Perfecting the Kitting Process for Beautiful Order Fulfillment
For today’s customers, kitting–the art of combining multiple products into a single kit or group–is essential. It’s used for a variety of solutions, from sending out subscription boxes to managing displays at the point of purchase. You don’t want to send out substandard products or fail to deliver the full package to any of your customers, which could leave them disappointed. Instead, consider how an effective kitting process can help improve efficiency, meet the evolving demands of your customers, and scale operations.
The Importance of Kitting
The kitting process, also known as product bundling, involves putting together two or more related goods into a single package, under the same SKU. It allows businesses to take products that go together–from different flavors of the same food or drink that you want to send out as a sampler pack to items that combine into a holiday basket or order display–and send them out at the same time. Effective, streamlined kitting processes ensure that items are removed from inventory at the same time so that they can go out together, improving efficiency. Furthermore, with this process, you can more easily ensure that you have all the items you need for a kit or pack in inventory before you put them together.
Kitting can go a long way toward improving operational efficiency. It typically takes place before a customer even places an order, which means you can more easily determine what changes you need to make to your inventory or processes. Furthermore, it can go a long way toward reducing shipping costs for eCommerce and retail businesses.
The Benefits of Kitting for Businesses
Kitting offers a number of essential advantages to your business.
Faster Fulfillment
Bulk kitting streamlines operations, saving time and reducing labor costs. Since you are putting together all the kits at the same time, you won’t have to worry about individually packaging each item when an order is placed–and that makes decreases the time necessary to package items and get them out to customers.
Improved Packaging
Custom packaging creates a branded and professional customer experience. You’re able to put together all the items in the kit before customers place an order, so you can package them in a way that reflects your company, your brand, and your products–whether that means grouping items into a beautiful holiday basket or subscription box or packaging items in a sampler pack that allows customers to try out the best of your brand.
Adaptability
Kitting supports fluctuating seasonal demands, ensuring businesses can scale up or down as needed. You can easily track and manage inventory just like you do for your other products, allowing you to predict what customers are most likely to need or want. That means more kits on hand when customers are most likely to order at high volumes.
The Role of Automation in Kitting
Automation transforms the kitting process by reducing human error and increasing speed. Modern technology offers a number of solutions that can improve efficiency and make it easier for you to streamline those processes, including:
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS): Keep up with available inventory, manage order fulfillment, and keep up resource management needs, all from one convenient platform
- AI-driven inventory tracking: Evaluate the inventory that is available at any given time, making it easier to keep up with demand, place orders as needed, and update customers on availability
- Real-time monitoring: Get deeper insights into how your warehouse is currently performing, including what orders are waiting, what customers are likely to need, and even any potential bottlenecks in your system
Automation supports greater precision and scalability, making it easier to fulfill complex orders efficiently. As a result, your brand can more easily grow to meet your customers’ demands.
Managing the Kitting Process Across Industries
There are a number of industries that can benefit from effective kitting practices.
Health and Beauty
In the health and beauty industry, fragile and luxury items are the norm. Through effective kitting, you can ensure that they are handled with care, allowing them to arrive with pristine packaging that fully shows off the elements of your brand.
Pet Supplies
As you manage pet supplies, you can leverage cold-chain logistics for treats and nutraceuticals. With these items managed effectively, you can keep up with expiration dates, maintain the right temperature, and ensure that they are delivered to customers in peak condition.
CPG and Food
Ensure regulatory compliance, reduce errors, and maintain high product standards as you keep up with effective kitting solutions.
Why Partner with a 3PL for Kitting?
Partnering with a 3PL ensures your kitting process is handled by experts who can streamline operations, reduce errors, and manage complex logistics effectively. There are many benefits to letting your 3PL take on those vital kitting tasks.
Cost Savings
Outsourcing eliminates the overhead costs of maintaining in-house staff, space, and materials. This allows for greater efficiency in your own warehouses and stores, so you can reap considerable cost savings.
Expertise
Your 3PL can provide access to specialized logistics processes that streamline kitting and assembly. Because they have experience across a variety of industries, they can often improve your processes or offer suggestions that can increase efficiency or cost savings.
Visibility
Your partner has the tools to improve inventory traceability, ensuring efficient stock management and reducing overall errors. With that greater insight into your process, you can more easily keep up with your ongoing needs.
The Future of Kitting: Trends and Innovations
As technology continues to advance, kitting offers additional benefits and solutions, including:
- The use of eco-friendly materials in packing, cutting down on your environmental impact
- Late-stage customization for enhanced personalization, which allows customers to select the specific solutions or products that best fit their needs
- Automation solutions, which can improve overall efficiency and allow for less error
Adopting innovations in the kitting process, such as late-stage customization and automation, positions businesses to stay competitive and meet evolving customer expectations. Many 3PLs are already using these advanced technology solutions, and can provide greater overall insight into the best way to handle them to fit your needs.
Building Beautiful Fulfillment Partnerships
Kitting services can elevate your operations, enhance efficiency, and create an exceptional customer experience. By working with a reliable 3PL provider for seamless fulfillment solutions, you can achieve your goals and reap those benefits. Contact Symbia Logistics today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.
