LogForum 2017, 13 (4), 429-438

> Scientific Journal of Logistics < http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

http://www.logforum.net p-ISSN 1895-2038 e-ISSN 1734-459X

ORIGINAL PAPER

FULFILLMENT SERVICE IN E-COMMERCE LOGISTICS

Arkadiusz Kawa
Poznan University of Economics and Business, Poznań, Poland

ABSTRACT. Background: The logistics service of e-commerce is usually limited in the literature to the issue of
product delivery to customers. However, before goods are sent to the customer, the vendor has to order them from the
supplier. Next, they are taken into the warehouse and stored, and after the order has been placed, they are packaged and
sent to the customer. These processes are defined in e-commerce as fulfillment. Due to their complexity and time and
cost pressure of e-customers, they are more and more often conducted by external operators. Despite the dynamic
development of the fulfillment service in e-commerce practice, this still remains a relatively unknown issue in
management theory.
The aim of this paper is to present and analyze the fulfillment service in e-commerce logistics. The author has made an
attempt to indicate and define the main models of logistics processes connected with the fulfillment service in e-
commerce logistics, their strengths and weaknesses. An additional aim of this paper was to recognize development
directions of the market of fulfillment services.
Methods: For the needs of the paper research was conducted using the methods of direct observation and analysis of
primary and secondary sources. The primary materials included data obtained from companies providing fulfillment
services in Poland and abroad, and the secondary ones - reports, studies and Internet sources. In addition, in-depth
interviews were performed with representatives of companies that offer fulfillment services or those which are potential
bidders.
Results: The article characterizes the details of the fulfillment service, whose importance has been increasing in e-
commerce logistics. The author has described the division and characteristics of the fulfillment service models and
discussed the potential trends in the fulfillment service market.
Conclusions: The presented review and characteristics of various implementations of fulfillment services allows to
evaluate to what extent logistic processes should and could be delegated to specialized companies in order to focus on the
core competencies only. The usage of fulfillment service is useful especially at the phase of the rapid growth of the e-
company. It involves, however, also some disadvantages, such as relatively high fees, a lack of physical contact with the
goods, a partial loss of control over the process.

Key words: e-commerce, fulfillment, logistics services.

the global sale via the Internet is even expected

INTRODUCTION to reach $4 trillion [eMarketer 2015].

Undoubtedly, e-commerce is now one of This dynamic growth requires management

the most important megatrends in economy tools suitably adapted to e-commerce. Internet
[Kawa, Zdrenka 2016]. It affects not only sales is different from traditional channel sales
traders, but also the entire logistics industry in that a certain kind of promise to fulfill the
[Żurek 2015]. According to eMarketer, global order in the right place, time and cost is sold,
e-commerce sales in 2016 will grow by apart from the products themselves. One of the
approx. 22% compared with 2015 and will key tools of online trade, then, is logistics
amount to approx. $2 trillion. By 2020, [Colla, Lapoule 2012, Bask, Lipponen, Tinnilä
2012]. It allows not only to attract new

Copyright: Wyższa Szkoła Logistyki, Poznań, Polska

Citation: Kawa A., 2017. Fulfillment service in e-commerce logistics. LogForum 13 (4), 429-438,
http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4
Received: 20.05.2017, Accepted: 31.07.2017, on-line: 29.09.2017.
,
Kawa A., 2017. Fulfillment service in e-commerce logistics. LogForum 13 (4), 429-438.
http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

