A new service from UPS called Ware2Go has launched that matches available warehouse space and fulfilment services with merchants looking for secure storage and swift fulfilment. UPS Ware2Go recruits and certifies warehouses in strategic locations, establishing a network of vetted fulfillment partners. Merchants can then position products closer to their customers without the need for researching or vetting providers, or making long-term volume and time commitments.
The merchant opportunity here is two-fold (but remember at the moment that this UPS service remain only available in the USA and likely won’t be expanding across the pond any time soon). Obviously, it represents another fulfilment option for ecommerce sales and the mix of the trusted UPS brand and capacity provided by trusted third parties is interesting. But there’s also a commercial opportunity for those merchants who have a fulfilment warehouse with spare capacity. Now that empty space can be put to work and start earning for you, when you don’t need it. You can find out more here. And according to UPS, here’s how it works:
- Customers create an account (as a merchant, warehouse or both) and answer a few questions about their needs or capabilities.
- Merchants provide details about their products, orders, space requirements and specific regional delivery needs.
- A portal enables merchants to upload and manage their inventory and orders across the Ware2Go network. The merchant maintains ownership of the inventory and is responsible for getting the products to Ware2Go-certified warehouses.
- Warehouses provide their address and fulfillment services available, and Ware2Go inspects and certifies the warehouse.
- The platform matches warehouses with merchants.
- The Ware2Go platform also provides inventory visibility and tracks order progress for both the merchant and warehouse, streamlining communications.
As they say of the launch of the UPS Ware2Go service:
Ware2Go uses innovative online technology to match excess warehouse and fulfillment capacity with merchant demand to provide transparent inventory, order fulfillment and final delivery,” said Scott Price, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer. We’re solving for two major problems: speed to market and efficient warehousing.
The flexibility Ware2Go offers merchants and warehouse operators, especially companies in the industrial, automotive and tech sectors, means they can compete more effectively and profitably in the market. Ware2Go leverages the scope and scale of UPS’s network to provide an integrated delivery solution to improve management of the order-to-delivery experience.
– Scott Price, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer, UPS
