From A to B - OnBuy talks order fulfilment with The Storage Place

Getting goods to customers as fast as possible from the instant they click the purchase button on OnBuy takes skill, effort and expertise behind the scenes. In the world of today, with online shopping soaring in popularity and many fulfilment businesses feeling the pressure, OnBuy sat down with eCommerce order fulfilment specialists The Storage Place to discover how staying agile, overcoming hurdles in customs and keeping products on the move keeps everything ticking over for sellers, buyers and business at large.

How did The Storage Place begin?

The Storage Place was incorporated in 2002 as a heavy industrial storage facility for manufacturing businesses such as Siemens, Nissan, and Rolls Royce.

Over the years, manufacturing needs have changed - and as the eCommerce market grew, TSP made the decision in 2008 to change its business model to specialise in eCommerce order fulfilment. We studied the market, our new competitors, and the technologies available to create a specialist offering that delivers unrivalled service levels that are commercially attractive.

What makes TSP different from other fulfilment services?

All our services are designed to reduce NVA activity and to help increase our customers' sales, enabling them to scale and grow their businesses. We achieve this primarily through our technologies and efficient processes, our account management services, customer service support, our Amazon SFP and our customs bonded services.

What are the challenges that the fulfilment world is faced with?

The impact of Covid-19 has contributed to a big surge in the growth of online retail. This has applied huge pressure to fulfilment centres, as well as the carrier networks trying to cope with demand. Even Amazon has had to change how it operates.

We have seen high growth within our existing business, and also growth in the number of new customers using our services. We have increased our staffing levels, invested in new technology, and increased our warehouse capacity to ensure our service levels were not affected by the pandemic.

How do sellers go about finding the best fulfilment services for their products? Are there any product categories that aren't suitable for TSP?

We provide bespoke service packages based on the information provided by the seller. We have many optional services that customers can add on as their business grows.

Does The Storage Place offer tailored services for different marketplaces?

Yes. We service all the major marketplaces and can offer discounted rates for sellers who are selling via the OnBuy sales platform.

How do you help sellers with the complexities that come with importing goods?

We provide customs bonded services, which enables our customers to defer customs and VAT duty payment until goods are sold and dispatched - offering huge cashflow benefits to customers. We also have freight forwarding partners to support and provide services for importing goods.

The future of fulfilment

If the year 2020 has taught any of us anything - sellers, customers and OnBuy ourselves alike - it's that we all need to feel confident that the orders we make can wind their way to us safely, securely and swiftly. On the other side of the coin, retailers are also feeling the squeeze, and want to know they can entrust their order fulfilment needs to specialists like The Storage Space to get their merchandise moving.

Whether you're a seller of ours, a buyer or someone who likes to dabble with both, we continue to work to bring partnerships onboard that make everyone's life easier, with a fair deal and transparency for all. As we soon move into 2021, we wish The Storage Space and every other fulfilment specialist keeping the world moving during uncertain times safety, security and success - we salute you!