What is a fulfilment centre? How do they differ from warehouses?

Same same, but different...

You might be wondering about the differences between warehouses and eCommerce fulfilment centres. It's true that both are large spaces where businesses can store products for their customers. However, the differences and their suitability for your needs depend on various factors such as the type of eCommerce business you run, the products you sell, and your storage duration requirements.

Let's break it down...

All about warehouses

For those who are perhaps a little unsure as to the exact definition and purpose of a warehouse, allow us to elaborate! A warehouse is a place where a business can store products for long periods of time and are also designed to store the inventory of business in bulk until it is required. 

In terms of the businesses that meet the criteria for storing their inventory within a warehouse, typically those who are selling within the wholesale and B2B eCommerce markets would benefit from the above. Effectively, if you are dealing with large quantities of stock or are looking to store any extra inventory until it is seasonally in demand, for example, then warehouse spaces would meet your needs perfectly.

All about fulfilment centres

Now onto our area of expertise! So, the deal with fulfilment centres are that, similarly to warehouses, eCommerce businesses can store their products. However, fulfilment centres deal with the entirety of the e-fulfilment process, start to finish - e-fulfilment can be further defined as eCommerce fulfilment. Fulfilment centres take care of orders for your customers from the minute they press 'checkout', to the moment their orders are dispatched for delivery. 

Automated order fulfilment is a super snazzy offering that is perfect for eCommerce businesses looking for a hassle free approach to the post-purchase process. (this is what we offer, you know). Speaking of us, fulfilmentcrowd operates a global network of centres on a proprietary fulfilment platform designed and developed by a team of 40 UK-based software engineers. We have decades of experience deploying integrated high-volume transaction processing, inventory and warehouse management systems; it's in our DNA.

Outsourcing your fulfilment really can give your online brand a boost! You can avoid extortionate overhead storage costs and put a spring in your margins - all while saving time, so you can focus on other key areas of your business that matter to you most!

Supercharge your eCommerce business 

So, after looking at the differences between warehouses and fulfilment centres, have you now identified where your eCommerce business needs lie? If this is with a trustworthy fulfilment provider that can supercharge your brand with a fully automated pick, pack and dispatch processes powered by packs-a-punch tech...then look no further. Explore more about us and how we supercharge and integrate flawlessly with your marketplaces and channels in a flash, all on over on our How It Works page.