Growing from a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand into retail distribution is an exciting milestone. Working with a distributor like UNFI or KeHE can help put your products in front of a broader retail audience and open another channel for growth.
Parcel peak season is approaching, and carriers have announced demand surcharges and temporary price increases for the 2026 holiday shipping season. But the published increases only tell part of the story. What a brand ultimately pays can depend on its carrier agreements, service mix, package characteristics and, for some higher-volume shippers, how much weekly volume increases compared with an established baseline.
Understanding those variables can help brands get a clearer picture of where they’re exposed to additional costs this peak season and identify opportunities to improve their parcel strategy for 2027.
Modern fulfillment is about more than shipping products from Point A to Point B. Businesses today compete on speed, accuracy, and customer experience – and every inefficiency in the warehouse has a direct cost. That’s why kitting has become one of the most effective value-added fulfillment strategies available to supply chain and operations leaders. This guide covers everything you need to know about kitting and kitting services: how the process works, the measurable benefits it delivers, the industries that rely on it most, and when outsourcing kitting to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider makes the most sense for your business.
Scalable direct-to-consumer fulfillment requires accurate demand forecasting, optimized warehouse operations, connected technology, and a transportation strategy that keeps costs low while maintaining high delivery speed. Building a scalable DTC fulfillment strategy means addressing these operational realities before they become growth barriers. This guide walks through what direct-to-consumer fulfillment is, why it matters, and how to build an operation capable of growing with your brand.
If you sell through major retailers, few metrics carry as much weight as OTIF. On-Time In-Full has become one of the most closely watched performance indicators in retail and supply chain operations. This guide breaks down what OTIF means, how retailers calculate it, why it matters for vendor compliance, and the practical steps you can take to improve your performance and avoid costly retail chargebacks.
Third party logistics (3PL) providers help brands consolidate inventory and order management across direct-to-consumer, retail, and wholesale channels. By leveraging integrated retail fulfillment solutions, companies improve inventory visibility, meet strict retailer compliance standards, reduce shipping costs, and deliver seamless customer experiences.
Looking for some guidance on how achieve 2 day-shipping with a national order fulfillment network? Learn which locations and geographies can help accomplish this.
Reverse logistics is the backward movement of goods from the customer back upstream in the supply chain. For direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, this definition goes beyond simple returns. A robust reverse logistics definition encompasses the entire lifecycle of a product after the initial sale. How a company handles reverse logistics in their daily operations directly impacts their bottom line and customer loyalty.
If you are wondering how much 3PL costs, the most accurate answer is that it depends entirely on your specific operations. To truly optimize your supply chain and reduce costs, pricing should be specialized to your unique needs.
These terms often get used interchangeably, but they have different capabilities and the differences significantly impact speed, cost, and your overall customer experience. Understanding the nuance is critical. The facility you choose dictates how your products are handled, how fast you ship, how much you pay for storage, and how happy your customers are when they open their packages.