If you’re the kind of company that sells and ships physical products, getting them out quickly and efficiently is key to your success. It’s one additional thing you have to think about compared with companies selling digital products- how you will get items from your warehouse to your customer’s door.

No one wants to be waiting for their order for longer than necessary, particularly in today’s society demanding instant gratification.

With the huge  boom in online shopping in recent years, it means that people have become accustomed to certain things such as redelivery options, free returns, and fast shipping and now, quick and efficient shipping is very much expected rather than being seen as a bonus. 

Make shipping ‘free’

Research has shown that free shipping is one of the best ways to boost your ecommerce store.

Of course, we all know that nothing in life really comes for free and so you’ll know to price your products accordingly to cover your costs.

Often, free shipping over a certain amount is a useful tactic when it comes to selling online and will encourage customers to spend more to reach this amount. 

Consider your warehousing and fulfillment

When your company makes and sells products, you also need to consider how these will be delivered to stores or your customers.

• If you can afford warehousing space, a fleet of delivery trucks and enough employees to pick and pack orders, then you could set up your own department.

However, this can be a huge task and might be something you can’t afford to do until later down the line, as you’ll need huge premises, vehicles such as forklift trucks, pallet racking machines and much more. If that’s the case, consider the next option. 

Outsource

Fulfilling orders and warehousing yourself requires premises and staff which take time to establish and lots of money.

• If your company goes through slower periods (and in the current Covid-19 climate, chances are it has) you might find yourself with an excess of people who you’re responsible for putting out of work.

However, if you outsource and use a fulfillment company you can adapt based on whether you have a lot of orders coming in one month and less another.

Any third party company will be excellent at what they do since they specialise in this area, a fulfillment company for example will be efficient at picking, packing and sending items since this is what their whole business is based upon.

You don’t have to stretch yourself or your staff thinly or worry about products not being packaged correctly. If you’re operating at a large scale, you might even benefit from the packaging and shipping discounts they receive. 

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