And When to Outsource it
In today’s fast-paced UK e-commerce fulfilment scene, Shopify fulfils about 21% of all online sales, and is still climbing. That means millions of customers expect lightning-fast dispatch, accurate orders, and smooth returns. And brands using Shopify? They need order processing and fulfilment that keeps up.
Here’s a deep dive into how Shopify order fulfilment works, where it can trip you up, and how outsourced Shopify fulfilment services with a 3PL – like Lama Fulfilment – keeps your business on top.
The Shopify Fulfilment Process With a 3PL
Step 1: Your Customer Checks Out on Shopify
When a shopper places an order, Shopify logs it and passes that info into your dashboard: buyer details, items, quantities, and shipping settings. Nice and clear – so far, so good.
But problems creep in when customers orders pile up fast. Manual tracking becomes time-consuming, errors spike, and dispatch delays start piling up. However, with a 3PL that specialises in Shopify fulfilment integration, these orders will be automated to flow straight from Shopify to the fulfilment centre.
Step 2: Picking in the Warehouse
With a direct Shopify fulfilment integration, every order populates in your 3PLs system automatically. No copying, no chaos, just orders queued, ready for action.
Warehousing teams can then pick items efficiently, with barcodes ensuring goods-in and goods-out track perfectly. This minimises mistakes and gives customers the speedy, accurate delivery they expect from Shopify fulfilment. Everyone knows customer satisfaction is the key to a successful ecommerce business.
Step 3: Packing with Brand Care
Packing isn’t just about protection, it’s about customer experience. That’s why you need fulfilment partners that will treat every item like it’s their own, adding personal touches like branded tissue or thank-you cards. This is where Shopify fulfilment and brand identity meet, and it really matters.
Step 4: Dispatch and Courier Selection
You know the drill: pick, pack & ship.
So, once packed, orders are passed to the best courier partner based on destination, deal, and speed: Royal Mail, DPD, Amazon SFP, Evri, and more. Next-day delivery? Same-day dispatch? It’s all covered.
We generate tracking info, push it back to Shopify so customers get updates in real-time, and you get the credit for smooth shipping.
Step 5: Tracking and Customer Communication
A Shopify store’s edge is transparency. With a Shopify integration, both your team and customers can track orders in real time. No manual emails, no guessing games. Peace of mind.
How to Know When You Should Outsource
Order Volumes Are Hitting 50+ a Week? You’re Ready to Outsource.
Once your order volume crosses the 50-orders-per-week threshold, things can escalate quickly. More orders mean more picking, packing, labelling, tracking, returns… and more opportunities for errors. What once felt manageable from your living room or storage unit now risks bottlenecks and unhappy customers.
Doing everything in-house in your own warehouse? You face warehousing costs, packing staff, courier contracts, technology setup, and it all costs time and money.
And finally, in these circumstances, are you prepared for unexpected order rises? Those sale spikes or campaign-driven demand surges aren’t always predictable.
That’s where outsourced Shopify Fulfilment comes in, like Lama. A 3PL brings instant flexibility; more hands, more space, more dispatches, without missing a beat. We’re built to handle scale, whether you’re shipping 50 or 500 orders a week. Our Shopify integration means orders flow straight into our system in real-time, with our team handling every step from shelf to doorstep.
With Lama’s Shopify fulfilment services, you reduce costs, gain tech integration, expert staff, and discounted courier deals – all under one roof.
You’re Expanding to More Channels – or Planning To.
Maybe you’ve started selling on eBay or TikTok Shop. Maybe Amazon’s next. Or perhaps you’ve got your eye on international sales.
Multichannel growth is exciting, but it adds layers of operational complexity: multiple SKUs, inventories to sync, and shipping requirements to meet. Juggling different platforms can be messy.
This is why it’s important to find a 3PL fulfilment solution that offers multichannel fulfilment. One that can handle order flows, automates SKUs, avoids overselling, and tracks everything in real time. Lama’s multichannel expertise makes it easy.
As a flexible Shopify 3PL, we support ecommerce integrations with Amazon, eBay, TikTok, Etsy, and more – all under one roof. We help you stay in control of your stock across platforms, ensuring accurate listings, smooth dispatch, and consistent delivery, everywhere you sell.
Tech’s Not Your Thing? Shopify Logistics Can Get Complicated.
You didn’t start your business to wrestle with courier APIs or figure out how to push tracking data back into Shopify. When fulfilment tech starts eating into your creative time, or worse, causing delays, it’s time to call in a specialist.
That’s exactly what we do at Lama. Our system plugs directly into your Shopify store, syncing orders, inventory levels, and tracking info without the headaches. We handle the setup, walk you through the process, and offer hands-on support whenever you need it.
So your tech stack works beautifully in the background while you focus on what you’re good at. And you can track it all via our online dashboard.
Your Customers Expect Speed – and You Want to Deliver.
Fast shipping isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore, it’s a major conversion driver and an essential customer service. In fact, offering 1-2 day delivery significantly increases customer loyalty significantly. If you’re struggling to keep up with next-day promises, it’s time to rethink your approach.
With Lama’s strategically located UK warehouse and 4pm order cut-off, you’re always ahead of the clock. We help Shopify brands like yours meet, and exceed, delivery expectations with reliable same-day dispatch, branded packaging, and courier options tailored to your audience. Because happy customers come back.
Ready to Unlock Smart Shopify Order Fulfilment?
Shopify fulfilment UK is about trust, speed, and professionalism. By outsourcing to Lama Fulfilment, you get powerful tech, regional warehouses, courier networks, and expert teams doing the heavy lifting, for less than you’d spend going it alone.
Want to see how seamless Shopify fulfilment can be? Chat with our team today and discover the Lama difference – no drama, lama!
