3 P & 4 P Logistics in E – commerce

Abstract

E- Commerce means using online electronic data communications to perform the
transactions relating to the business. This paper has given an overview of the role of e -
commerce in 3 PL & 4 PL logistics. E - Commerce is the buying and selling of goods and
services or transferring data through an electronic network, i.e., Internet. These business
transactions may occur at different levels like business to business, business to consumer
and consumer to consumer. Logistics is the process of managing the resources
requirement. It involves the process of acquiring, storing and transporting to the
destination whenever the need felt so. Third – Party Logistics (3 PL) provides integrated
outsources logistics services in the process of procurement of goods and fulfillment of
needs of the end users. Fourth – Party Logistics (4 PL) assembles and manages all
resources, capabilities and technology of an organization’s supply chain. If the business
houses can’t maintain the store houses, they have to rely on the services of 3PL or 4PL to
keep in track with the needs of end users and its fulfillment. Thus, The back – end Supply
Chain Management is a crucial component in all the businesses especially in e – Commerce