How does 3PL integration work?

Find out how to fulfil orders for multiple customers, with multiple storefronts and delivery partners — from a single platform.

Your Third-party logistics (3PL) warehouse provides the mechanism for your customer’s business and their customer’s orders — which is why it's essential to have the right 3PL WMS integrations set up from the start. Check out how 3PL integration work, and how 3PL warehouses use integrations to save time, reduce overheads, and offer better customer service to their clients. 

How does 3PL integration work? Put simply, 3PL integration works by allowing data to flow through connected systems; 

• End users order online from your customers.
• Online orders are seamlessly translated to warehouse pick orders, where stock is picked, packed, and shipped from your warehouse.
• Order tracking is applied and returned to the order point, and your 3PL WMS automates inventory reports, rate calculations, and invoicing in the background. 
• So you get accurate orders, fast fulfillment, happy teams, and happy customers. 

That's putting it simply. Your 3PL WMS is working in the background to do much more; like allocate tasks to your team, track and manage stock location in real-time, allow you to handle incoming stock, restock low inventory, and more! 

The right 3PL warehouse integrations are key to having a smooth-running 3PL warehouse. 

Your 3PL WMS also manages how you will charge and invoice your customers, and how you can ensure all of your delivery and dispatch partners have the data they need for a smooth process of orders in and out — and you need to keep your customers and their end customers in the loop. 

How do 3PL integrations work? 

At Cartoncloud, we’re all about saving you time and making your life easier. This is why CartonCloud provides a range of available software integrations out of the box including one- way (incoming information) and two-way (outgoing information).

• You can integrate with ERP, eCommerce, Inventory, Accounting, Web Sites, eCommerce, Transport and Route Optimization software, and back office integrations for accounting — as well as a public API and Zapier connections to create your own integrations.
• In addition to out-of-the-box API connectivity using JSON, CartonCloud also integrates using EDI with applications through XLS, CSV, XML, EDI, ANSI X12, IDOC, and many other types of files via direct Email and FTP/SFTP.

🙄 Sorry, what? If that last part sounded a bit like another language, that’s ok! 😅 Put simply, at CartonCloud, we have a range of integrations available to allow you to connect your system with the other systems you need to — and we have ample support to help you do it. 

👀 Here’s everything you need to know about 3PL integrations for growing warehouses. 

WMS integrations for growing 3PLs

The core benefit of WMS 3PL integrations is that they allow you to tailor your system to the exact needs and requirements of your current clients — or the clients you want to win! 

Your 3PL integrations give you an edge, allowing you to integrate your WMS software directly into the niche software platforms your clients use or need. This might be connecting your accounting software for seamless invoicing and admin, integrating with delivery partners, or plugging directly into your customer’s online e-commerce storefronts. 

Using 3PL integrations to supercharge e-commerce warehousing 

3PL integrations mean simplified management and oversight of all of your systems and processes — even when dealing with multiple third parties. Picture this. 🤗

💬 Automated orders 

• Your 3PL WMS software plugs directly into your customer’s online storefront (like WooCommerce or Shopify). As their customers place orders, these are directly fed into your WMS, where the order can be instantly allocated for pick and pack. 

⚡ Optimized picking processes

• You might have a number of high-volume orders at once — and you can use wave picking or replenishment features of your WMS to optimize order picking for faster, and more accurate picks. 

📦 Inventory management 

• What’s more, your WMS also updates your inventory reports and tracks the order status in real-time, so you know exactly what is on your warehouse shelves, and your clients (and their end customers) know where their orders are. 

👍 Picked, packed, and ready for dispatch

• Once the order is picked and packed, you can use your 3PL integrations to plug directly into a number of dispatch and delivery partner platforms (depending on your customer preferences), to send the order details through to their system, print the shipping label, and assign a tracking code that can be sent back to your client’s online store. 

💸 Invoicing automated 

• Integrate seamlessly with your accounting software. Last year, CartonCloud customers used online ordering integrations to automate over 6.29 million orders, saving them a combined 35 years of admin time. Automate rate cards to capture all billable charges, set triggers for rate calculations, and generate automated invoices without lifting a finger. 

Optimized order fulfillment, accurate data entry, and faster invoicing

Using 3PL integrations reduces manual order handling and data entry into your cloud-based WMS; giving you more accurate data, faster order processing timeframes, and simplified invoicing that gets the job done and you paid faster. 

Your 3PL integrations provide a gateway for data to be shared and transferred seamlessly and securely across various partner platforms and systems, to ensure your processes are accurate and optimized, end-to-end — and ensure your customers are satisfied. 

See why this e-commerce 3PL makes ensuring 3PL integrations are set up their first step for every new client. 

Getting started with 3PL integrations 

Are you ready to kickstart your 3PL integrations? 🙌 Here’s what you need to know to ensure you set up the right integrations for your 3PL WMS. 

 At CartonCloud, we offer hundreds of 3PL integrations out of the box, and thousands more through our public Zapier. We also have a dedicated team of integration experts ready to help you out with any custom builds or detailed requests. 

Some integrations are as simple as plug and play, accessible via app stores or directly through your WMS. Others require a more detailed setup in order to ensure the systems are able to speak to one another correctly — and achieve the goal you’re seeking. 

What you need to consider: 

• Ask for the system name that your existing or new customer wants to integration with
• Ask what workflows they would like to automate
• Each order item (SKU) coming in on orders will need match a product in CartonCloud
• Simply get the best email for notifications to go to, when the integration is complete
• Confirm if the customer has any special or particular requirements or concerns

We can confirm:

• Login/account access needed for each system to be integrated
• Integration for delivery information and order data from the customers system!
  
  

Our team of experts have created some FAQ pages for some of our most popular integration requests, including Shopify and Unleashed, to help you and your team prepare what you need for a successful and smooth integration. 

To find out more about available 3PL integrations, or to request an integration be created for your CartonCloud account, reach out to the team via the CartonCloud Help support link. 

📈 Are you ready to set your 3PL up for growth? 

You can see our powerful Warehouse Management System and Transport Management System in action and explore our range of features designed to automate your data and simplify your operations, letting you do more with less. Contact our team to book your FREE Demo tour and see how CartonCloud can revolutionize your operations. 👇