customers (by availability of goods, different one needs to consider hiring more people and
forms of delivery and a low shipping cost), but buying or renting warehouse space. Handling
also to retain those who have already placed an the so-called seasonal peaks becomes
order (by timeliness, compliance of the goods a problem [Żuchowski 2016]. The only
with the order, no damages). A few years ago, logistics process outsourced to external
efficient logistics in e-commerce was a source companies is the delivery of the product to the
of competitive advantage, today it is end customer. For this purpose, courier,
a prerequisite. Those who win, in turn, are express and postal services operators (CEP) are
companies that implement new logistics engaged [Dabidian, Clausen, Denecke 2016].
solutions tailored to the needs of the market
[Ramanathan, George, Ramanathan 2014]. In turn, dropshipping involves shipment of
One of these solutions is the fulfillment service goods directly from the warehouse of an
related to the processes run in warehouses by external entity (the manufacturer, the
external operators. distributor) to the client without the need to use
the vendor’s warehouse [Zając, 2014]. This
Despite the dynamic development of the service consists in storage of products, taking
fulfillment service in e-commerce practice, this orders and completing them, issuing sales
is still a relatively unknown issue in documents and shipping packages to
management theory. For this reason, the aim of customers. Medium-sized companies that do
this paper is to present and analyze the not want to take the risk of freezing their assets
fulfillment service in e-commerce logistics. in inventory, particularly when they increase
The author has made an attempt to indicate and the number of their product items, are usually
define the main models of logistics processes interested in this type of services. This model
connected with the fulfillment service in e- allows stores to focus on acquiring customers.
commerce logistics, their strengths and
weaknesses. An additional aim of this paper In e-commerce, there are two approaches
was to recognize development directions of the adopted by e-retailers in the field of
market of fulfillment services. dropshipping [Ayanso et al. 2006]:
− pure dropshipping, in which the online
store does not have a warehouse and is
LOGISTICS ORGANIZATION based on external firms implementing
FORMS IN E-COMMERCE order fulfillment processes.
− partial dropshipping, in which only
In e-commerce, there are four forms of selected products are stored in an outside
organization of logistics, which indicate the company’s warehouse.
scope of the processes performed by the e-
retailer [Kawa 2014]: Pure dropshipping works well if the offered
1. Insourcing logistics. products come from a single supplier that has
2. Dropshipping. a wide range of them. The problem, however,
3. Fulfillment service. lies in the realization of orders in which the
4. One stop e-commerce. goods originate from multiple suppliers. This
results in higher costs and can cause
Insourcing logistics in e-commerce is most communication problems. Product returns by
popular, especially on the Polish market. In customers are also troublesome. The use of
this model, stores conduct most of the logistics dropshipping, therefore, requires developing
processes on their own. This proves effective appropriate procedures for the flow of
for micro and small enterprises, whose scale of information, packaging, payments, returns
activity is still too small for the use of external [Khouja 2011].
logistics companies to be profitable. This
approach allows for better control of their In turn, the fulfillment service involves
business and independence from delegating part of the logistic processes to an
subcontractors. In this model, it is crucial to external provider. Due to the fact that the main
prepare for sudden development of the focus of this article is fulfillment, it is
company. As the number of orders increases, described in detail in the following chapters.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

In contrast, one-stop e-commerce is an and the specifics of individual stores vary

extension of fulfillment by additional services. significantly. This solution will not suit the
This concept implies support not only in the requirements of every e-retailer. In a small
field of logistics (as fulfillment does), but also scale business the owner’s knowledge about
in the area of customer service, marketing, IT where the product is located, in particular if it
solutions and finance and accounting by one is not marked with a bar code, may often prove
company [Ciechomski 2014]. For example, to be important.
call centers, which deal with inquiries,
complaints, etc., may be run on behalf of the The entities of e-commerce are quite
client in many languages. Cooperation with a specific group of customers for fulfillment
one partner in accordance with the principle of operators. As a rule, these are small companies
one-stop e-commerce allows for better task that offer a fairly wide range of products but in
coordination and communication between the very small quantities. Their customers order
parties thanks to integrating processes in one single items, and their geographical location is
place. In this model financial settlement is very diverse. For this reason, the fulfillment
simpler, too. However, there is a risk that all operators do not perform the distribution
processes are entrusted to one partner. For services themselves, but use the services of
now, such services are mainly used by the CEP operators and, to some extent, logistics
largest companies, for which e-commerce is an companies (in particular with deliveries of
additional sales channel [Agatz, Fleischmann, goods on pallets). E-customers want to be
Van Nunen 2008]. offered a wide range of delivery services –
from the more economical and slower postal
service through more reliable courier services
CHARACTERISTICS OF to the transitional forms, that is the possibility
FULFILLMENT SERVICE to collect shipments from parcel lockers or
PUDO (pick up drop off) points [Del Ser,
Generally, the fulfillment service consists in Bilbao, Perfecto, Salcedo-Sanz 2016].
taking over part of the seller’s logistics
processes, such as: reception, storage, picking, The key activity of the fulfillment operators
packaging, sending the products by an external are services related to storage. Despite the
operator. large potential for automation of warehouse
processes, there are still many companies
Goods ordered by the online shop from (even the largest ones) which mostly rely on
suppliers are sent to such an operator’s the work of people in their activities. This is
warehouse, and are then unloaded, inspected, mainly due to economic calculations and high
stored, picked and shipped [Isac, 2014]. On flexibility of this approach. During peak
behalf of the client, the operators manage the seasons additional staff is simply employed. It
warehouse, check the inventory, take orders is, therefore, important to have appropriate and
from final customers, package shipments, scalable infrastructure that adapts to the
prepare sales documents (e.g. invoices, increasing needs of customers.
receipts) and shipping ones (e.g. waybills),
attach manuals, help in customs clearance, The basic method of storage of goods in
handle returned goods, co-operate with a warehouse by fulfillment operators is placing
transport companies. This solution is very them in "the first free position", in the so-
flexible because a specialist fulfillment called chaotic system. The goods are not
operator is able to adapt to the variability of arranged by any logical rules, i.e. by type,
the demand of their client depending on his/her value, rotation, etc. After the goods are
needs, e.g. by increasing or decreasing the received from the sender, they are located in
storage area or the number of employees. The the place that offers enough space. Each
operator prepares reports on their activities for location (pallet place, shelf) is described, so
the client regarding the sales volume, number the stored goods are assigned to their places.
of returns, complaints. Some companies even Such a method of inventory management
undertake repairs, refreshing and disposal of would not be possible but for an effective IT
returned products. The needs in e-commerce system, which is integrated with the mobile

