Five Things To Look For When Selecting A Canadian Logistics Partner

You’ve got a booming Health and Beauty business in the US and you’ve decided to expand your business to the north. So how do you select a Canadian logistics partner to make the transition a smooth one? Here are five things to look for in a Canadian fulfillment company.

1. Experience in the category

Fulfillment services are like any other services: the longer a company has been around, the better-equipped it is to deal with unusual situations that crop up. Look for a Health Canada Site Licensed company that has been around at least 15 years with expertise in dealing with Health Canada regulator matters, so that you know they have successfully navigated regulatory changes, shipping changes, fiscal changes, and of course, technological changes.

2. A 360-Degree Vision

Your company has a lot of moving parts, and you want to partner with a Canadian logistics company that can adapt to those parts and make integration with your company a simple process. Make sure you select a company that :

Owns a Health and Beauty Product License
Can get your product formulations approved for sale in Canada
Helps with importing products from the US into Canada. You need to get product across the border in large batches to get the lowest per-customer shipping rates in the country. Ensure that your Canadian fulfillment partners has experience bringing products across the border.
Fulfill your orders same-day. Canada, it has been famously said, suffers from a surplus of geography. Get orders to your customers faster by fulfilling fast.
Integrate with your CRM. You need to know what’s happening with orders and inventory in real-time. A high-quality fulfillment partner provides integration with your systems to make that process a smooth one.
Pick’n’Pack into your custom shipping materials. If you’ve done custom-printed boxes or cartons to enhance your customer’s experience of your brand, ensure that your Canadian logistics partner can seamlessly use your materials or print them locally for you.

3. Specialization

Your business has a specific footprint and you want to ensure that the path has been walked before. If you sell health and beauty products, it is imperative that you choose the right fulfillment partner. Find a company that is specialized in your industry and that can provide references for you to check. Every industry has its own subculture with nuances that only industry insiders understand: make sure your team understands yours.

4. Location

Getting product to customers quickly is not easy to do if you are not located in a major shipping corridor, especially in a country as vast as Canada. Make sure that you are located near a hub for your provider: in Canada, that’s Canada Post (most commonly), FedEx, UPS, or Purolator Courier. Does the warehouse have ample space for incoming and outgoing trucks, or can you expect to pay a driver to sit in a queue waiting? How quickly are trucks typically processed at the facilities you are looking at? Remember that there are inbound and outbound considerations with location: look at both from your business’s perspective and speak to any potential partners about those issues.

Location is also important for your shipping fees. Prices range widely for couriers picking up from or delivering to areas that are not part of their regular routes, and those prices will be passed directly to you from your fulfillment partner.

5. Comprehensive Inventory Control

Let’s face it: if you’re dealing in an industry with products that expire, you need trusted partners who understand the importance of proper inventory control. Look for a partner that has clearly defined policies for:

Good manufacturing practices (GMP) Testing Protocols
Quarantines
Recall Procedures in case of unforeseen circumstances
Lot Number and Expiry Date Tracking and Monitoring

Choosing a Canadian logistics partner can seem like a daunting task, but don’t worry: Canadians are notoriously friendly, polite, and happy to be of service. Phone the companies you are interested in working with and get a sense of the best fit for your organization, taking into account the five items above, and get ready to do the easiest expansion your business has ever seen.