Choosing a 3PL Partner: Guide for Health & Wellness Brands

The health and wellness industry is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce sectors, driven by a rising consumer focus on personal health and well-being and preventative care. As more people prioritize nutrition, supplements, fitness, and self-care, they increasingly turn to online platforms for convenient access to these products. As these ecommerce brands expand, having the right fulfillment partner and processes in place is essential to ensure seamless, efficient logistics that meet customer demands. Wellness brands should choose a 3PL provider with industry expertise, flexible technology integration, robust reporting, subscription management capabilities, regulatory compliance knowledge, multi-facility options with locations close to customers and scalable solutions to support growth.

1. Expertise in the Health and Wellness Industry

A fulfillment partner experienced in the wellness sector will understand the unique requirements for handling sensitive products—such as vitamins, supplements, or other regulated goods—ensuring compliance with FDA guidelines, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), and precise inventory controls like expiration date tracking.

Experience with similar products and business models also allows a 3PL to better anticipate and adapt to industry trends, like DTC subscription management and retail fulfillment. For brands, this translates to smoother, more efficient operations and a consistent customer experience, reducing errors, delays and compliance risks while supporting scalable growth. An experienced 3PL partner becomes an extension of their business, offering proactive support and insights to refine fulfillment strategies and improve customer satisfaction.

2. Comprehensive Reporting and Insights including Expiration Date Tracking

Data is key to optimizing your fulfillment strategy. Key reporting features should include real-time tracking of fulfillment metrics like order accuracy and ship times, top-selling items, orders per channel and more.

Expiration date tracking is essential for many health and wellness products including supplements, protein powders and functional beverages. Finding a 3PL partner with the right technology and systems to track this information is important. At PBD, our robust Warehouse Management System (WMS) prioritizes items with shorter expiration dates to reduce waste and optimize product rotation. Our inventory control also minimizes errors, avoids stockouts, and keeps your team informed on stock levels and product status in real-time.

3. Value-Added Services (VAS)

Value-added services (VAS) can enhance the customer experience and boost sales, making these services an essential consideration when choosing a fulfillment partner. Value-add services include things such as re-packaging, kitting and/or bundling products, branded packaging, marketing materials and inserts, restickering, etc. One popular VAS in the wellness sector is bundling, where different product flavors or sample kits are combined to encourage customers to try new items or create custom test bundles for new product launches. This type of packaging can introduce customers to a broader range of products, helping build brand loyalty and boosting cross-sales. Including additional marketing materials, like informational inserts on product benefits, exclusive offers for other products, or loyalty rewards, can also add a personal touch that resonates well with wellness-focused consumers. These VAS options not only enrich the unboxing experience but also drive customer engagement, ultimately supporting growth and customer retention for wellness brands.

4. Scalability and Flexibility

Scalability and flexibility are crucial to meet growing customer demands, delivering products quickly and expanding into other segments such as retail. As consumers seek to improve their health, they expect fast, reliable delivery – no one wants to wait over a week to start a new wellness routine or run out of their favorite products because their subscription is running behind.

Finding a fulfillment center with a nationwide footprint allows you to fulfill orders closer to your customers, reducing both shipping times and costs. Even if you are not ready for a multi-facility approach today, finding a current logistics partner with a nationwide network can prove beneficial and help accelerate future growth. PBD has five strategically located warehouses across the U.S (Atlanta (2), Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas) enabling 2-day ground shipping to most cities in the U.S. We can meet regional demand more efficiently, ensuring quicker delivery times that keep customers satisfied and engaged.

5. Seamless Integrations and Onboarding

Partnering with a fulfillment center that offers advanced technology can significantly streamline onboarding and set your business up for long-term growth. Look for a 3PL that integrates seamlessly with your systems, optimizes warehouse processes, and provides efficiency and visibility at every level.

Integration with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce, as well as CRM systems such as NetSuite, Salesforce, and SAP, is essential for smooth order processing and customer communication. Pre-built integrations allow for quick onboarding, lower implementation costs, and real-time data flow between your systems and your 3PL’s platform. This eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and keeps operational costs low.

Beyond DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) fulfillment, many brands need a logistics partner that also handles B2B and retail fulfillment. Even if this isn’t a current requirement, working with a 3PL experienced in retail and wholesale fulfillment will support your growth as your business expands. Technology that enables automated compliance processes, like EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) for large retailers, ensures smooth fulfillment for both e-commerce orders and retail partnerships.

Partnering with the right logistics partner brings operational expertise, cost savings and flexibility that can take your business to the next level. At PBD Worldwide, our extensive knowledge of health and wellness brands and their fulfillment requirements ensures a seamless experience from day one. By entrusting your order fulfillment to an experienced partner, you’re not just outsourcing your logistics – you are positioning your brand for growth! Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help support your business with our end-to-end fulfillment solutions.