2022 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey

The 2022 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey gathers data from over 600 warehouses each year, with 62 targeted questions on costs, pricing, and performance metrics. Our data shows where costs are rising, whether you’re a 3PL provider, a retailer using fulfillment services, or a company managing your own warehousing.

All Survey Findings from 2017-2024:

Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees

What The 2022 Survey Results Mean for Warehouse Customers:

• Increasing Costs for Core Services: Customers are seeing higher costs in several key areas compared to 2021. Storage fees, for instance, have risen notably—pallet storage increased from $14.79 to $16.21, while bin storage costs decreased slightly from $4.07 to $3.18. Expect these changes to impact your overall warehousing budget.
• Fewer Discounts on Services: Warehouses are offering fewer discounts on services like pick and pack, where only 64% offer discounted rates in 2022, down from 72% in 2021. Similarly, the availability of discounted storage dropped from 49% to 38.7%. This means customers may find it harder to negotiate lower prices for fulfillment services.
• Higher Fees Across the Board: Additional fees, like account management and call center charges, have increased. Account management fees rose from an average of $160 to nearly $199 per month, and call center fees jumped from $0.85 per minute to $1.43 per minute. Customers should prepare for a rise in service costs as warehouses adjust their pricing structures.
• Consistent Shipping Rates: Despite rising costs elsewhere, some shipping-related expenses have remained stable. For instance, B2C pick and pack prices stayed consistent at $3.13 per order in both 2021 and 2022, providing some cost predictability in this area.

What The 2022 Survey Results Mean for Warehouse Owners

• Higher Labor and Space Costs: Owners are dealing with rising operational costs, particularly in labor and space. The hourly rate for warehouse staff increased from $14.00 in 2021 to $14.97 in 2022, while the cost per square foot of warehouse space rose slightly to $7.96 from $7.91. These small but steady increases in overhead will likely impact profit margins.
• Tightening Profit Margins: Reported corporate profit percentages saw a slight decrease, from 11% in 2021 to 10.58% in 2022, suggesting that rising costs are eating into profits. Warehouse owners need to focus on optimizing operational efficiency to offset these shrinking margins.
• More Pricing Flexibility Needed: With 80% of warehouses regularly increasing their prices (up from 61% in 2021), flexibility in pricing strategies is becoming crucial. Owners may need to balance the frequency of price hikes with customer retention efforts, especially given that customer retention dropped slightly from 95.67% to 94.54%.
• Fewer Discounts May Affect Competitiveness: As fewer warehouses are offering discounts, both for pick and pack and storage services, this might affect competitiveness in attracting new customers. Offering alternative value-added services or loyalty programs could help retain customers without relying on constant discounting.

2022 Survey Results

For our survey, we’ve segmented questions and answers into four categories:

• Performance Results: Tracks how warehouses measure their performance, like order accuracy and inventory loss, with a focus on what’s changed.
• Agreement Term Results: Looks at how flexible contracts are, how often prices go up, and the trend of setting minimum spend requirements.
• Warehousing Costs for 3PLs: Breaks down the costs for warehouse space, staff wages, management pay, and how profit margins are shifting.
• Warehousing Costs and Discounts for Customers: Covers pricing changes for services like pick-and-pack, storage, shipping deals, and new fees popping up.

2022 Warehousing Performance Trends

2022 Warehousing Agreement Term Trends

2022 Warehousing Costs for Customers

2022 Warehousing Costs for Owners

Warehouse Pricing Surveys: 2017 to 2024

• 2017 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2018-2019 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2020 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2021 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2022 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2023 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2024 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey

We’ll Help You Find Warehousing Solutions

Our network includes carefully vetted companies, from smaller niche providers to larger, full-service logistics providers. What sets us apart is our commitment to objectivity. We don’t accept payments to feature companies in our network. Every recommendation is based solely on performance, capability, and alignment with your criteria. We screen providers, considering their technology, accuracy, shipping rates, and customer service, so you don’t have to.

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