Going global is a goal for many ecommerce brands. And for many brands, one of the largest opportunities lies in figuring out how to sell beyond their current scope and becoming established in North America. But it’s not easy.

Some common problems that get in the way of successfully penetrating the US market include overly complex or slow fulfillment operations, technical limitations, and distant warehouses that negatively impact shipping speed and cost. Thankfully, there’s ShipMonk—a 3PL with numerous USA fulfillment centers that resolves these issues, thus making growth and scaling easier and more cost-effective for international ecommerce brands on the rise. 

With our tech-forward shipping solutions, 3PL technology, strategic locations, and other premier features, we are the answer to US market mastery. If you’re a global brand looking to break into the US market in an efficient, affordable way, here’s how ShipMonk sets you up for success.

Shipping Solutions

Shipping is one of the most important aspects of any global brand, no matter where your home base is located. ShipMonk was founded on the idea of making shipping affordable and efficient for ecommerce brands of all sizes. Three ways we have finetuned this critical area for our clients are our Virtual Carrier Network, our preferred 2-day shipping option, and our extensive network of fulfillment centers that effectively optimize shipping zones.

1.) Virtual Carrier Network

ShipMonk’s Virtual Carrier Network allows ecommerce brands around the world access to the best shipping costs and speeds. This flexible rate shopping and transportation management hybrid solution provides premier rates and helps local and global brands alike avoid supply chain disruption by never tying you down to one carrier. Discover the advantages of ShipMonk’s VCN in detail today to enhance your shipping bottom line and have better shipping and financial success as your business enters the US market.

2.) 2-Day Shipping

In the competitive ecommerce marketplace, shipping speed matters. However, that speed can really take a toll on your profits considering how big geographically the US market is. If your inventory isn’t split across the nation, it can take a week or more for a package to move coast to coast. And if you pay to avoid that, the literal price can be high.

ShipMonk’s 2-day shipping is a favorite for ecommerce brands keeping inventory in any of our eight USA fulfillment centers because it’s a form of expedited delivery that is more forgiving on financials. This shipping option is the perfect balance between that premium speed customers want and pricing that doesn’t hurt your margins. We highly advise all growing ecommerce brands and global brands explore the benefits of 2-day shipping with ShipMonk, i.e. the secret to standing out against the competition. This form of expedited delivery allows brands overseas to reach customers rapidly and more affordably in the US.

3.) Extensive Fulfillment Center Network

In terms of shipping, the US market is divided into zones based on zip code. The more zones an order travels, the longer the transit time and the more expensive the shipping. By splitting inventory across our eight USA fulfillment centers (all owned and operated entirely and only by ShipMonk) we’ll minimize your zones, which means lower costs and delivery times. ShipMonk’s eight USA fulfillment centers can be found in:

• Florida
• California
• New York
• Texas
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• Kentucky
• Pennsylvania

Every one of these locations is equipped to handle the reverse logistics side of things too, so there’s no need to worry about items being shipped back if you’re a global brand. All our USA fulfillment centers can carefully and cost-effectively manage your returns, so can our other North America facilities in Canada and Mexico. In fact, with Section 321 fulfillment services offered by our 3PL, overseas brands save significantly on importing, which leads to higher profit margins and faster delivery times when selling in the US market. 

Overall, the main takeaway is that by splitting inventory across our extensive USA fulfillment center network and beyond, your orders require less travel to reach buyers, which means they’ll be happy with how fast things arrive and your ecommerce brand will be happy because it’ll cost less. This will give your global brand an edge as it accesses North American customers, helping you build your US market presence.

Technology Leaders

Technology is the asset that ensures your operations are working smarter, not harder. This element of ecommerce brand and global brand success is one of ShipMonk’s core principles. We infuse it into everything we do, but the top two ways our phenomenal 3PL tech works for you are our software and state-of-the-art fulfillment center automation.