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Kawa A., 2017. Fulfillment service in e-commerce logistics. LogForum 13 (4), 429-438.
http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

devices in the warehouse. This makes it Distribution Partners, Cloudpack, Logistiko,

possible to quickly find the product and use the Shoplo.
warehouse labor and storage space better. In
addition, the system should support additional The fulfillment services provided by
services, such as document, payment and debt smaller companies are intended for shops that
management. The ability to integrate the realize from tens to hundreds of orders
system with other tools of suppliers is also a month. In the case of medium-sized
necessary. companies, it is approx. 1,000 orders.
Companies in this model are characterized by
Working with customers, the fulfillment high flexibility and an ability to adapt to the
operator must be prepared for many specific store, its products and the industry in
contingencies that may arise at any stage of the which they operate. The operators provide
service realization. For instance, the company fulfillment services including: reception,
should be able to serve customers from many storage, picking and packing, as well as
industries that differ in their specifics, e.g. a number of additional tasks, i.e. support in
electronic products are often high market value inventory management, legal advice, tax and
commodities that require additional safety customs services. All the services are mostly
procedures for their logistic handling. available both at a national and international
(mainly EU countries) level. Many of the
businesses also offer a possibility to view the
FULFILLMENT MODELS inventory and prepare customer orders. Some
companies in this group of operators do not
The aforementioned processes related to have their own warehouses and rent them from
fulfillment are quite similar to each other at larger suppliers of storage space. An example
most of the operators. The character of the is the Cloudpack company.
products handled and the customer
expectations may vary. Special conditions and Fulfillment offered by sales platforms
know-how of the organization and
coordination of processes, adequate storage The second group of fulfillment service
space, technologies and people operating them providers are sales platforms. One of the
are required to provide such services. leading sales platforms and, at the same time,
the largest company that provides fulfillment
Differentiation of companies that provide services in the world is Amazon. Although the
the fulfillment services is relatively large. On main activity of the company is selling
the basis of an analysis of their activity they products over the Internet, in recent years it
can be classified as follows: has dynamically been developing the
− Fulfillment offered as a key service. fulfillment services, e.g. by the Fulfillment by
− Fulfillment offered by sales platforms. Amazon (FBA) program [FBA 2017]. It is
− Fulfillment offered by logistics service headquartered in the US, and branches and
providers. distribution centers are located in, among
− Fulfillment offered by other market others, Canada, the UK, Germany, France,
players. China, Japan, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Poland.
For example, Amazon has 29 logistics centers
in 7 countries in Europe. With the FBA service
Fulfillment offered as a key service
sellers can deliver their products to any of
these centers, and Amazon does the rest of the
The fulfillment services are mainly logistics processes. Moreover, when sellers use
provided by companies for which the key the FBA service, their products can be made
activity is the logistics service of e-commerce. available under the Prime service.
Several major operators and many small ones
can be distinguished. For example, in Poland,
For many retailers the Amazon platform is
the most popular ones are: DocData, Traffic,
a key place to sell products. A given seller is
Point of View, Customeritum, Logistics
not obliged to transfer their goods to the
warehouse of Amazon, but they must then be

