Beauty and wellness brands: When you’re evaluating your first or next fulfillment provider, here’s a checklist of what you need to dig into, beyond SLAs and terms:
- Are the warehouse restrooms clean?
- Are the people happy and engaged?
- Is there a general sense of organization?
- What’s security like?
- What happens when there’s bad weather?
Read on…
“Warehouses are sexy.”
That’s what’s screenprinted on a t-shirt pinned to the wall behind Kevin Lawton’s desk.
It’s also the unofficial tagline of his podcast, The New Warehouse.
Recently, we asked Kevin to shift from host to subject matter expert for a No Two Days the Same conversation that mined his professional experience and 600+ episodes of knowledge to get clear on what brand leaders really need to look for on site tours when they’re 3PL shopping.
He obliged. Here’s a summary of what he had to say.
How do the Restrooms Look?
“Clean restrooms are usually a good indicator of a clean warehouse,” says Lawton. “Office restrooms are usually in good shape so if I’m a brand leader, I’m making it a priority to check out the restrooms that warehouse workers are using. If those restrooms are a mess, there’s a high likelihood the entire facility is getting the same treatment. And if I’m a beauty brand I almost certainly care a lot about cleanliness and appearance.”
To Do: Yes, visit the office bathrooms of your prospective fulfillment partners, but absolutely visit the facilities warehouse workers use.
How’s Morale?
Your tour guides will bring the energy, but what about everyone else you encounter? Do you get a “Hi!” passing folks in the hall? Or do folks keep their eyes down, no engagement?
“Then on the floor,” says Lawton. “Are warehouse staff engaged? Do they seem happy to be there? What’s the energy like? You want to pay attention to body language, too.”
This stuff matters because these are the people that are going to be handling your product. They’re the last touch aside from the carrier. If they don’t give off a vibe that says “I take pride in my work,” what confidence does that give you that they’re going to take care of your product?
To Do: Talk to some warehouse workers. Ask them what they’re working on at the moment. Yes, pay attention to their response but also gauge their enthusiasm, body language and tone.
Pro Tip: “It’s a red flag if warehouse staff are prohibited from talking to you,” says Lawton.
A General Sense of Organization
A not-so-small mountain of cardboard building up in the corner. Pallets with exposed nails tossed in a pile.
If things are sloppy on a site visit, you can only imagine what it’s like when your prospective fulfillment provider isn’t showing you around.
“It sounds so obvious but a general sense of organization is so important,” says Lawton. “Pay attention to how brands and their inventories are stored too. When product storage is lazy, mistakes will be made.”
To Do: If your potential partner doesn’t offer, ask to see the pick and pack process of a product similar to yours, all the way though. (If you have to ask for this, that in and of itself might be a red flag.)
Security
Lots of beauty and wellness products are high value that require high security.
“I want to know what the security protocols are,” says Lawton. “Before anyone can access the operations floor, do they have to go through metal detectors? What’s the security camera layout? Are there blindspots? Can staff tell what’s in every box or is everything blind?”
To Do: Request a full security overview and related data.
What’s the Plan for When Mother Nature Strikes?
Snowstorms in the northeast. Hurricanes in the south. Fires and earthquakes out west. Mother Nature cares not about ecommerce and fulfillment.
But that doesn’t mean orders stop.
“I think brand owners have a fair amount of understanding that the weather is the weather but they should be asking for contingency plans,” says Lawton. “This is particularly true when we’re talking about a fulfillment provider with multiple locations. That impacts inventory management. You should have a sense of what happens if your 3PL is short-staffed due to weather on, say, a Thursday. Are they running on Saturday to catch up or is just ‘we’ll catch up when we catch up?’”
Yes, It’s About SLAs and Pricing
But these other considerations matter.
“I think it’s like this,” says Lawton. “If it was your warehouse and you walked in, what would you want it to look like? And that’s actually sort of true. Brand leaders are basically ‘owning’ a piece of a warehouse when they sign on with a 3PL.”
So be sure to check the restrooms.
In the meantime, download our comprehensive warehouse tour checklist.
Touring Warehouses?
Whether you’re engaging a fulfillment partner for the first time or making the move to another partner, here’s a quick rundown of everything beauty brand leaders should be thinking of.