The Problem with Using 3PL Warehousing

I recently attended the Cin7 conference in London, where one of the most exciting announcements was a new integration called 3PL Connector. This was music to my ears because many of my clients are growing businesses that have successfully expanded their online sales through channels such as Shopify and Amazon. However, they rely on remote third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses to fulfil their orders.

While outsourcing warehousing has many advantages, it also creates several operational challenges. Communication about orders, visibility of inventory, planning based on current stock levels, and keeping customers updated on deliveries all become significantly more complicated. If a business has its own warehouse, someone can simply walk downstairs to check stock or investigate an order. When the warehouse is on the other side of the country, those same processes become much more difficult.

Whenever I have worked with remote warehouses, I have encountered the same problems. Many of them use their own bespoke warehouse management systems that don’t integrate with anything else. Orders are often sent by email, making it almost impossible to track whether they have been received, processed, or dispatched. Part shipments become even more difficult to manage, and gaining real-time visibility is almost impossible.

These are exactly the problems that the Cin7 3PL Connector is designed to solve.

What is the Cin7 3PL Connector?

The Cin7 3PL Connector acts as a dedicated integration layer between Cin7 Core or Cin7 Omni and your external 3PL warehouse. It provides real-time synchronisation of inventory, orders, and shipping updates without any manual intervention.

Cin7 has spent more than a year working with over 100 of the most widely used software platforms in the 3PL industry, creating dedicated integrations to make connecting each system as seamless as possible.

Previously, businesses would have needed to develop a custom API integration, often costing thousands of pounds and taking months to complete. Cin7 has now created a plug-and-play solution that can have businesses up and running in as little as an hour.

3PL Connector Functionality

1. Automatically Sends Sales Orders to Your 3PL

When a sales order is created and approved in Cin7, the 3PL Connector automatically sends it directly to your warehouse partner. There is no need for CSV exports, emails, or manual data entry. The order simply appears in the warehouse management system almost instantly.

Key benefits:

• Faster order processing
• Reduced human error
• Consistent fulfilment workflows

2. Synchronises Inventory Levels Back into Cin7

Your 3PL warehouse becomes the source of truth for physical inventory. The connector retrieves updated stock levels from the warehouse and synchronises them back into Cin7, ensuring that all of your sales channels display accurate stock availability.

This helps to:

• Prevent overselling
• Improve planning for just-in-time stock replenishment
• Minimise stock discrepancies

3. Receives Shipment Confirmations and Tracking Information

Once the 3PL has picked, packed, and dispatched an order, the connector automatically sends the shipment confirmation back to Cin7. Tracking numbers and carrier details are updated automatically, allowing customers to be notified immediately.

This enables:

• Automated customer notifications
• Accurate order status updates
• Complete audit trails for fulfilment

4. Supports Purchase Order Receiving

For businesses that send inbound stock directly to their 3PL warehouse, the connector can also update Cin7 when goods are received.

This ensures inventory remains accurate across all warehouse locations without the need for manual reconciliation.

5. Handles Multiple Warehouses and 3PL Partners

Cin7 already supports multi-location inventory, and the 3PL Connector extends this capability by allowing businesses to integrate with multiple warehouses or logistics partners simultaneously.

This is particularly useful for:

• International fulfilment
• Splitting inventory across different regions
• Expanding into new markets

How the Integration Works

The exact implementation depends on the 3PL provider, but the connector typically communicates using:

• API endpoints provided by the 3PL
• EDI document formats (such as 940, 945, and 856) for more traditional warehouse systems
• Scheduled synchronisations or real-time webhooks

Cin7 maps your products, SKUs, order statuses, and warehouse locations to the 3PL’s system, ensuring both platforms effectively “speak the same language.”

Why Businesses Use the Cin7 3PL Connector

1. Eliminates Manual Work

There is no longer any need to email order PDFs or manually update spreadsheets. Everything flows automatically between systems.

2. Improves Accuracy

Automation significantly reduces the risk of:

• Incorrect items being shipped
• Inaccurate inventory levels
• Lost or overlooked orders

3. Enables Faster Fulfilment

Orders reach the warehouse immediately, making same-day or next-day dispatch much easier to achieve.

4. Scales with Your Business

Whether you process 50 orders each week or 5,000, the connector keeps your fulfilment operation running efficiently.

5. Creates a Single Source of Truth

Cin7 becomes the central hub for managing:

• Inventory
• Orders
• Fulfilment
• Reporting

Who is the Cin7 3PL Connector Best For?

The integration is ideal for businesses that:

• Use external warehouses for fulfilment
• Sell across multiple channels, including Shopify, Amazon, wholesale, and B2B
• Need accurate, real-time stock visibility
• Want to reduce operational overhead
• Are expanding into new regions or international markets

Conclusion

The Cin7 3PL Connector is a powerful solution that transforms the way businesses manage outsourced fulfilment. By automating the flow of orders, inventory, and shipping information between Cin7 and your 3PL warehouse, it removes manual processes, reduces errors, improves visibility, and enables businesses to scale more efficiently.

For growing businesses that rely on outsourced warehousing, this integration bridges one of the biggest operational gaps, allowing Cin7 to become the single source of truth across your entire fulfilment process.