Outbound

Outbound refers to movement or communication initiated from a central point toward external destinations. The term is used across several domains, often contrasted with inbound, which denotes arrival toward the central point.

In logistics and supply chain management, outbound logistics covers the processes involved in getting goods from a company to customers or retailers. It includes order processing, packaging, transportation, and last-mile delivery. Inbound logistics, by contrast, deals with receiving raw materials and components from suppliers.

In marketing and sales, outbound describes proactive outreach to potential customers, such as cold calling, direct mail, advertising, and trade shows. This is typically contrasted with inbound marketing, which aims to attract customers through content, search visibility, and other pull strategies.

In transportation, an outbound flight or service departs from a hub, while inbound refers to arrivals. Scheduling and ticketing often distinguish outbound versus inbound routes for planning purposes.

In computing and networking, outbound traffic consists of data, requests, or communications that originate inside a device or network and travel outward to external destinations. Examples include outbound emails, API calls, or remote backups. Security policies and firewalls commonly differentiate inbound from outbound traffic.

In finance and payments, outbound payments are transfers issued from a payer to a recipient, such as payroll or supplier payments, as opposed to inbound funds that are received. Overall, outbound describes outward movement or communication from an origin to external endpoints.