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CPG Logistics and Fulfillment From One Inventory Pool

KSP ships DTC, Amazon, marketplace and retail orders for consumer packaged goods brands from one stock of each SKU, counted in eaches, inners, cases and pallets. Every retail PO is checked against live stock before it reaches the floor, and when a SKU gets tight, the channel order you wrote decides who ships first.
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A shelving aisle in KSP's warehouse with a reach truck at the far end
order accuracy across 32.1M orders
99.999%
same-day shipping cutoff
2PM CST
kitting floor for club packs and displays
50,000sq ft
dock doors for inbound trucks and retail freight
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What Is CPG Fulfillment?

CPG fulfillment is storing a consumer packaged goods brand's inventory and shipping it to every channel the brand sells through: single units to online shoppers, cartons to Amazon, cases and pallets to retailers and club stores. CPG logistics adds the freight and replenishment that keep each of those channels stocked.

It differs from ordinary ecommerce fulfillment in two ways: one SKU lives in several units of measure at the same time, and every channel draws on the same stock. A 3PL that handles DTC pick, pack and ship well can still lose track of a SKU once cases go to Walmart and singles go to Shopify from the same shelf. KSP keeps all of it in one building and one inventory pool, so the count your retailer sees and the count your website sells from are the same number.

Each, Inner, Case, Pallet: Units of Measure Before the First PO

Most CPG inventory drift starts with a unit-of-measure mistake at the dock. Before your first PO, we set up every SKU at each level you sell it in.

LevelWhat we recordWho orders it
Each

The unit barcode on the product itself

Your Shopify store, TikTok Shop and marketplace shoppers

Inner pack

Units per inner and the inner's own barcode

Wholesale buyers and smaller retail accounts

Case

Units per case and the case barcode

Retail DCs, Faire orders and Amazon replenishment

Pallet

Cases per layer, layers per pallet and an LPN at check-in

Club stores and full-pallet retail POs

Receiving counts each inbound against your ASN and scans it at the level it arrived in. A case of 12 keyed in as a single each leaves the system 11 units short of the shelf, and every channel's available count goes wrong with it. You also decide which SKUs we open for single units. That rule goes into your warehouse instructions, so a retail-ready case doesn't get broken for a web order loose stock could have filled.

When Stock Runs Short: Who Ships First

Plenty of 3PLs say they sell from one inventory. The harder question is which channel gets the last 400 units. You answer it once, in writing, before it happens. Many CPG brands start from the order below and move a channel up or down to fit their retailers.

  1. Retail POs with a ship window

    Late or short retail orders bring fines and fill-rate hits, so they usually rank first. KSP allocates each retail PO against live stock before it releases to the floor, so the retailer gets its cases and your site keeps selling.

  2. Amazon replenishment

    A stocked-out FBA listing stops selling until the next shipment checks in, so Amazon cartons often come second.

  3. Your own store

    DTC orders fill from what's left, and your storefront sells only what's on hand.

  4. Wholesale marketplaces

    Faire and similar buyers usually wait for the next inbound when a SKU is tight.

Your plan also says what happens to a retail PO that stock can't cover in full: ship what's there, or hold it for the next inbound. The math behind splitting one pool across channels is in our guide to omnichannel allocation.

KSP has been instrumental in enabling us to seamlessly launch and scale both our direct-to-consumer and retail businesses. They successfully navigated the complexities of our product's regulatory requirements, and their commitment to excellence has been a key factor in our success!

CPG BrandKSP client

Replenishing Amazon, Walmart and Retail DCs From the Pool

Outbound replenishment draws on the same stock as your parcel orders, so you size the next shipment from real counts instead of a spreadsheet you rebuilt last Tuesday.

  • Your sales channels, connected

    Shopify, Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, Faire and TikTok Shop connect to our warehouse system, and retail POs arrive over EDI through SPS Commerce. Selling somewhere else? Any platform connects through Logiwa or our own API, and a new connection can be built in as little as a week.

  • Amazon cartons from the same cases

    FNSKU labeling, poly bags, multi-pack bundles and case and pallet prep happen in our building, using the case-break rules in your unit-of-measure setup. Your FBA shipment leaves from the stock your retail POs draw on, with no separate prep vendor in the middle.

  • Counts you can plan from

    The client portal shows on-hand stock by SKU for every channel in one view. Your plan sets the reorder point for each fast mover, so the next purchase order to your co-packer goes out while there's still stock to cover retail and DTC.

  • Retail DC orders to the routing guide

    Carton labels, pallet builds, ASNs and delivery appointments follow each retailer's guide. Our page on routing guides, EDI and retail appointments covers that side in full.

Your Top 20 SKUs Carry Most of the Orders

On every fast mover

  1. Less walking per order

    135+ Locus robots carry order totes through picking, so associates spend their time picking and scanning instead of walking aisles. Orders are picked and packed in under 30 minutes.