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aware of worse time positioning of their offer only a few logistics operators can now be
in the search engine. As part of the fulfillment indicated that followed trends and enriched
services, the biggest sellers using the services their offer with solutions dedicated to online
of Amazon, however, receive support from merchants. In most cases this experience was
a consultant who does a number of activities, gathered at projects completed for a lot of
e.g. translation of descriptions into other customers, often as a complement to other
languages. services already rendered to the given
company. Accordingly, logistics providers are
The Amazon's model, and consequently unlikely to support small and medium-sized e-
FBA, consists of several elements [FBA 2017]: retailers.
− Create great customer experience –
a customer dissatisfied with a purchase at It is worth noting that the fulfillment for
a given online store is not going to return logistics companies is synergistic with the
to it. It is therefore necessary to offer the existing logistics (e.g. the same storage system,
best possible service, delivery, use of space in the lower racking composition).
information standards, not to be limited to Specific instrumentation is only required (e.g.
the minimum services. handheld scanners, mezzanines), as well as
− FreeShipping – for the customer, a cheap training for employees on knowledge of
and convenient form of delivery is the customer goods.
basis. Sending parcels by sellers on their
own is not beneficial for the client. In the first place, logistics service providers
− Amazon Delivery Promise – with its are responsible for receipt of goods from
reputation and organization of all suppliers – usually from manufacturers or
warehouse processes Amazon guarantees intermediary distributors. Then, processes are
that if an item is shown on the website as implemented which include control of the
available, it will be sent in the guaranteed delivery, introduction of all collected products
time and will definitely be of good to the system and their placement at the storage
quality. location. The next process is acceptance of an
order for a particular product in the online
Many companies in Poland, but also in the store. Then the employees of the logistics
world, copy the proven business model of service operator obtain information about the
Amazon and are based on it. An example is order, receive a complete package, pack it and
Allegro, which is changing from the auction ship it (in Poland mainly via couriers, parcel
platform into a shopping gallery. It offers lockers of InPost and services of the Polish
brokerage services (sendit.pl) in the field of Post Office). After-sales service is equally
courier services. With time, it will probably important – in online stores primarily
also begin to provide fulfillment services to its associated with the service of returns, taking
customers. complaints. More and more operators offer
additional services, including: completing sets,
Fulfillment offered by logistics service gift packaging, refreshing products,
providers maintenance, management of the e-shop
archive, sending sales reports, sales and
A few years ago e-commerce in Poland was inventory planning.
treated marginally by representatives of the
logistics industry. Service of e-retailers (but Among the major logistics service
only in the field of distribution) was dealt with providers in e-commerce the following can be
by the CEP operators, but their adaptation to distinguished: Rhenus Logistics, Raben and
the specifics of e-commerce took a long time. Fiege. There are also CEP operators, such as:
Large logistics operators were not at all DHL, GLS, DPD and the Polish Post Office.
interested in handling online stores because of However, interviews with representatives of
fragmentation, small amounts of inventory to these companies show that they do not provide
be stored and distribution that could be this type of services. It seems, though, that it is
prepared only by the CEP operators. Therefore, only a matter of time and these companies will
start to offer fulfillment services in Poland.

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It will be a natural supplement to the which it entered into with courier companies,
distribution services which are used by all the Polish Post Office, InPost, monitoring of
fulfillment companies anyway. The CEP the incoming COD (cash on delivery) and
operators will gain even more, because the quick returns of cash on delivery. An added
broker that imposes a margin on their services value is also the fact that it is possible to
will be eliminated. include a ready base of goods being in OSDW
Azymut’s distribution in the offer of a given
Fulfillment offered by other market players online store [Azymut 2017].

The fulfillment services are also provided

by companies which were initially preoccupied DIRECTIONS OF FULFILLMENT
with activities other than logistics for e- MARKET DEVELOPMENT
commerce. As a result of development,
emergence of new Internet projects, increasing The fulfillment service is a relatively new
customer needs, etc., these companies have area of activity of logistics service providers,
begun to expand their services with fulfillment. and therefore it is constantly subjected to
In Poland, two largest operators can be change. New concepts and trends keep
distinguished: Azymut and Arvato. appearing.

