Growing fashion brands can outgrow in-house logistics as order volumes, seasonal peaks and international complexity increase. A specialist fashion 3PL can provide scalable fulfilment, integrated technology and value-added services without the same upfront infrastructure investment.
Many founders of successful fashion brands, from Gymshark to Sézane, started by fulfilling all their orders themselves. In the beginning, this can help you keep costs down and maintain close control over your fulfilment operations. But as order volumes increase, this strategy could limit your long-term growth. Read on to discover the drawbacks of in-house logistics for smaller brands – and how partnering with a specialist third-party logistics (3PL) provider could help you overcome these challenges.
Can your logistics capacity meet growing demand?
One of the main disadvantages of keeping logistics in-house is the difficulty of managing fulfilment during peak sales periods, such as Black Friday. Any resulting service disruption – which can last for weeks afterwards – can have a serious impact on your brand’s reputation. In these situations, a fashion logistics partner is a valuable asset.
With flexible warehousing capacity and an extensive transportation network, an experienced apparel 3PL can support your expansion journey without any of the usual ‘scaling pains’ – even when you’re experiencing unexpected spikes in demand. In other words, outsourcing your logistics can be a critical step towards achieving your growth objectives, while ensuring that you meet and exceed your customers’ expectations.
Is expanding your operations too expensive?
Scaling up your in-house logistics often involves significant up-front costs. For example, you need to invest in warehouse space, racking, IT infrastructure, equipment and, of course, staff. You’re also likely to be paying for some capacity that isn’t used all year round, making it even more expensive to ensure efficient fulfilment for your customers.
A fashion-focused 3PL, on the other hand, eliminates the need for this initial investment by providing plug-and-play, flexible warehousing facilities that you can access from day one. And with a team of experienced staff on hand, you’ll be able to free up your own teams to focus on key activities such as business development and product design.
Outsourcing can even lead to an improved customer experience. Specialist fashion logistics partners can provide a range of value-added services, from ironing to embossing to custom packaging, more cost-effectively than you could achieve with in-house operations. These personalised touches can help you to maintain a distinctive brand identity – ensuring a positive brand perception as you expand your operations further.
Do you struggle with operational oversight?
Integrated inventory management, transportation management and order tracking are other key benefits of outsourcing that are hard to achieve with in-house operations. A dedicated fashion logistics partner should have a centralised IT framework that provides brands with full operational oversight, helping to improve fulfilment speed and accuracy. You should also be able to monitor and track KPIs to ensure continuous improvement.
Indeed, a robust IT set-up helps you to avoid potentially costly errors such as shipping delays, incorrect orders or stockouts. And with detailed order tracking – for both outbound items and returns – you’ll be able to provide your customers with peace of mind at every stage of the ordering process. This way, your brand can benefit from more streamlined operations and more satisfied customers, helping to build brand loyalty.
Are you looking for further expansion opportunities?
As your fashion brand grows, it’s important to be on the lookout for new growth opportunities. However, by keeping your logistics exclusively in-house, you may be limiting your growth horizons. Working with a fashion specialist 3PL provider also means having access to their pre-existing industry networks, such as Bleckmann’s ‘Local Hero’ last-mile distribution network. This multi-carrier solution can help to reduce the cost of expanding into new markets by providing streamlined access to the right carrier partner.
Ready to take your logistics to the next level?
Stepping into an established logistics set-up with a fashion logistics provider can provide a range of operational and customer experience benefits to help accelerate your growth. And while switching to outsourcing can seem like a big step, Bleckmann’s Bscale solution is designed to make it as manageable as possible. In fact, our simplified onboarding process and rapid e-commerce integration mean you can be up and running in weeks, with straightforward system connections, guided implementation, and dedicated support from our onboarding team.
Indeed, outsourcing could be the key to unlocking the next stage of your growth journey, giving you the capabilities and expertise you need to take your customer experience to the next level. And with regular check-ins with the 3PL’s operational team to discuss your brand’s progress, as well as strategic alignment sessions, you’ll be well-placed to benefit from decades of industry expertise – paving the way for streamlined expansion.
Want to find out more about scaling up your logistics with Bleckmann? Visit our Bscale solution page now to discover pay-as-you-go logistics that helps you deliver on your growth ambitions. Or get in contact for a free consultation with one of our experts.