  2. Counted on a schedule

    Fast movers come up often on our scheduled cycle counts, which are included at no charge, so the number every channel sells from matches what's on the shelf.

  3. Scanned against the order

    Every unit and case barcode is checked against the order before it's packed, so the scan catches a 12-count case picked in place of a 6-count inner.

  4. Same-day cutoff

    Orders in by 2 PM CST ship the same day, and ground delivery reaches any US address in 1 to 3 days.

Promotions, Club Packs and Displays Without Starving DTC

A club order or retail promotion claims stock weeks before it ships. If nobody counts those units out of the pool when the promo is booked, your website sells them first.

Share your promotion calendar and forecast with your account manager early. Your plan sets how many units each promo and club program needs against what's on hand, and we plan labor around the dates. Club multipacks, PDQ trays and floor displays are built on our 50,000 sq ft kitting floor, the same floor that has built 20.9 million kits, in the building that ships your parcels.

Multi-store rollouts follow the same pattern. Read how we handled the 611-store Target kit rollout.

Carrier trailers backed into KSP's dock doors
Trailers at KSP's dock doors in Brooklyn Park.

Launch Week and Viral Spikes

A retail launch and a viral TikTok week draw on the same inventory, often in the same month. These three steps keep both filled.

  1. Before the launch

    Your forecast and inbound plan go to your account manager. Inbound trucks are scheduled against an ASN at our 29 dock doors, then counted and put away before launch day.

  2. During the rush

    The 2 PM CST cutoff holds. Bundles your plan calls for are pre-built before the rush, so peak orders pick as single finished units. If anything goes wrong, your account manager responds within our 2-hour issue SLA.

  3. After the spike

    Scheduled cycle counts confirm what's left on the SKUs that moved most, so your next retail PO is allocated against accurate stock.

What Sets the Cost of a Multi-Channel CPG Program

Your channel mix sets most of the cost. We walk you through an invoice and your program line by line before you sign, and the 3PL fee checklist lists the fee lines worth comparing across CPG quotes.

A long aisle of pallet racking in KSP's warehouse
Single units, cases and pallets

Picking eaches for DTC, full cases for retail and whole pallets for club orders are different amounts of labor. Breaking cases to build mixed orders adds touches.

Storage

Pallet positions for retail-ready cases plus shelf locations for loose units.

Kitting

Club multipacks, variety bundles and displays are priced per finished unit.

Postage and freight

DTC parcels go out at our discounted carrier rates. Retail and club orders move LTL or truckload.

What we'll talk through

  • Monthly units by channel: DTC, Amazon, marketplaces, retail and club
  • Your top 20 SKUs and their case packs
  • Retailers and club accounts you ship to today or soon
  • Promotions and launches on the calendar

CPG Fulfillment FAQ

Can DTC orders and retail cases ship from the same CPG inventory?

Yes. One stock of each SKU feeds every channel, and each retail PO is allocated against live stock before it reaches the floor.

Who decides which channel gets stock when a SKU runs short?

You do. Your plan ranks your channels and says how much each retail program and promotion needs, and we follow that order when a SKU gets tight.

Will you break cases into single units for online orders?

Only for the SKUs and case levels you allow. Retail-ready cases stay sealed unless your rule says otherwise.

How do you keep counts right when one SKU sells as eaches, inners and cases?

Each unit of measure has its own barcode and count in your SKU setup, and receiving scans the level that arrived. Scheduled cycle counts, included at no charge, keep the shelf and the system in step.

Can you build Amazon FBA cartons from the same cases we sell to retailers?

Yes. FNSKU labeling, multi-pack bundles and case prep happen in our building, from the same inventory, under the case-break rules you set.

Do you build club-store packs and promo displays?

Yes. Club multipacks, PDQ trays and floor displays are built on our 50,000 sq ft kitting floor, in the same building that ships your DTC orders.

Do you store refrigerated or frozen CPG products?

No. Our storage is climate-controlled and FDA-registered, and products that need refrigeration or freezing belong with a cold-chain partner.

What should we have ready for a CPG fulfillment quote?

Your monthly units by channel and a rough idea of your top 20 SKUs. Case packs and promotion dates help, and we go through them with you on the call.

Is Your Site Selling Stock Your Retail PO Needs?

Tell us how you sell today. We'll show you how one inventory pool covers your retailers, Amazon and your own store, and what fulfillment would cost.

  1. Answer five quick questions about what you ship and where you sell, with rough numbers.
  2. A KSP rep gets in touch within 1 business day to set up a short call and hear what you need.
  3. We build a channel plan and a quote around your operation, then walk you through both line by line.

99.999% order accuracy across 32.1M orders, with every retail PO allocated against live stock before release.

No obligation, and nothing to send or prepare.

Not ready to talk yet? Get the Fulfillment Fee Checklist: the 14 lines a 3PL can bill you for, with the question to ask about each one.

Step 1 of 5

Who do you ship to?

Pick one or both.