When you think about e-commerce, what often comes to mind is a bustling warehouse filled with boxes and pallets, or a fleet of trucks on their way to deliver orders to customers. But one element that isn’t often talked about is the effort that goes into marketing businesses with e-commerce services. Typically, most companies will focus on traditional marketing methods, such as utilising SEO techniques and creating targeted email campaigns to reach their intended audience. However, if you’re a business owner and you want a different way to grow your company, think about partnering with a third-party logistics provider, and analyse their data to create your marketing strategy.
Recent figures indicate that there were nearly 73,000 3PLs in the US in 2024, while the UK had 15,346 third-party logistics in the same year. Most of these 3PLs use data from their fulfillment systems to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer service. Whether you’re an established brand or a startup, here’s how to create a better marketing strategy and use fulfillment data to elevate your customers’ e-commerce experience.
Personalise Your Marketing Campaign
Ideally, an e-commerce fulfillment system should be able to offer control over various aspects of a business’s operation. It should allow you to oversee inventory tracking, order management, and order tracking, among others. Tech solutions like Ryder D2C order fulfillment software can help you achieve that as it serves as a central hub for your operations. Systems like this not only provide pack and ship capabilities, but they also utilise data analytics to help 3PLs make informed decisions on everything, from the best delivery routes to take to labour allocation.
The compiled data can also be used to create a personalised marketing campaign to turn buyers into repeat customers. Most online businesses are already customising their buyers’ shopping experience by using a website personalisation program. According to a recent survey, 74 percent of e-commerce companies use it to collect data and create a unique website experience for each visitor by displaying tailored content, images, and offers. Apart from using this program though, your business can benefit from 3PL data as it can analyse your customers’ habits and preferences, and subdivide your audience according to past purchases. With this information, you can develop customised campaigns for different customer groups, and see to it that the messages that they receive are relevant to their tastes and interests.
Track Customer Engagement
Social media engagement is crucial for marketing since it fosters customer loyalty and builds brand awareness. A lot of brands partner with influencers to gain access to highly targeted audiences and maximise their social media engagement. But before doing so, it may be wise to track your current customers’ engagement using Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram analytics, third-party tools, and your 3PL’s dashboards.
A typical third-party logistics software will not be able to directly monitor social media shares since it’s mainly designed to manage supply chain operations. However, some 3PL software may offer integration with e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, which could allow for tracking of sales influenced by social media, as well as customer engagement. By getting insights on what resonates with your audience, you can tweak your social media marketing strategy, refine your content, and drive business growth.
Encourage Unboxing Culture
Unboxing videos generate millions of views on TikTok since they foster curiosity and create a desire to experience products. It’s a smart way for businesses to share a first look of their new wares, and customers can have an aesthetically appealing preview of these items before ordering. A 3PL’s operational data can drive unboxing culture by ensuring order accuracy, averting potential delivery issues, and tracking inventory to prevent overstocking.
Meanwhile, the 3PL itself can enhance the unboxing experience by providing attractive packaging and adding personalised elements, inserts, thank-you notes, and gifts to orders. A discount coupon for a future purchase can also be a welcome surprise, as well as a high quality sample so customers can try a new product from your offerings. Consider working with your 3PL to design a uniquely-shaped box for your products, and use a consistent colour palette all throughout to make your packaging look premium and elegant. Don’t forget to put your brand on everything to build brand identity and recognition. Your brand name or logo should be all over the packaging, so have it on the inner box, wrapping, tissue paper, ribbon, card, and even the packaging tape. Also, encourage customers to share their unboxing videos on social media, and create a unique hashtag to be used for all unboxing posts.
Use Data to Enhance Customer Satisfaction
Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers, so it’s important to enhance customer satisfaction to build trust and attract new customers. Customer satisfaction can also boost marketing since it leads to word-of-mouth recommendations. Since people are more likely to trust personal recommendations from family and friends, think about working with your 3PL to give customers a satisfying buying experience, starting with the ordering process and all the way to delivery.
Data analysis of customer order history helps 3PLs to understand their customers needs, and you can use the same data to enhance brand loyalty among your buyers. For instance, let’s say that your product range includes scented candles in coffee, mint, and lavender variants. If the data indicates that your customers prefer the coffee-scented candles the most, you can coordinate with your 3PL to avoid understocking this product. Many customers feel dissatisfied if they can’t buy the item that they truly want, and they often seek other vendors when a favourite item is out of stock. Losing customers due to a stockout issue can have a lasting impact on your business, so check your 3PL’s inventory and customer order history data frequently to keep buyers happy.
Another way to encourage word-of-mouth marketing among your customers is to streamline your process to accelerate the entire fulfillment cycle. A 3PL can use data to automate everything from the order placement process to shipment, which can help to speed up warehouse-to-door delivery. Shortening delivery times can result in repeat orders and customer satisfaction, and create word-of-mouth buzz for your business. In fact, a study has shown that 72 percent of customers will tell six or more people if they have a satisfying experience.
Fulfillment data is crucial to optimise supply chain operations, and it also helps businesses to improve their marketing strategy to create brand awareness and foster customer loyalty. Partner with a data-driven 3PL to reach your target audience, and see how it can make your business grow.