Simpl Fulfillment glossary
Plain-English definitions of the fulfillment, logistics, and ecommerce terms Simpl Fulfillment clients run into.
- 3PL (Third-Party Logistics)A 3PL (third-party logistics provider) is a company that stores your inventory, picks and packs your orders, and ships them to your customers. Ecommerce…→
- Anticipation InventoryAnticipation inventory is stock you build up ahead of a demand spike you can see coming — a seasonal peak, a product launch, a planned promo. Unlike a…→
- Bill of LadingA bill of lading (BOL) is the document a shipper and carrier sign at freight pickup. It's the contract for carrying the goods and the carrier's receipt for…→
- Billable WeightBillable weight is the weight a carrier prices a package on. For UPS and FedEx it's the greater of actual and dimensional (DIM) weight, both rounded up. At…→
- Cross-DockingCross-docking is a logistics method where inbound goods move straight from a receiving dock to an outbound truck with little or no storage in between. Product…→
- DeadstockDeadstock is inventory that stops selling and just sits — product you've paid for that isn't moving and isn't likely to. It ties up cash, eats storage, and…→
- Dimensional Weight (DIM Weight)Dimensional weight (DIM weight) is a pricing method carriers use that bases shipping cost on a package's size, not just its actual weight. If a box is large…→
- FNSKUAn FNSKU (Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit) is the Amazon barcode, starting with X, that ties units in Amazon's fulfillment centers to one specific…→
- Freight ClassFreight class is a rating from 50 to 500 that the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) gives to goods shipped less-than-truckload (LTL). It’s set by…→
- Fulfillment CenterA fulfillment center is a warehouse set up to receive a merchant's inventory, store it, and pick, pack, and ship individual customer orders as they come in. A…→
- KittingKitting is the process of combining several individual products into one ready-to-ship package, such as a bundle, gift set, or subscription box, stored and…→
- Lead TimeLead time is the total time between when a customer places an order and when it arrives at their door. In ecommerce, it covers order processing, pick and…→
- Order FulfillmentOrder fulfillment is the full process of getting a product to a customer after they buy: receiving inventory, storing it, picking and packing each order, and…→
- Pick and PackPick and pack is the core of order fulfillment: a worker picks the right items off warehouse shelves for each order, then packs them safely for shipping. It's…→
- Reorder PointA reorder point is the stock level that triggers a new purchase order. When a SKU drops to its reorder point, you order more, timed so fresh stock arrives…→
- Reverse LogisticsReverse logistics is everything that happens when a product moves backward through the supply chain: a customer returns an order, and it is received,…→
- Safety StockSafety stock is the buffer inventory you hold on purpose to cover the surprises — a demand spike, a late supplier, a bad forecast. It's the cushion between…→
- Shipping ZoneA shipping zone is the distance band a carrier assigns between where a package ships from and where it's going. Together with weight, it sets the price on…→
- SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)A SKU (stock keeping unit) is the unique code a brand assigns to each distinct product it sells and stores. Every size, color, and bundle gets its own SKU, so…→
- SKU RationalizationSKU rationalization is the process of reviewing every SKU you sell and deciding which ones to keep, cut, or consolidate. Brands run it to strip out slow,…→