The Top 3PL E-Commerce System Tools You’re Not Using (Yet)

Need to pack high-volume orders with speed and accuracy? Tight turnaround times, high SKU count, and zero room for error? We’ve got the 3PL e-com tools for that (and yes, they’re already built into your CartonCloud 3PL E-Commerce system!)

CartonCloud’s e-commerce software comes loaded with everything you need to keep your warehouse ahead of sales surges, peak seasons, and manage orders from multiple online storefronts — all from the WMS mobile app your team already uses. Think fast, flexible pick and pack workflows, seamless store integrations, and even direct connections to your accounting software, so every order flows through to invoicing without the extra admin.

TL;DR: Unpack the top e-commerce 3PL tools inside CartonCloud’s 3PL E-Commerce system that will deliver smooth fulfillment to your warehouse during peak season. See how to take on high-volume e-com fulfillment with top-notch speed and accuracy with features like Wave Picking, Pick to Tote, Replenishment, storefront integrations, mobile scanning, and automated invoicing.

Q: What are the best e-commerce tools for 3PLs?

A: The best 3PL e-commerce tools help your team pick, pack, and ship high-volume online orders quickly and accurately — especially during peak periods with increased order activity. 

In CartonCloud’s e-commerce software, you can use several fast and efficient pick and pack workflows, including:

• Wave Picking - This workflow allows your team to pick up to 100 different orders at once. (There are also different waves your team can do depending on your order mix, such as Bulk Picking where you can grab high volumes of the same SKU in pass, or Split Pick and Pack, when you need to pick for many single item orders, but with a variety of different SKUs).
• Pick to Tote - This 3PL e-com tool is ideal for when you want to pick for orders that contain multiple items or bundles. Your team can place each item for the order into its own dedicated tote, and when it comes time to pack — they can simply pick up the tote, scan its barcode, and prepare the order for dispatch using Pack Screen.
• Replenishment - This workflow is helpful for keeping your pick faces always topped up with accessible stock that’s ready to grab for quick picks. You can even set minimum and maximum thresholds, so if your pick face ever reaches a certain stock level, your team is instantly alerted and can replenish the pick face.

Check out this on-demand webinar where our CartonCloud experts share every 3PL e-com tool you need to use for E-commerce 3PL success here.

“We see a range of order types — some customers have lots of identical single-item orders, single-item orders of different SKUs, and some orders containing multiple items from different locations. It’s important to adapt your picking process to fit each case.

For large batches of identical orders, bulk picking lets you move quickly and process many orders at once with maximum efficiency.

For days when you have lots of different single-item orders, use a split pick and pack wave. Although you may need to go to different locations, you can at least make sure that your picker is going to an area where that product type is stored or zoned so they’re able to do a bunch of quick picks all from the same area.

For complex, multi-item orders, the Pick to Tote process keeps everything organized. As you move through the warehouse, assign items for each order to its own tote or bin — so when it’s time to pack, all the right products are already grouped together, which streamlines both packing and labeling.” — Olivia Trankina, North American Operations Manager, CartonCloud

Q: How do 3PL systems integrate with e-commerce stores?

A: CartonCloud’s powerful 3PL Warehouse Management Software can easily integrate with online stores in just a few clicks! 

“The most common integrations we see 3PLs needing for e-com clients are Shopify, WooCommerce, and Amazon. It’s very common for each e-commerce customer to use more than one storefront to receive orders, and have multiple orders coming in across from Wix, Etsy, eBay, Walmart, and Shopify.” — Olivia Trankina, North American Operations Manager, CartonCloud

CartonCloud’s 3PL e-commerce system connects to multiple online storefronts, sending all orders straight into your e-commerce software for immediate pick and pack — making it easy to manage high volumes of orders coming in from multiple online sources and even from overseas.

“The integration process allows clients from all over the world to send orders to us live, which ensures same-day dispatch, which is really important for our clients." — Matthew Norton, Commercial Manager, TNS Logistics

Once your integrations are set up, everything syncs in real time — new orders flow straight into your CartonCloud 3PL E-Commerce system, stock levels update automatically to prevent overselling, and tracking details are sent back to the storefront to keep customers informed of their delivery status.

“As soon as an order is placed in a customer’s Shopify store, it automatically flows into our system. Once the order is processed and shipped, CartonCloud updates the status in both systems and sends the shipping notification to the end customer.” — Javier Hernandez, Implementations Consultant, CartonCloud

You can learn more about CartonCloud’s Self-Managed Shopify Integration here.

Q: Which WMS features improve e-commerce fulfillment accuracy?

A: One of the top WMS features that improves e-commerce fulfillment accuracy is mobile barcode scanning. 

