Most ecommerce fulfillment problems have two causes: operational failures and communication failures. The second is more common, more costly, and more fixable. Brands that consistently hit OTIF targets with their 3PL partner treat the relationship as a data-sharing partnership. The brands that struggle treat it as a service contract and wonder why performance doesn't improve.

The foundation of strong 3PL performance is information flow. Before goods arrive at a warehouse, the 3PL needs an Advance Shipping Notification (ASN) that includes contents, estimated time of departure, tracking information, and delivery type. Without an ASN, warehouse processing is slower and less accurate. Before onboarding, the 3PL needs a completed Product Upload Template (PUT) with all SKU details, dimensions, weight, and units per carton. This is what drives the Warehouse Management System and sets the basis for accurate billing, shipping quotes, and faster order processing. Brands that skip or rush this step pay for it in errors downstream.

The common communication failures that drive OTIF down are predictable. Inaccurate or missing carton data leads to incorrect shipping quotes and customs documentation issues. Stock arriving without ASNs creates processing delays. Unclear seasonal forecasting leads to capacity mismatches during peak periods. None of these are 3PL failures in isolation. They're information failures. The most productive response to a fulfillment miss isn't a complaint. It's a data-driven review of what information wasn't shared in time and how to fix the process.

For US brands setting up EU-local fulfillment for the first time, the onboarding documentation requirements are non-negotiable. UK warehouses use UK standard pallets. EU warehouses use EUR standard pallets. Goods must be barcoded at unit, inner, and case level. Pallets must be under 1.5 meters high and under 500kg. Mixed SKU pallets require re-palletizing, which adds cost and time. Getting these details right before the first shipment arrives prevents the kind of warehouse processing issues that compound into customer-facing fulfillment failures.

• File ASNs before every shipment. Include contents, ETD, tracking details, and delivery type. This is required for all goods arriving at any Expandly warehouse.
• Complete the Product Upload Template in full before onboarding. Accurate SKU data drives WMS performance, billing accuracy, and shipping speed.
• Use the correct pallet format for each warehouse: UK standard pallets for UK, EUR pallets for Netherlands. Wrong pallets require re-palletizing at additional cost.
• Review OTIF data with your 3PL regularly. When OTIF misses occur, trace them to their information source before attributing them to operational failure.

Expandly's 3PL onboarding process structures this information exchange from the start, with the Product Upload Template, ASN system, and SLA framework set up before the first shipment arrives, so fulfillment performance is built on clear data from day one.