Radial

What is Radial eCommerce Fulfillment

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment is a third-party logistics (3PL) provider that offers comprehensive fulfillment services for leading and growing brands. The core purpose of the service is to manage the entire post-purchase process, from receiving an order to delivering it to the customer's door. Its main functions include inventory management, order processing, picking and packing, shipping, and returns management. With over 40 years of experience in the industry, Radial has established itself as a major player in eCommerce logistics. The company is part of the bpostgroup, an international postal and logistics company headquartered in Belgium. Radial operates a large network of fulfillment centers, enabling it to provide scalable solutions that can handle high order volumes, especially during peak shopping seasons.

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment Features

Radial provides a suite of services designed to manage the complexities of eCommerce logistics.

• eCommerce Fulfillment: Core service of picking, packing, and shipping customer orders from a network of fulfillment centers. This ensures orders are processed efficiently and accurately.
• B2B Distribution: Manages the logistics for business-to-business sales, including wholesale distribution to retail partners.
• Transportation Management: Optimizes shipping to reduce costs and improve delivery speed. It leverages a large network of carriers to find the best rates and routes.
• Returns Management: A streamlined process for handling customer returns. This includes inspection, restocking, and processing refunds, which improves the customer experience.
• Channel Integrations: Connects your business with hundreds of direct-to-consumer (DTC) and B2B sales channels, allowing for seamless order flow from multiple sources.
• Order Management: Provides technology to view and manage orders from all sales channels in one centralized place.
• Payment & Fraud Protection: Offers secure payment processing and fraud detection services to protect revenue and build customer trust.
• Radial Fast Track: A specific program designed for modern, growing brands that need to launch quickly. It offers faster onboarding and does not require long-term contracts.

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment Pricing Plans

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment does not offer standard, tiered pricing plans. As an enterprise-level service, its pricing is customized for each client. The cost is based on several factors, including order volume, storage space required for inventory, the complexity of picking and packing, the number of SKUs, and the specific services needed (such as returns management or B2B distribution).

Potential clients must contact the Radial sales team to discuss their specific business needs. Radial will then create a custom quote tailored to their operational requirements. The Radial Fast Track program is aimed at growing brands and may offer a more standardized, but still custom, pricing model for faster implementation.

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment Free Plan

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment does not offer a free plan or a free trial. The nature of logistics and fulfillment services involves significant operational costs for storage, labor, and shipping, which makes a free plan impractical. Businesses interested in using Radial's services can schedule a consultation with their team to get a detailed understanding of the solutions and receive a custom proposal based on their needs.

How to use Radial eCommerce Fulfillment

Getting started with Radial involves a structured onboarding process to ensure a smooth transition.

1. Consultation and Discovery: The first step is to contact Radial's sales team. You will discuss your business model, order volume, product types, and specific fulfillment challenges.
2. Solution Proposal: Based on the consultation, Radial will design a custom fulfillment solution and provide a detailed price quote.
3. Contract Agreement: Once you agree to the proposal, you will sign a contract outlining the services, terms, and conditions.
4. System Integration: You will work with Radial's technical team to integrate your eCommerce platform (like Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento) with Radial's order and warehouse management systems.
5. Inventory Inbound: You will ship your product inventory to one or more of Radial's designated fulfillment centers.
6. Go-Live: Once inventory is received and systems are connected, Radial will begin fulfilling your new orders as they come in.
7. Ongoing Management: You can monitor inventory levels, track order status, and view performance reports through Radial's client portal.

Pros and Cons of Radial eCommerce Fulfillment

Pros:

• High Scalability: Capable of handling very large order volumes, making it ideal for large enterprises and brands with significant seasonal peaks.
• Comprehensive Services: Offers an end-to-end solution that covers fulfillment, transportation, returns, and even payments.
• Extensive Experience: With over 40 years in the industry, the company has deep expertise in logistics.
• Large Network: Operates a wide network of fulfillment centers, which can help reduce shipping times and costs.
• Advanced Technology: Uses sophisticated technology for order and warehouse management.

Cons:

• Primarily for Large Businesses: The cost and complexity may not be suitable for small businesses or startups with low order volumes.
• Custom Pricing: The lack of transparent pricing makes it difficult to estimate costs without a formal consultation.
• Complex Onboarding: Integrating with an enterprise-level 3PL can be a long and complex process.
• Less Flexibility: Outsourcing fulfillment means giving up direct control over your inventory and packing process.

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment integrations

Radial is designed to integrate with a wide range of business systems to ensure seamless data flow. Integration is a core part of the onboarding process and is handled by their technical teams.

• eCommerce Platforms: Connects with major platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce (Magento), and Salesforce Commerce Cloud to automatically receive orders.
• Marketplaces: Integrates with large online marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart to fulfill orders from those channels.
• ERP Systems: Can be connected to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems like NetSuite and SAP to sync inventory, order, and financial data.
• Retail Systems: Integrates with Point of Sale (POS) and other retail management systems to support omnichannel strategies.

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment Alternatives

• ShipBob: A popular 3PL provider that focuses on fast-growing direct-to-consumer brands. It is known for its user-friendly software dashboard and strong integrations with eCommerce platforms.
• Flexe: Offers an on-demand warehousing and fulfillment model. This provides more flexibility for brands that have fluctuating inventory needs and do not want to be tied to long-term warehouse leases.
• FedEx Fulfillment: An arm of the global shipping giant, FedEx. It leverages its vast transportation network to offer integrated fulfillment and shipping services, which is a strong choice for businesses that already rely heavily on FedEx.
• Deliverr (Flexport): Known for enabling fast shipping badges (like 2-day delivery) on marketplaces and websites. It focuses on helping merchants meet modern customer expectations for delivery speed.

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment API

Yes, Radial provides a comprehensive set of APIs to allow for deep integration between a client's systems and its logistics platform. The API is essential for automating the flow of information, including orders, inventory levels, shipment tracking, and returns data.

Access to the API and its documentation is not publicly available for self-service. It is provided to clients as part of the technical onboarding process. The Radial team works with the client's developers to establish the connection and ensure everything works correctly. To get access, you must be a Radial client.

Here is a generic example of what a developer API call to create an order might look like in JSON format:

{
  "orderId": "12345-ABC",
  "customer": {
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Doe",
    "address1": "123 Main St",
    "city": "Anytown",
    "state": "CA",
    "zipCode": "90210",
    "country": "US"
  },
  "items": [
    {
      "sku": "SKU-001",
      "quantity": 1
    },
    {
      "sku": "SKU-002",
      "quantity": 2
    }
  ],
  "shippingMethod": "Standard"
}

Radial eCommerce Fulfillment Affiliate program

Radial does not appear to have a public-facing affiliate program in the traditional sense, where individuals can sign up to earn commissions for referrals. As an enterprise B2B service, its customer acquisition model is based on direct sales and strategic partnerships.

However, they likely have a partner program for technology companies, consulting firms, and agencies that work with large eCommerce brands. If you are interested in partnering with Radial, the best approach is to contact their sales or partnership team directly through their official website to inquire about potential collaboration opportunities.