Arvato [2017] has approx. 20 years of A certain direction of development of

experience in operational processes and fulfillment operators is expanding services for
expertise on B2C and B2B shipping. In terms their customers, e.g. repairing or renewing
of fulfillment the company provides returned products, financial and accounting
a comprehensive service in the field of one- services, contact centers, loyalty programs,
stop e-commerce, within which it offers coupons, so transition to the previously
logistics services, customer service, IT described strategy of one-stop e-commerce. An
solutions and financial services. The company additional range of activity may also be
owns three logistics centers (in Plewiska, adjusting the products offered to the
Błonie and Żerniki). Its e-commerce offer is preferences of specific customers in local
directed to the textile, cosmetics and toy markets; an example here is attaching
industries, and its clients mainly include the instruction manuals, leaflets in a selected
largest companies, such as 5-10-15, Douglas, language.
Microsoft, Gerry Weber, Weltbild. Currently,
the company serves hundreds of thousands of Industry experts also draw attention to
orders per month. Arvato also has a courier advice on choosing the right business model,
broker - www.portalkurierski.pl [Arvato 2017]. and in particular on pointing to the areas of
activity that can be optimized. This is possible
Another example is OSDW Azymut, which thanks to great experience of fulfillment
is owned by a leading Polish publishing house operators, their suitable resources and know-
- the PWN Group. The company is how backed by long activity in shaping trends
a wholesaler of books, but also provides in e-commerce.
distribution and logistics services, with
headquarters in Stryków in Poland. Thanks to A trend developing in e-commerce, and
an extended distribution network and thus also in fulfillment, is cross border [Cho,
experience in online sales through B2B and Lee 2017]. Buying goods abroad or selling
B2C channels as well as modification of the products to foreign contractors over the
warehouse equipment, Azymut has started to Internet is becoming increasingly popular.
co-operate with companies that offer a variety According to Accenture and AliResearch
of products. As part of fulfillment, Azymut [2016], cross-border trade will reach up to $1
provides such services as delivery service, trillion in 2020 from $0.5 trillion in 2017.
storage of goods, preparing them, picking and However, one of the biggest barriers to foreign
shipping, as well as after-sales service of trade conducted via the Internet is the cost of
returns. In addition, Azymut also offers the shipping, which, depending on the country,
following: distribution under the agreements

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http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

is even several times greater than within SUMMARY

Poland. Often, the high cost of shipping
exceeds the savings from lower product prices. The fulfillment service is a very forward-
However, as indicated by the European looking and promising trend in e-commerce.
Commission [2015], cross-border services are An online store using the fulfillment service
future-oriented services in e-commerce and usually minimizes the costs associated with the
should be more and more common. Online entire logistics and can dedicate more time to
stores, CEP and fulfillment operators should marketing, branding, etc. Nevertheless, this is
consider preparing offers for those customers. not a solution free of defects. A company
If availability of goods, fast shipping and which uses fulfillment transfers all logistics
a relatively low price are ensured, everyone processes to the outside, and thus loses control
can benefit from it [European Commission over them. It does not have a direct influence
2015]. Some steps in this direction have on outgoing orders or good contact with
already been made by InPost that introduced customers, suppliers, etc. In addition, there is
the cross border service through which goods no contact with the goods, either, and some
are delivered to a specified address or a parcel prefer to know in what state the products are
locker in 4 European countries [InPost 2017]. sold, how they are packaged, stored. For this
This may encourage e-shops and fulfillment reason, self-logistics may be the best solution
operators to offer shipping goods abroad. for some e-retailers. One should be aware of
that and properly educate customers. An
Another trend is the same day delivery external operator usually brings in their know-
service. If purchases via mobile devices how, including modern technologies for
develop, the need for delivery on the same day warehouse management, which, especially at
may increase. For now, these services are quite a larger scale, give benefits in each area:
expensive because they involve direct delivery quality, time, cost.
from the source to the destination without any
intermediate stops. Dedicated transport by the Fulfillment services should be constantly
fulfillment operator that serves the given developed according to the needs of the
region is used here most frequently. In the market. A decisive factor building
offer of fulfillment operators, however, same a competitive advantage in the near future will
day services offered by CEP companies appear be value-added services such as the delivery of
more and more often. They are available only parcels on the same day, cheap and fast
in selected cities, though. For full coverage of shipping to foreign countries etc.
the country with the same day services local
warehouses or a very large scale of operations The geographical location of Poland and
are needed [Kawa 2014]. easy access to distribution centers of courier
operators makes Poland a very interesting
It is also worth to remember about intensive place to locate big e-commerce projects
development of the omnichannel strategy, spanning markets in Western Europe. In the
which consists in adding possibilities to sell last years a tendency to transfer the logistics of
via the Internet with the use of various devices, large online stores to Poland has been
i.e. a computer, tablet or smartphone, to the observed, from where efficient distribution to
traditional sales channel. This leads to product individual customers in Europe is run. Both the
sale based on several distribution channels and location of a distribution center and the
thus to a number of logistic models. technologies applied in it should be closely
Traditional retailers do not always want to adjusted to the needs and nature of the sales
offer logistics services of the Internet channel activity of the online store. In the near future
and outsource them to the fulfillment increased competition should be expected from
operators. Amazon, Allegro Group, Alibaba and
a number of other entities specializing in
fulfillment, as well as logistics service
providers.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

