The 2024 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. This information helps you understand market shifts with most participants from the US (95.24%) and a smaller portion from Canada (4.76%), reflecting insights from both markets.
2024 Performance Metrics
All Survey Findings from 2017-2024:
What The 2024 Warehouse Pricing Survey Results Mean for Warehouse Customers:
- Price Increases Are Lower: If you’re using warehousing services, the average annual warehouse price increase is slightly lower in 2024 (4.23%) compared to 2023 (4.54%). This could give you a little more breathing room in terms of budgeting for storage and fulfillment.
- Monthly Spend Requirements Are Up: Expect higher minimum monthly spend requirements, which jumped from $195 in 2023 to $337.50 in 2024. This may affect smaller businesses with lower order volumes.
- Pick and Pack Services Are More Expensive: Both B2C and B2B pick and pack fees have increased, with B2C rates rising from $2.97 in 2023 to $3.18 in 2024, and B2B rates going from $4.31 to $4.79. This could mean higher fulfillment costs for each order you ship out.
- More Discounts Available: There’s good news, too. Warehouses are increasingly offering discounted rates for pick and pack services, with 75.48% of providers offering discounts in 2024, compared to 65% in 2023. Shipping discounts have also improved across ground, express, and LTL services.
- Long-Term Storage Fees Are Less Common: Fewer warehouses are charging long-term storage fees in 2024, down from 58% in 2023 to just 23.33%. This could reduce the cost of holding onto inventory for extended periods.
What The 2024 Warehouse Costs Survey Results Mean for Warehouse Owners:
- Occupancy Costs Have Risen: A significant portion of your revenue may now go toward occupancy costs, which increased from 24.90% in 2023 to 31.68% in 2024. This could put pressure on profitability, especially for smaller operations.
- Labor Costs Are Lower as a Percentage of Revenue: On the flip side, labor costs as a percentage of revenue have dropped from 31.70% to 28.59%. While the hourly wage for staff has risen slightly ($16.95 in 2024 compared to $15.78 in 2023), you may be able to maintain a more balanced budget due to this decline.
- Profit Margins Are Tightening: Corporate profit margins have slightly decreased, from 10.49% in 2023 to 9.37% in 2024. This suggests that despite rising costs, overall profitability may be harder to maintain, prompting a closer look at cost control strategies.
- Staying Competitive with Discounts: More warehouses are offering discounts on services like pick and pack. Keeping these competitive rates while managing costs will be key to retaining customers and maintaining profitability.
2024 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.
2024 Warehousing Performance Trends
| Performance Trends Questions | 2024 | 2023 | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| What percentage of warehouses measure their performance? | 85% | 89% | Slight decline in reported performance tracking |
| What is the average number of orders per year overall? | 431,043 orders per year | $931,000.00 | Increase in smaller 3PLs could be leading to the year over year disparity |
| What is the average order-picking accuracy? | 99.15% | 99.19% | Minor decrease in reported order-picking accuracy |
| What is the average inventory shrinkage? | 1.24% | 1.38% | Marginal decrease in reported inventory shrinkage |
| What is the average number of picks per hour per staff member? | 64.23 picks per hour | 71.42 picks per hour | Reported productivity has seen decreases |
| What percentage of customers do warehouses retain annually? | 94% | 91.72% | Improvement in reported customer retention |
2024 Warehousing Agreement Term Trends
| Agreement Term Questions | 2024 | 2023 | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you increase your pricing on a regular basis? | 71.7% of providers regularly increase prices | 72% of providers regularly increase prices | Consistent practice of regular price increases |
| If you increase your pricing, what percentage do you use for the increase and how frequently do you increase pricing? | 4.23% average price increase annually, 31.33% of providers raise prices biennially | 4.54% average price increase annually, 23% of providers raise prices biennially | Reported decrease in average price increase and rise in biennial adjustments |
| What percentage of warehouses pay for shipping, picking, and inventory errors? | 85.00% | 89.00% | Notable decrease in reported payment for errors |
| What percentage of warehouses have a monthly minimum requirement? | 46.67% | 48.00% | Slight decrease in reported monthly minimums |
| Minimum monthly spend requirement | $337.50 | $195 | Significant increase in reported monthly spend |
| What percentage of warehouses offer discounted pick and pack rates? | 75% | 65.00% | Increase in reported warehouses offering discounted pick and pack rates |
| What terms do you offer with your agreements (month-to-month, annually, multi-year, no term, etc.)? | 56.67% offer month-to-month, 48.33% offer annual, 33.33% offer multi-year | 50% offer month-to-month, 61% offer annual, 26% offer multi-year | Reported shift towards flexible and longer-term commitments |
| What percentage of companies offer discounted storage rates? | 45% | 47% | Small decreases in reported companies offering discounted storage rates |
