Amazon and the Internet changed the way consumers shop. They now want anything to be instant. That includes shipping or delivery. These days, options such as same-day and next-day deliveries are becoming popular. The question is, is your business ready? Here are five ways to hasten shipping periods:
1. Use Pre-Printed Barcode Labels
One of the effective ways to speed up shipping is to improve your inventory system, including how you store and dispatch your goods.
Consider using barcode labels in NZ. Although these are usually for point-of-sale goods, you can still incorporate them anywhere in the supply chain. Doing so relieves your staff of the duty of manually checking every inventory. You can also use them to keep track of your product’s movements. The data can help evaluate your logistics later.
2. Work with Fulfillment Facilities at Different Locations
Your choice for a fulfilment facility matters. After all, it serves as the bridge between you and the customer, which can be another business. To increase delivery times, look for those with offices in multiple strategic locations. It may have a presence in key cities or have enough fleet to travel anywhere in New Zealand. The company can also allow you to store inventory in their warehouses to further reduce shipping times.
3. Narrow Down Deliveries to Closer Locations
A lot of companies try to provide faster shipping periods and renege on such promise. If this is how you work, then you should know that it’s going to hurt your business’s reputation stat.
Always remember one of the golden rules in business: under-promise but over-deliver. An ideal step is to offer same-day or next-day deliveries in locations that are the closest to you.
4. Partner with Retailers
If you find the cost of working with fulfilment centres excessive, another option is to look for a partner retailer. The setup can vary:
- It can be reciprocal, which means the store will carry your products in exchange for displaying theirs in your shop or selling it online to your customers.
- It can be a pop-up shop. At certain times of the week, your brand takes over. You can use this opportunity to look for more retailers or get orders for future deliveries.
- It can be a commission or consignment basis. It frees you from the obligation to have to sell other people’s goods. In exchange, you pay the store a commission, or they can return unpurchased products to you.
- It can be a direct sale. It’s the simplest of all: sell the goods at a lower price to the retailer or give them exclusive distributorship of the product.
5. Pass on the Cost to the Consumers
Are you selling a high-value product? Then there’s a good chance customers want it—and they are more than willing to pay a high price for it.
A lot of businesses are scared of passing on the extra cost of shipping to their clients, thinking it will downgrade their reputation. If this is how you feel, then you’re underestimating consumers. Think of it this way: are you willing to pass up on something you need only because you will have to pay a bit more?
Competition among business happens in many aspects, including shipping. Don’t let this get in the way of revenues and growth. Do something by following these five tips.