Expansion of logistics companies, in Cho H., Lee J., 2017. Searching for Logistics
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service. It seems, however, that it is a matter of Shipping and Logistics, 33(1), 11-18.
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Ciechomski W., 2014. E-shops as a condition
Polish Post Office announced that it will
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launch a full warehouse - logistics service for
(1), 109-115.
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the distribution services which are used by all Colla E., Lapoule P. 2012. E-commerce:
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Investigation of Behavioural and Structural
Characteristics of CEP Service Providers
This paper has been written with financial and Freight Demand Considering E-
support of the National Center of Science commerce in Germany, Transportation
[Narodowe Centrum Nauki] – grant number Research Procedia, 14, 2795-2804.
DEC-2015/19/B/HS4/02287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2016.05.47
3
Del Ser J., Bilbao M.N., Perfecto C., Salcedo-
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USŁUGA FULFILLMENT W LOGISTYCE E-HANDLU

STRESZCZENIE. Wstęp: Opisywana w literaturze logistyczna obsługa handlu elektronicznego sprowadza się
najczęściej do problematyki dostaw produktów do klientów. Zanim jednak towar trafi do klienta, to wcześniej
sprzedawca musi go zamówić u swojego dostawcy. Następnie jest on przyjmowany do magazynu i składowany, a po
złożeniu zamówienia – kompletowany, pakowany i wysyłany do klienta. Te procesy określa się w e-handlu jako
fulfillment. Z uwagi na ich złożoność i presję czasową oraz kosztową e-klientów są one coraz częściej wykonywane
przez zewnętrznych operatorów. Mimo dynamicznego rozwoju usługi fulfillment w praktyce e-handlu jest to jeszcze
stosunkowo mało rozpoznane zagadnienie w teorii zarządzania.
Celem pracy było zaprezentowanie oraz przeanalizowanie usługi fulfillment w obszarze e-logistyki. Autor podjął próbę
wskazania i zdefiniowania głównych modeli procesów logistycznych związanych z usługa fulfillment w tym obszarze,
ich słabe i mocne strony. Dodatkowych celem pracy było określenie kierunków rozwojowych rynku usług typu
fulfillment.
Metody: Na potrzeby opracowania przeprowadzono badania metodami obserwacji bezpośredniej i analizy źródeł
pierwotnych oraz wtórnych. Do materiałów pierwotnych należały dane uzyskane od firm zajmujących się usługami
fulfillment w Polsce i zagranicą, a do wtórnych - raporty, opracowania i źródła internetowe. Dodatkowo wykonano
pogłębione wywiady z przedstawicielami firm, które oferują usługi fulfillment lub, które są potencjalnymi oferentami.
Wyniki: W artykule szczegółowo opisano usługę fulfillment, która ma coraz większe znaczenie w logistyce e-handlu.
Przedstawiono autorski podział i charakterystykę modeli usług fulfillment oraz omówiono potencjalne trendy na rynku
usług fulfillment.
Wnioski: Przedstawiona prezentacja oraz charakterystyka modeli usług typu fulfillment umożliwia ocenę zakresu
oddelegowania procesów logistycznych do specjalistycznych firm zewnętrznych w celu większego skupienia się na
działalności podstawowej e-przedsiębiorstwa. Takie podejście, związane z oddelegowaniem części procesów
logistycznych na zewnątrz jest szczególnie korzystne w przypadku dynamicznego rozwoju e-przedsiębiorstwa. Wiąże się
to jednak z pewnymi wadami, takimi jak: stosunkowo duże opłaty, brak fizycznego kontaktu z towarem, częściowa utrata
kontroli na realizowanym procesem.

