An e-commerce fulfilment partnership claims it will save microbusinesses across the UK time and money by removing the hassle of managing parcel storage, postage and distribution. Online parcel delivery service Parcel Monkey has partnered with arvato in a two-year exclusive deal to launch ‘Fulfilment by Parcel Monkey’.
The service is designed for fast-growing small businesses struggling to store and distribute a growing volume of products sold through their own websites or online marketplaces such as eBay or Amazon Marketplace. Businesses will use Parcel Monkey’s website to book their products into warehousing and distribution, which is handled by arvato. The fulfilment platform utilises arvato’s stock management expertise, order management systems, picking technology and advanced global network of distribution partners, also used by some of the world’s biggest brands.
The pay-as-you-go user fees will be based on the volume of goods stored and distributed, providing a scalable, flexible solution to help manage costs alongside peaks and troughs in the sales cycle. Parcel Monkey expects its larger clients which make up 80% of its current volumes, to migrate to the fulfilment service, which is expected to handle approximately 200,000 parcels in the first year.
“UK microbusinesses have soared over the past few years, thanks to the popularity of online marketplaces. While it’s a fantastic, simple way to get a business off the ground and sales coming in, distributing products out to a wide-spread, international customer base can quickly become a time-consuming, costly process,” said Tony Matthews, Head of Ecommerce, Supply Chain Solutions, arvato UK & Ireland. “Professionalising warehousing and distribution is often the next key step for businesses to enable further growth, and by partnering with Parcel Monkey we can offer a flexible, efficient and easy to manage solution to UK start-ups as an integrated logistics provider.”
“Flexibility is key for start-ups, who need to balance limited budgets and resources carefully, while ensuring their customers get the very best service,” said Nav Ramiah, managing director, Parcel Monkey. “arvato delivers supply chain solutions for some of the world’s major brands. Profiting from its e-commerce fulfilment expertise and insight into the marketplace, we are able to jointly develop a truly innovative solution that fits perfectly with the needs of our fast-growing customers.”
