At first, an order takes a little longer to leave. Then stock starts drifting, an inventory accuracy problem that begins in the warehouse. A bundle is packed without one component. Customer service asks where an order is, and nobody has a clean answer.
None of these looks dramatic on its own. Together, they usually mean the operation behind the brand is no longer keeping pace with order volume.
The connected sales channel sends the order into the fulfilment workflow the moment it is placed.
Available inventory is allocated to the order so the same unit is not sold twice.
The warehouse receives the work required for the order.
Products are picked and checked against the order — right SKU, right quantity.
Packaging, inserts, bundle rules or handling instructions are applied to the order.
The order is prepared for the shipping service that suits the parcel and destination.
The parcel is handed to the carrier and tracking is returned through the connected workflow.
Grouped by where the work happens, from the order arriving to the customer being able to see where it is.
They share a warehouse, not a workflow. Planning for both is what keeps one from slowing the other down.
Between picking and dispatch there is a check: right SKU, right quantity, bundle complete, packaging to specification, the insert or note that should be there, and the carrier label ready. It is a small step that removes a large share of the problems a customer would otherwise feel.
Orders can be packed in your own boxes, tissue and notes, with the right insert added to the right order. Kits and bundles are assembled to a defined rule, and subscription configurations follow the plan for that cycle.
The point is that the pack rule travels with the order. The picker is not guessing what a "bundle" means today.
The promise is not created at 4:59pm. Stock needs to be available, the order needs to reach the workflow correctly, and the agreed packing and carrier rules need to be in place.
Order in by 5pm, on the terms set out in your SLA, and it ships the same working day. The cut-off and any accuracy targets are what the SLA is for — if it is not written down, it is just a promise.
The parcel still needs the right carrier for its destination and profile, the label or route, the handover, and tracking returned to your store and customer. Carrier and service selection is based on the parcel profile, destination and the shipping rules agreed with you.
This is the outbound side of the operation. Moving stock into the warehouse in the first place is a different job, handled by freight forwarding and inbound logistics. Carrier selection and tracking are covered here as part of fulfilment, and in more depth on the dedicated ecommerce shipping and carrier management page.
Every operation has exceptions. The difference is whether they surface quickly and get resolved deliberately, or sit until a customer notices.
Stow prices three things — storage, pick and pack, and shipping — and where you sit on each of these drivers moves the number. You can model it on the pricing page.
Stow operates from a UK warehouse and an EU warehouse in Poland. You can hold stock in one or both, and serve each market from the operation closest to it, under one relationship and one view of inventory, orders, dispatch and returns.
Where to place stock depends on where your customers are and how you sell. It is worth deciding deliberately, not by default — and it is an operational decision, not tax advice.
Not the day you launch, and not "when you want to scale". Usually it is when several of these show up at once:
If orders are low and the operation is calm, keeping fulfilment in-house is often the right call. If you are weighing it up, it helps to compare in-house fulfilment against a 3PL before committing either way.
The inbound half: getting stock into the operation before any order is picked.
Read →Three charges — storage, pick and pack, shipping. Model your monthly cost.
Read →The stores, marketplaces and carriers Stow connects to, and how orders flow in.
Read →What UK fulfilment involves and where the operational costs actually sit.
Read →Ecommerce fulfilment is the operation that turns an online order into a delivered parcel: receiving the order from your sales channel, allocating stock, picking, checking, packing to specification, selecting a carrier, dispatching and returning tracking. Stow runs that operation across the UK and EU.
Picking the right items for each order, checking them against the order, and packing them for dispatch, including branded packaging and any inserts. It is usually priced per order plus a smaller charge for each additional item.
Yes. Direct-to-consumer parcels and larger B2B or wholesale orders are both handled. They are different warehouse jobs with different packing and carrier requirements, which is why the operation plans for both.
Yes. Orders can be packed in your own boxes, tissue and notes, with campaign inserts added to the right orders. Your customer does not have to know a third party was involved.
Yes. Kitting assembles multiple items into a single ready-to-ship unit, such as a bundle, gift set or subscription box. The pack rules travel with the order so components are not missed.
Orders received by 5pm ship the same working day, provided stock is available and the order enters the workflow correctly. The exact cut-off and any accuracy targets are set out in your service level agreement (SLA).
You connect your store or marketplace — Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, TikTok Shop and others — from the dashboard. Orders flow into the fulfilment workflow automatically the moment they are placed, stock syncs back, and tracking is returned to your store and customer. The platform and carrier lists are representative and confirmed for your account.
Yes. Stow operates from a UK warehouse and an EU warehouse in Poland. You can hold stock in one or both, and orders are served from the appropriate market. Where to place stock is an operational decision worth making deliberately.
Monthly order volume, average items per order, stock profile, destinations and any special packing. We'll review the operation and build an itemised fulfilment quote around the work involved.
Get a fulfilment quote →