Słowa kluczowe: e-handel, fulfilment, usługi logistyczne

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Kawa A., 2017. Fulfillment service in e-commerce logistics. LogForum 13 (4), 429-438.
http://dx.doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2017.4.4

DIE FULFILLMENT-DIENSTLEISTUNG IN DER LOGISTIK DES

E-HANDELS
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG. Einleitung: Der in der Fachliteratur beschriebene Logistik-Service des E-Handels geht am
meisten auf die Problematik der Belieferung von Kunden zurück. Bevor aber die Ware den Kunden erreicht, muss der
Verkäufer sie früher bei seinem Lieferanten bestellen. Dann wird sie eingelagert und im Lager aufbewahrt, um nach
deren Bestellung kommissioniert, verpackt und zum Kunden geschickt zu werden. Solche Prozesse werden im E-Handel
als Fulfillment bezeichnet. Angesichts deren Komplexität und des Zeitdrucks seitens von E-Kunden werden sie öfters
von Fremd-Dienstleistern übernommen und ausgeführt. Trotz der dynamischen Entwicklung der Fulfillment-
Dienstleistungen in der Praxis des E-Handels ist diese Problematik innerhalb der Management-Theorie relativ wenig
erkundet.
Das Ziel der Arbeit war es, die Fulfillment-Dienstleistung im Bereich der E-Logistik zu projizieren und zu analysieren.
Der Autor hat versucht, die Hauptmodelle der mit der Fulfillment-Dienstleistung verbundenen Logistikprozesse und
deren schwache und starke Seiten zu erfassen und zu definieren. Ein zusätzliches Ziel stellte die Feststellung von
Entwicklungsrichtungen im Bereich der Fulfillment-Dienstleistungen dar.
Methoden: Zum Zwecke der betreffenden Ausarbeitung wurden Forschungen anhand von Methoden der direkten
Prozess-Verfolgung und der Analyse von Primär- und Sekundärquellen durchgeführt. Zu den Primärmaterialien gehörten
die Daten, die von den Firmen, die sich mit Fulfillment-Dienstleistungen in Polen und im Ausland beschäftigen,
gewonnen wurden, zu den Sekundärquellen dagegen Berichterstattungen, Sachbearbeitungen und Internet-Quellen.
Zusätzlich wurden vertiefte Interviews mit Vertretern der Firmen, die die Fulfillment-Services anbieten oder die
potenzielle Anbieter sind, durchgeführt.
Ergebnisse: Im Artikel stellte man detailliert den Fulfillment-Service, der immer wieder in der Logistik des E-Handels
an Bedeutung gewinnt, dar. Ferner wurde seitens des Autors seine eigene Aufteilung und Charakteristik von Modellen
der Fulfillment-Dienstleistungen projiziert und die potenziellen Trends auf dem Markt der betreffenden Services
besprochen.
Fazit: Die betreffende Darstellung und die Charakteristik der Modelle von Fulfillment-Services ermöglichen die
Beurteilung des Ausmaßes der Ausführung von Logistikprozessen aus den Ursprungsfirmen und deren Platzierung in
darauf spezialisierten Fremdfirmen zwecks einer besseren Fokussierung auf die grundlegende Betätigung durch ein E-
Unternehmen. Solch eine mit der Delegierung eines Teiles von Logistikprozessen nach draußen verbundene
Vorgehensweise ist besonders im Falle einer dynamischen Entwicklung des E-Unternehmens nützlich. Das ist jedoch mit
folgenden Nachteilen wie: relativ hohe Gebühren, Mangel an physischem Kontakt mit der Ware, teilweiser Verlust der
Kontrolle über den realisierten Prozess, verbunden.

Codewörter: E-Handel, Fulfillment, Logistik-Dienstleistungen

Arkadiusz Kawa
Poznan University of Economics and Business,
Al.Niepodległości 10
61-875 Poznań, Poland
e-mail: [email protected]

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