What is fulfillment, and when is outsourcing a good option?

Fulfillment is the umbrella term for everything that happens between the moment a customer checks out in your online store and the moment the package arrives on their doorstep. And it also includes what happens afterward: when an item is returned. This involves receiving and stocking inventory, picking items, packing, labeling, handing them over to the carrier, and processing returns.

If you outsource that, the work itself doesn't change. It just no longer takes place in your own space, and it's no longer done by you.

What to Delegate and What to Keep

You outsource the physical tasks, as well as the organization of the warehouse process: where items are stored, how they are picked, and how packaging and carriers are selected. You retain control over your brand, your product lineup, your prices, your marketing, and your customer interactions.

In practice, your inventory is moved to the partner's warehouse, and your online store is linked to it so that orders are processed automatically. You can still see what's in stock and what has been shipped.

Signs That Outsourcing Pays Off

• Logistics consistently takes up more time than you want to spend on it, and that time takes away from sales and marketing.
• Your space is getting full, or you're about to rent additional storage space.
• It's difficult to keep up with spikes in traffic around holidays, promotions, or campaigns.
• You want to start selling outside the Netherlands.
• Competitors offer late order cutoff times or faster delivery, and you can't keep up.
• Mistakes creep into the picking and shipping processes, simply because things get too hectic.

In all these cases, the underlying problem is the same: logistics have kept pace with the online store, but the way of working has not.

When It's Better to Keep It to Yourself

Outsourcing isn’t always the answer. For very small volumes, a fixed minimum order quantity is out of proportion to what you’re shipping. At Cenfil, the minimum invoice amount is 350 euros (excluding VAT) every four weeks. If you ship more than that, you simply pay the actual amount; if you ship less, you pay the minimum. This is intentional—otherwise, an online store could stockpile inventory without doing anything with it.

Products that require genuine handcrafted work on a per-item basis can also be a reason to keep production close to home. However, this can often be worked around: custom packaging, boxes, or inserts are available upon request, for an additional fee.

How It Works at Cenfil

Your inventory is located in Drunen and can be viewed in real time in Picqer, the warehouse management system for which you’ll receive your own account. In addition, there’s a dedicated Cenfil dashboard where you can view the status of each order with all carriers and, if necessary, contact a carrier directly through Cenfil.

You can place orders until 11:59 p.m. Weekend orders are processed on Sunday, so Monday delivery is possible. Shipments are handled by PostNL, DHL, and bpost.

Rates are calculated separately for each order and each order line, based on a tiered pricing structure that corresponds to the number of shipments. The higher the tier, the lower the price per package. Pick-and-pack services and standard packaging materials are included. There are no setup fees and no warehousing fees, as long as your items have a correct, scannable barcode.

What You Decide in Advance

Lead times and capacity are largely standard for the industry, with customization available where necessary. Capacity can be scaled up upon consultation. The exact terms of the agreement will be outlined in the contract so that both parties know exactly where they stand. Before going live, you can set up a test account and place a test order to verify that the integration works.