1.) The Ecommerce Industry’s Best Software 

ShipMonk’s industry-leading 3PL fulfillment software provides real-time, transparent data to make order, inventory, and warehouse management easy. With its one-stop-shop design, you can oversee every aspect of your ecommerce brand operation from anywhere in the world. Let’s look at some of the stellar reasons why ShipMonk’s service-focused software can help your global brand build its empire:

• Order Management and Tracking 
• Backorder Management
• Utilization of Order Status Notifications 
• Application of At-Risk Filters
• Handling Hazmat products
• Rule-Based Inserts and Custom Packaging
• International Landed Cost Solutions
• Auto-merge Options
• Shipping Rates Calculator
• Inventory Management
• Advanced Reporting 
• Inventory Forecasting Tools
• Virtual Bundling
• Warehouse Assignment Logic
• Lot Control and Serialization

Additionally, ShipMonk’s award-winning and proprietary software syncs directly with 75+ integrations including a wide array of shopping carts and marketplaces. These integrations are 100% plug-and-play—no tech skills required, so you can implement as many as you like without any fuss. The integration element of our software is a perfect example of our user-in-mind design. Anything you need to effectively run an ecommerce brand and manage your US market presence as you expand internationally is at your fingertips with this software. Explore the platform now:

2.) Automation at Its Finest

You can’t beat the attention to detail that our trained 3PL experts bring to the table. At ShipMonk, we pride ourselves on employing reliable, diligent, and efficient people to work in our fulfillment centers. However, they do work hand in hand with the latest and greatest technology that fulfillment center operations have to offer. 

The implementation of advanced automation in key areas of the fulfillment process allows our 3PL to optimally pick, pack, and ship your orders. This includes automated slotting, tote de-stackers, pick-to-light systems, high-speed sortation, Automated Mobile Robots, and more! 

Together, our people and our technology have established 4X faster pick times than the industry average while retaining 99.9% accuracy. That means your global brand can rest easy knowing we have your US market domination handled.

To see how we bring the best out of fulfillment center automation, take a tour of one of our 12 advanced fulfillment centers yourself. On our virtual tour below, ShipMonk president Kevin Sides will lead you on a behind the scenes, 360-degree tour of one of our facilities. 

ShipMonk Shines for You in Far More Ways!

If we told you all the ways ShipMonk is designed to support and enhance ecommerce brands from all over the world, this blog would be longer than Santa’s gift list. Since people who work in the ecommerce industry have places to be and people to see, we’d like to conserve time by highlighting a few more core 3PL services ShipMonk offers to make US markets accessible to global brands from every vertical.

1.) B2B Services – Your global brand can easily connect B2B vendors through EDI and your ecommerce marketplaces, store your products in one of our USA fulfillment centers, and receive orders in the ShipMonk software platform. 

2.) Retail and Wholesale – Our USA fulfillment center experts match the requirements of your retail and wholesale partners to ensure orders are picked, packed, palletized, and shipped to their standards. We are careful with the details, and we care; talk about a winning combination for your global brand!

3.) Kitting Services – Let ShipMonk’s USA fulfillment center teams prepare your bundles with finesse and efficiency so they reach customers in the US market exactly how you want them.

4.) Package Protection – ShipMonk understands the importance of protecting your orders. That’s why we offer package protection through our post-purchase suite MonkProtect™, which includes added advantages like an automated claims portal, branded tracking options, and more.

The ShipMonk Difference

ShipMonk provides affordable, customizable, and unrivaled order fulfillment and 3PL solutions for ecommerce brands across the globe. Maximize your US market penetration today with our 3PL services! Other benefits of working with ShipMonk include:

• No outsourcing—all 12 of our fulfillment centers are operated by us and only service our direct clients
• Award-winning customer support for our ecommerce clients
• Fulfillment center locations in the US, UK, Czech Republic, Canada, and Mexico
• Industry-leading SLAs and line-level billing for full disclosure of costs
• Shipping discounts thanks to our longstanding shipping carrier relationships
• Flexible options for custom ecommerce brand packaging
• All eight of our USA fulfillment centers are FDA-registered
• Top data security for your brand and your customers

As you can tell, whether you’re a global brand looking to more-easily access US markets, or you’re a newer ecommerce brand just starting to put your stamp on the world, our innovative software, state-of-the-art fulfillment centers, and 3PL experts are here for you! Reach out to our unrivaled Client Experience team today to get started.