By using CartonCloud’s e-commerce software app, your team can scan each item during picking to confirm it’s the right product from the right location. This built-in verification step reduces picking errors and ensures your e-commerce orders move through the warehouse quickly and accurately. (Learn more about how you can use your phone for mobile barcode scanning here).

In CartonCloud’s 3PL E-Commerce system, you can also do bulk scans with QR codes (Multi Capture), instead of having to individually scan for multiple barcodes. This ensures you capture each individual serial barcode, ensuring nothing gets missed.

Check out this warehouse tutorial where Vincent uses the CartonCloud mobile app to scan and confirm whether the item he has picked matches the item needed for the sales order.

Q: How can I give my e-commerce clients more clarity through my 3PL WMS? 

A: There are several ways you can give your e-commerce 3PL clients more clarity through your CartonCloud 3PL WMS by ensuring they have access to real-time order statuses, and clear, transparent billing.

1. Customer Portal

In CartonCloud, you can give access to their very own customer portal right within the 3PL E-Commerce system, where they can log in anytime to view things such as:

• Inventory levels
• Order statuses
• Historical reports
• Stock movements

That means, your clients can get answers straight from the source 24/7 without having to ask for updates!

“Your e-commerce customers can see their orders and reports in real-time directly from CartonCloud’s customer portal. [They] have the ability to log in, view their own inventory, check order statuses, and even reorder stock themselves.” — Javier Hernandez, Implementations Consultant, CartonCloud

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“We ship daily for a lot of our customers. They're always looking for [stock reports and] notifications upon receipt.

Having your customers being able to access a portal and seeing what’s happening is a huge reduction in communication on our end. They can go get the answer rather than asking [us] for the answer.” — Greg Cate, Owner & President, C&C Warehouse

2. Automated Invoicing 

Another great way to give your e-commerce clients more clarity is by providing invoices that clearly break down every charge — including ad hoc fees or value-added services like inserts, kitting, or other special handling. These extras are common in e-commerce, so it’s important your clients can see exactly what they’re being billed for to avoid confusion or disputes.

CartonCloud’s e-commerce software makes this simple by automatically applying rate cards, adding any additional charges to an invoice and sending them directly to your accounting platform, such as Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks.

“In CartonCloud, each order essentially builds its own charge, and depending on your charging scheme — whether that’s daily, weekly, or monthly — the system consolidates everything for you. It aggregates and sums the totals, giving you a clear, organized report at the end of each invoicing period.”  — Javier Hernandez, Implementations Consultant, CartonCloud

Key Takeaways

• Use the right 3PL e-com tools to boost speed and accuracy for high-volume e-commerce fulfillment. CartonCloud’s 3PL E-Commerce system is equipped with workflows like Wave Picking, Pick to Tote, Bulk Picking, and Replenishment to help your team manage high-volume, fast-moving online orders with ease.
• Integrate your 3PL E-Commerce system with multiple storefronts for real-time order flow. CartonCloud connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, and more — syncing orders, stock levels, and tracking instantly so you can manage all e-commerce channels in one place.
• Give clients instant clarity with the CartonCloud customer portal, where they can view inventory levels, track orders, and access reports whenever they need.
• Strengthen billing transparency with automated invoicing, providing clients with a clear, itemized breakdown of charges, including ad hoc and value-added services.

Want to know more?

CartonCloud’s 3PL e-commerce system comes packed with the features you need to scale quickly and take on more orders with ease. Book a free demo with our team to see it in action and explore how it can support your unique operation.

FAQs 

Q: Can e-commerce 3PL systems automate rates, invoices, and billing?

A: Yes, CartonCloud’s e-commerce 3PL system can automate rates, invoices, and billing in one platform. Once an order is completed, charges are calculated automatically based on your rate cards, consolidated for the billing period, and ready to send to your accounting system with zero manual entry.

Q: What mobile app features help 3PLs speed up e-commerce fulfillment?

A: The CartonCloud WMS mobile app features that help 3PLs speed up e-commerce fulfillment with instant order syncing from online storefronts, barcode scanning for accurate picking, high-volume workflows like Wave Picking and Pick to Tote, and the ability to print labels on the spot.

Q: What’s the fastest way to scale a 3PL’s e-commerce operations?

A: The fastest way to scale your 3PL’s e-commerce operations is to use CartonCloud’s automated pick and pack workflows so your team can process more orders, in less time. Since e-commerce profitability relies on high-volume, fast turnaround, the more efficiently you can fulfil orders, the quicker your business can grow.

Q: Can I get local, expert 3PL e-commerce system support in USA? 

A: Yes, you can get local, expert 3PL e-commerce system support in the USA with CartonCloud’s dedicated team off support and onboarding specialists.