward that you’ve always dreamed of.