| For warehouses with multiple locations, what percentage charged the same rates? | 67% charge the same rates | 58% charge the same rates | Shift towards more consistent pricing across reported locations |
| What percentage of companies include carton fees in their pick-and-pack charges? | 31.48% | 29% | Increase in reported companies charging carton fees |
| What percentage of warehouses allow customers to use their freight rates? | 83% allow customers to use their own rates | 83% allow customers to use their own rates | No reported change year over year |
| Do you have Commercial Plus pricing with USPS? | 57.40% | 65% | Decrease in reporting companies offering cost-plus shipping rates |
2024 Warehousing Costs for Customers
| Customer Cost Questions | 2024 | 2023 | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| What types of storage fees do warehouses charge? | Pallet: $20.37, Cubic Foot: $0.55, Sq. Ft.: $1.22, Bin: $2.67 | $18.30 per pallet, $0.55 per cubic foot, $1.15 per square foot, $3.20 per bin | Price per bin and price per square foot have seen decreases year over year |
| Do you charge long-term storage fees, and if so, how much do you charge? | 23.33% of companies charge, 50-100% of standard fee | 58% of companies charred, surcharge averaged 50% | Reported long-term storage fees became less common in 2024 |
| What percentage of companies charge an account management fee, and what is the average fee? | 33.33%, $236.67 monthly fee | 28%, $261.80 monthly fee | Reported account management fees have increased by 5% year over year |
| What percentage of warehouses charge setup fees, and what is the average setup fee? | 54%, $385 setup fee on average | 56%, $377 setup fee on average | Remains consistent year over year, with subtle decreases for both criteria |
| What is the average integration fee to connect with a shopping cart? | $268 per integration | $231 per integration | Many companies do not charge for this service, but those that do paid $268 on average, up from 2023 |
| What is the average cost of receiving? | $2.50 per SKU, $12.91 per pallet, $40.79 per hour, $350 per container, $2.50-3.00 per carton | $2.50 per SKU, $8.69 per pallet, $38.92 per hour, $398.75 per container, $3.00 per carton | Reported only slight variances in receiving fees |
| What is the average B2C pick and pack price for a one-item order? | $3.18 | $2.97 | Increase in reported B2C pick and pack pricing |
| What is the average B2B pick and pack price for a one-item order? | $4.79 | $4.31 | Increase in reported B2B pick and pack pricing |
| What are the average call center fees? | $1.19 per minute | $1.28 per minute | Slight decrease in reported call center fees |
| What is the average kitting fee? | $39 per hour | $39 per hour | No change year over year |
| What is the average cost for inserts added to orders? | $0.25 | $0.18 | Reported increase in cost for inserts year over year |
| How do you charge for shipping? | 65% cost-plus, 35% offer discounts off published rates | 65% cost-plus, 35% offer discounts off published rates | Providers have remained consistent year over year |
| What shipping discounts do warehouses offer for Ground, Express, International, and LTL services? | Ground: 19.9%, Express: 23.04%, International: 21.7%, LTL: 22.92% | Ground: 15.58%, Express: 19.23%, International: 22.46%, LTL: 22.46% | Ground, Express & LTL have seen reported increases. International has seen subtle decreases |
| What percentage of respondents charge returns fees, and what is the average price? | 79.33%, $3.95 per return | 88%, $3.60 per return | Reported decrease of nearly 10 percent year over year |
| How much do you charge for Amazon FBA orders and subscription box orders? | $0.45 per label, $2.50-$3.20 per order | $0.58 per label, $1.00-$2.50 per order | Reported price per label is down, but price per order has increased significantly |
2024 Warehousing Costs for Owners
| Ownership Cost Questions | 2024 | 2023 | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the yearly cost per square foot of warehouse space? | $8.31 | $8.22 | Reported cost per square foot has remained consistent year over year |
| What is the hourly rate of warehouse staff? | $16.95 | $15.78 | Small increase in reported hourly wages |
| What is the annual pay for warehouse management staff? | $57,352 | $55,100 | Small increase in reported salaries for management staff |
| What percentage of total revenues is represented by occupancy costs? | 31.68% | 24.90% | Significant increase in reported occupancy costs |
| What percentage of total revenues is represented by labor costs? | 28.59% | 31.70% | Decrease in reported labor costs as a percentage of revenue |
| What is the average corporate profit percentage? | 9.37% | 10.49% | Slight decrease in profit margins year |
Warehouse Pricing Surveys: 2017 to 2024
- 2017 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
- 2018-2019 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
- 2020 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
- 2021 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
- 2022 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
- 2023 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
- 2024 Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates and Fees Result
