Fulfillment

Fulfillment consists of eight steps: receiving and inspection, storage, order processing, picking, packing, shipping, delivery, and returns processing. The quality and speed of each step directly impact customer satisfaction, making it the most critical operational area for EC businesses. There are two main options: "in-house fulfillment," where the business manages all processes, and "3PL (third-party logistics)," where operations are outsourced.

Amazon's FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is the most prominent fulfillment service. Once sellers ship their products to Amazon's warehouses, Amazon handles everything from storage to delivery, customer service, and returns processing. Products using FBA become Prime-eligible, enabling next-day delivery and expanding sales opportunities. Fees are set based on product size and weight, running approximately 400-500 yen per unit for small items.

The optimal fulfillment strategy varies by business scale, product characteristics, and growth stage. Small businesses with fewer than 100 monthly shipments can rationally keep costs down with in-house fulfillment. Mid-sized businesses with 100-1,000 monthly shipments should consider partial outsourcing to FBA or 3PL. For businesses exceeding 1,000 monthly shipments, a hybrid approach combining in-house warehousing with external outsourcing is often the most efficient.

From the consumer's perspective, fulfillment quality is experienced through "delivery speed," "packing care," and "ease of returns." Amazon Prime's next-day and same-day delivery are only possible because of advanced fulfillment infrastructure. When purchasing products, checking for labels like "Prime eligible" or "next-day delivery" helps you select sellers with high fulfillment quality. If delivery issues arise (delays, damage, wrong items), it is important to promptly seek resolution through the platform's guarantee program.