What to Outsource First in Your eCommerce Business (and Why Fulfilment Should Be Top of the List)

02/10/2025 | Share:

Running an eCommerce business comes with endless to-do lists. From managing stock and processing orders to customer service and marketing, it can feel like you’re spinning plates just to stay afloat.

At some point, growth stalls – not because your products aren’t great, but because you’re doing too much. That’s when outsourcing becomes essential. But what should you hand over first?

Start With the Tasks That Drain Time and Limit Growth

The first rule of outsourcing: remove the bottlenecks. These are the repetitive, time-consuming jobs that eat up your day and don’t directly contribute to business growth.

Typical candidates include:

• Order fulfilment (picking, packing, dispatching)
• Stock management and inventory tracking
• Customer support
• Bookkeeping and admin
• Social media scheduling

While each of these can be outsourced, order fulfilment is the one that delivers the biggest return – fast.

Why Fulfilment Should Be the First Thing You Outsource

Here’s why fulfilment deserves to top your outsourcing list:

1. It’s Repetitive and Time-Consuming

Packing orders and printing labels may feel productive, but it’s a low-leverage task. If you’re spending hours a day packing parcels, you’re not focusing on growth activities like developing new products or scaling your marketing.

2. It Limits Your Capacity to Grow

Fulfilment ties your time to the volume of orders. More sales mean more hours needed to process them – unless you outsource. A fulfilment partner breaks this ceiling, letting you grow without the operational burden.

3. Mistakes Are Costly

Missed items, slow dispatch or wrong orders hurt your brand and generate returns. A professional fulfilment partner like Ogden ensures accuracy, speed and consistency with established systems and quality checks.

4. Customers Expect Fast, Reliable Delivery

You’re competing with Amazon and other big players. Customers expect tracking, speed and slick packaging. A good 3PL (third-party logistics provider) meets those expectations – and helps keep customers coming back.

5. You Save on Overheads

Outsourcing fulfilment can be cheaper than handling it in-house. You don’t need to rent extra space, hire temporary staff or invest in warehouse tech. Instead, you benefit from the scale, infrastructure and expertise of your fulfilment partner.

Signs You’re Ready to Outsource Fulfilment

Still unsure if it’s the right time? Here are some red flags that show it’s time to let go:

• Your house or office is overrun with stock and packaging
• You’re working evenings and weekends just to dispatch orders
• You dread peak periods or struggle to keep up with demand
• You want to grow, but can’t scale operations alone
• You’ve received complaints about delays or mistakes

If any of these sound familiar, it’s time to consider a 3PL partner.

What Happens When You Outsource to Ogden Fulfilment

When you partner with Ogden, you gain access to a full-service fulfilment solution that’s tailored to your business. Here’s what that looks like:

Easy Integration

Our systems integrate directly with your store – Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, eBay and more. Orders flow straight into our system automatically.

Fast and Accurate Picking & Packing

Our team handles your orders with care, ensuring accurate picks and professionally packed parcels. We can include custom packaging, marketing inserts and more.

Flexible Shipping Options

From next-day delivery to economy tracked services, we offer multiple courier options including Royal Mail, DPD and DHL – so your customers always get what they expect.

Real-Time Stock Tracking

You’ll have full visibility over your inventory with real-time updates and low-stock alerts, helping you stay ahead of demand.

Scalable Support

Whether you’re sending 50 orders a month or 5,000, we scale with you – no growing pains, no unexpected delays.

How to Make the Switch Smoothly

Worried about handing over control? Here’s how to transition fulfilment smoothly:

1. Review your current process – note your order volumes, peak periods, packaging preferences and delivery issues.
2. Speak to us – we’ll walk you through how the process works and tailor the setup to your needs.
3. Send us your stock – we’ll get it organised, logged and ready to ship.
4. Go live – once connected, we take over and you focus on growing your brand.

What You Gain Back

Once fulfilment is off your plate, you’ll have:

• More time to focus on strategy and sales
• A professional, reliable delivery process
• Happier customers and fewer returns
• Space back in your home or office
• Confidence that your operations are ready to scale

Final Thought

Outsourcing fulfilment isn’t about giving up control – it’s about regaining time, focus and energy to grow your eCommerce brand.

If you’re serious about scaling, it’s time to stop packing boxes and start building your business.

Ready to outsource fulfilment and grow faster?

Get in touch with Ogden Fulfilment today and take the first step.