Order Fulfillment for Natural and Organic Products
IronLinx’s eCommerce order fulfillment operation is well-acquainted with the unique shipping and handling needs of natural and organic products. From the most complex wholesale routing guide compliance issues to the need for branded packaging materials, custom pack-outs, and returns management, IronLinx has both the knowledge and the resources necessary to streamline the fulfillment process for a wide array of natural and organic products including beauty, cosmetics, and personal care products; food, beverage, and nutraceuticals; and apparel, lifestyle, and children’s products.
IronLinx provides deep shipping discounts for both domestic and international shipments.
IronLinx excels at custom pack-out processes and encourages the utilization of branded packaging materials.
Our SaaS-based WMS is robust, fully customizable and accessible from any internet-connected device.
IronLinx has substantial experience with the routing guides of major retailers including Barney’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Order Fulfillment for Natural and Organic Products
The global market for natural and organic products is growing rapidly at more than 8% per year and is unlikely to slow down anytime soon. From a fulfillment perspective, the shipping and handling requirements of natural and organic products can be quite nuanced. Notable complexities include unique handling and storage requirements; custom pack-outs complete with branded packaging materials and marketing inserts; routing guide compliance for large retailers like Whole Foods, UNFI, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Costco; and returns and exchange management.
Unique Handling and Storage Requirements
Organic and natural products come in many different forms; however, they frequently require specialized handling and storage. Beauty, cosmetics, and personal care products, for instance, are often fragile and susceptible to damage from extreme and/or material changes in temperature, humidity, and rough handling in transit. Similar concerns exist for natural and organic food, drinks, nutraceuticals, and pet-related products. Apparel and lifestyle products present different challenges with the need for outstanding branding and unboxing experiences to be carefully orchestrated so as to maintain sustainability and minimalism standing out most prominently. At IronLinx, we whole-heartedly embrace the special requirements of the natural and organic product space and have the capability to handle even the most complex packaging and handling needs.
Custom Pack-Outs – Branded Packaging Materials and Marketing Inserts
Custom pack-outs are often a requirement for natural and organic products order fulfillment. With few exceptions, gift baskets, subscription boxes, and high-end brands demand custom pack-outs; however, in the natural and organic product space, there is an extra element of complexity—achieving outstanding branding and unboxing experiences while promoting and maintaining sustainability. With more than fifteen years of experience, IronLinx is uniquely familiar with the packaging and marketing needs of sustainable brands and is proud to be able to design, source, and procure a wide array of sustainable packaging and marketing materials through a sister company.
Wholesale Routing Guide Compliance
One of the more complex aspects of order fulfillment involves routing guide compliance for large retailers such as Whole Foods, UNFI, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Costco. Routing guides serve as a means by which large retailers are able to manage what would otherwise be a near impossible task of handling inbound shipments from thousands of disparate suppliers. Seemingly minuscule errors such as the use of prohibited void fill materials (packing peanuts, for instance, are generally unwelcome) or the use of incorrectly formatted barcodes (Code 128 as opposed to UPC) can and do lead to not only prohibitively expensive chargebacks, but outright rejections of shipments. IronLinx has been servicing large retailers – including those listed above – for many years and is well-versed in the handling of their unique requirements.
Returns Management
Returns and exchange management is a critical component of the order fulfillment process for natural and organic products. As is generally the case across the e-commerce retail space, inadequate handling of returns and/or exchanges is a frequently-cited driver of customer service problems, poor reviews, and lost opportunities for repeat business and/or referrals. For more than a decade and a half, IronLinx has worked closely with its clients to custom-tailor returns and exchange management processes to precisely meet their unique needs.
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