What to Expect When Outsourcing Fulfillment for the First Time

Outsourcing fulfillment can feel like a big leap, especially if you’re a founder who’s been hands-on with every part of the business. You’ve probably spent countless hours packing orders, dealing with returns, and managing shipping, trying to keep everything running smoothly while also scaling your brand. But as your business grows, the pressure piles on, and logistics shouldn’t hold you back from expanding, and that’s where outsourcing fulfillment comes in.

At ILG, we’ve worked with a range of indie and scale-up brands to help them make this transition as smooth as possible. In fact, we’ve seen firsthand how much of a game-changer it can be for founders who are ready to let go of the logistics and focus on growing their business. Here’s what you can expect when outsourcing fulfillment for the first time and how we make it work for our clients.

1. It’s Not Just About Boxes, It’s About Trust

When you’re used to handling every order yourself, passing fulfillment to a third party can feel daunting.

• Will they get it right?
• Will your orders be packed the way you want them?
• Will your brand still shine through?

At ILG, we work closely with clients like Lemonade Dolls, a young brand offering custom-made, beautiful and eco-friendly, luxury lingerie. They were concerned about whether we could maintain the playful, vibrant packaging and ensure their unique brand experience stayed intact. We worked with them to develop custom sustainable packaging and branded inserts that reflected their brand identity, helping them maintain the personal touch they’re known for and founder, Lemon Fuller is proud of.

Watch more about our partnership with Lemonade Dolls in our Q&A with Lemon.

Top tip – Look for a fulfillment partner who offers value-add services such as custom packaging, gift-wrapping, and branded inserts. It’s the little things that will make all the difference in maintaining your brand’s voice.

2. Onboarding Isn’t Overnight (And That’s a Good Thing)

Outsourcing fulfillment isn’t something that can be done overnight. There’s a setup phase that usually lasts a few weeks. During this time, your 3PL will:

• Get to know how your business works
• Learn about your product SKUs and volumes
• Integrate with your e-commerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.)
• Receive and check your stock
• Set up pick-and-pack workflows tailored to your orders

This is exactly what we did for Scamp & Dude, a super powered fashion brand with a heart that’s growing demand for their unique and fun designs. They came to us as they scaled up, needing a reliable 3PL to help them manage fulfillment during their busy seasons. We worked through a thorough onboarding process, setting up workflows that were specifically designed to accommodate their growing volumes, ensuring orders were picked, packed, and shipped on time, every time.

Proper onboarding means nothing gets missed and everything is set up correctly. You want thorough, not rushed.

3. You’ll Start Seeing Time Come Back to You

One of the biggest shifts that founders notice after outsourcing fulfillment is the time they get back. No more worrying about logistics, shipping, or chasing courier labels. That means more time to focus on the parts of your business that matter most.

With Lemonade Dolls, outsourcing fulfillment meant their team could finally focus on creative product development and marketing, rather than packing orders after hours. They were able to create new collections, run more targeted marketing campaigns, and engage more deeply with their community without worrying about the day-to-day logistics.

By taking fulfillment off your plate, a 3PL gives you the space to lead your business—not just keep it afloat.

4. Your Costs Will Change, But So Will Your Capacity

Let’s be real: fulfillment isn’t free. But what you gain in return is scale.

As your order volume grows, your per-order costs often decrease. For example, with Scamp & Dude, as their order volumes grew, they were able to leverage the scale of ILG’s operations to lower their per-unit costs.

Outsourcing your fulfillment means saving on overheads like warehouse rent and staffing, and being able to reinvest those savings into expanding product ranges and reaching more customers.

What’s more, you’ll gain access to features that would be tough to manage on your own, like international shipping, inventory forecasting, and sustainable packaging options. By outsourcing, you’ll be able to offer things like carbon-neutral shipping, access to international courier networks, and advanced order tracking, all of which make a difference to your customer satisfaction and bottom line.

5. Communication is Key (and this is where ILG really stand out!)

Your 3PL shouldn’t feel like a “black box.” At ILG, we’re all about transparency. We provide each client with a dedicated account executive or manager who knows their brand inside and out. This ensures that you’re always in the loop about inventory, shipping timelines, and any issues that come up.

With Lemonade Dolls, we set up regular check-ins to make sure we stay aligned with their seasonal demands and ensure quick turnaround times during their peak selling periods. These regular touchpoints help them feel supported and give them the confidence to scale without worrying about fulfillment.

Regular communication is key, set up those check-ins, ask questions, and speak up when something doesn’t feel right. This is a partnership, not just a handoff.

Final Thought – You’re Not Letting Go, You’re Stepping Up

For many founders, outsourcing fulfillment is the moment they can truly scale their business. It’s not about letting go of control—it’s about choosing a partner who understands your needs and knows how to deliver at scale.

By outsourcing fulfillment to ILG, brands gain the capacity to scale their business without sacrificing quality, and without burning out their team.

If you’re thinking about taking the leap into outsourcing fulfillment in the UK or EU, we’re here to help you do it with confidence and ease. At ILG, we’ve supported dozens of brands through this transition, and we’re excited to help you grow.

Get in touch today or find out more about our outsourced fulfillment services.