What is ecommerce fulfillment?

A Complete Guide for Online Sellers

If you sell products online, you’ve probably heard the term e-commerce fulfillment — but what does it really mean?

E-commerce fulfillment is the process of storing your products, packing your customer orders, and shipping them to their doorsteps. It's everything that happens after the customer clicks "Buy Now."

At Shipvine, we specialize in helping brands of all sizes outsource their fulfillment so they can scale faster, lower costs, and deliver a premium experience to every customer.

What is ecommerce fulfillment in layman's terms?

If you're running your own online store, you might have been doing it yourself! Ecommerce fulfillment is the task of shipping a customer's order to them. It sounds simple, but doing it correctly over and over again can be hard.

3PL is short for "third-party logistics", which is a fancy way of saying you've outsourced the job of storing inventory and picking and packing your orders to someone else. We pick and pack orders all day long so you don't have to.

The team at Shipvine is a 3PL ready to provide fast and accurate fulfillment and order processing for your web based company. This includes providing an array of shipping options for your business and your clients.

Connect your website

What Does E-Commerce Fulfillment Include?

A good e-commerce fulfillment partner takes care of everything that happens behind the scenes:

  • Receiving inventory from your manufacturer or supplier
  • Warehousing your products in an organized, secure facility ready to ship
  • Picking and packing orders as they come in from 1 or many different e-commerce sources or manually entered into a backend portal
  • Shipping via the best carrier and service level while taking cost and time in transit into consideration
  • Returns processing and restocking 

Shipvine adds even more — including custom packaging, branded inserts, and integration with your favorite marketplaces and shopping carts like Shopify, Amazon, Maisonette, REI, and Home Depot.

In-House vs. Outsourced Fulfillment

Managing fulfillment yourself works at small scale — but it becomes complex and expensive as you grow. That’s why many brands choose to outsource to a professional third-party logistics (3PL) provider like Shipvine.

With Shipvine, you get:

  • Lower shipping rates through our carrier relationships
  • Less overhead to manage, manage your business not a warehouse
  • Predictable monthly costs
  • Scalable storage and labor — no need to hire a warehouse team or worry about warehouse space
  • Technology integrations we'll help you grow when you add multi-channel fulfillment
  • Same-day and next-day shipping to keep customers happy
  • Custom solutions like gift notes, branded packaging, and more

Who Should Use E-Commerce Fulfillment Services?

Whether you're shipping baby clothes, cosmetics, home goods, or tech accessories — we have the experience and systems to help you succeed. Shipvine works with:

  • Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands
  • Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands who have business-to-business (B2B) needs such as department stores and boutiques 
  • Subscription box companies
  • Crowdfunded projects (Kickstarter, Indiegogo)
  • Shopify stores selling most consumer goods
  • Multi-channel sellers
  • International brands entering the U.S. market, helping to eliminate de minimus duties
  • Brands that are looking to grow and need a fulfillment parter who can help with that growth

What is e-commerce fulfillment?

E-commerce fulfillment is the process of receiving, storing, packing, and shipping products to customers after an online sale. Having a fulfillment partner such as Shipvine gives you freedom from daily stress of shipping orders.

What’s the difference between fulfillment and shipping?

Fulfillment includes the entire order process — from storing inventory to picking, packing, and finally shipping it out. Shipping is just one part of the fulfillment chain.

When should I outsource fulfillment?

If you’re spending too much time on packing orders, running out of storage space, or missing shipping deadlines — it’s probably time to outsource to a 3PL like Shipvine. 

Can Shipvine integrate with my online store?

Yes! We support Shopify, Amazon, and many other platforms using direct APIs for seamless order flow and inventory sync.

Click here to learn more about connecting your web site to Shipvine

Does Shipvine offer custom packaging and branded inserts?

Absolutely. We offer custom boxes, gift notes, marketing inserts, and more — designed to make your unboxing experience unforgettable.

Click here to learn more about our customized fulfillment solutions

How long does it take to get set up with Shipvine?

We can have you up and running in as little as a week, pending on your inventory level. We work with each client individual to move at the speed that works the best for you. 

How do I get started?

We make it easy just fill out our contact form to get the ball rolling. A friendly Shipvine sales rep will be in touch to discuss your needs and see how Shipvine can help you grow. 

Let's get started

If you're looking for a quote or just want to find out more about Shipvine and our services, then click the button below.

Sales reps are typically available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. All of your information is kept confidential, and it won't be sold or shared.

Contact a sales rep
Shipvine Sales Rep