10 Quick Tips on Logistics Strategies
Whether you have a large or a small business, a new company, or an establishment that has been around for decades, if you are shipping products it is essential to have a logistics system in place that safely and efficiently gets those products from point A to point B. With the number of variables involved in shipping products, this is not always the easiest task to get accomplished. Logistics involves several different people from various departments and industries, and it can also involve knowledge of multiple systems throughout the delivery process. But implementing some fairly simple strategies can make the...
Understanding Dimensional Weight and Its Impacts on e-Commerce Order Fulfillment
If your e-commerce order fulfillment company performs its own shipping, then you likely think about delivery costs in relation to product weight and size. After all, a product's weight has a direct impact on the amount of fuel needed to transport it, so there is a very real benefit to keeping shipments light when possible. When using UPS and FedEx as your e-commerce shipping companies other considerations—in addition to physical weight—need to be taken into account to proper calculate costs. This is called "dimensional weight," and understanding its use and calculation is essential for mastery of e-commerce shipping solutions. (more…)
Using Direct Mail to Increase Restaurant Revenue
Restaurant Direct Mail Marketing Americans are moving at a rate of over 40 million people each year. That’s a lot of customers lost and potential customers gained for local businesses. Seeing how approximately 80% of these movers will try a new restaurant before or after their move, getting out in front of the competition is paramount to nabbing these new consumers. Direct mail marketing is a great way to get this done, particularly brochure mailing to introduce consumers to your restaurant. As a restaurant owner, your chances to engage these movers are best when they first move in. Statistics show...
How to Avoid the Packing Bottleneck in Order Fulfillment
A "bottleneck" is a situation where the flow of your order fulfillment process slows down and orders build up faster than they can be processed, resulting in inefficient activity. Order picking and packing bottlenecks are one of the most common types of this phenomenon in product fulfillment, and reducing packaging bottlenecks is a big part of improving fulfillment performance and efficiency. (more…)
Top Reasons to Outsource Your Warehousing and Distribution Needs
Costs are tight in fulfillment, meaning you have to save money wherever you can. If it’s difficult to pinpoint where to cut costs, consider outsourcing your warehousing and distribution as a catch-all solution to save money. Here are some reasons why outsourcing can be the cost-efficient answer. 1. Reduced Capital Investment You might have the desire to do your own warehousing or own your own warehouse/storage unit, but with the fees for warehouse and fleet management, security, temperature controls, and other related costs, you may want to think twice. Having a third party handle it for you can save you...How Direct Mail Marketing Helps Reactivating Dormant Customers
The debate as to whether it is wiser for a business to focus on acquiring new customers rather than on customer retention will always be a source of contention. That debate becomes even tenser when the focus shifts to waking up dormant customers. Those are customers who have previously bought a product or used your service, but have been inactive customers for quite some time. Either way, there is a case to be made for both practices. And a healthy business should find the proper balance between reaching for new customers and devising strategies for reactivating dormant customers. The payoff...
How to Use Key Warehouse Performance Indicators for Improving Efficiency and Practices
One of the basic tenets of warehouse performance indicators is that you can't improve what you can't measure. This is why it's important to use the best performance indicators when you measure warehouse efficiency and success. Without the right productivity metrics, you can waste time, money, and energy pursuing the wrong direction while more effective and efficient areas for improvement go unnoticed. Instead of trying to measure anything and everything, make use of the best practices for warehouse metrics to find the most optimal path to warehouse improvements. Important Warehouse Performance Indicators Carrying Cost of Inventory Every bit of inventory...8 Signs You Should Invest in Order Fulfillment Services
If you’re just entering the e-commerce space, you should be excited. There are mountains of opportunity, but also tons of challenges as you try to carve your own space in a crowded market. If you’re already in that space and looking for a way to separate yourself from the pack, then maybe it’s time you consider outsourcing your order fulfillment services to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. (more…)
Should You Use More Than One Fulfillment Center?
Whether you manage your fulfillment operations on your own or if you make use of a 3rd party fulfillment center, there will come a time when you will question whether setting up an additional center is a good idea. Making this sort of decision is not easy since getting additional fulfillment centers can start making more or less sense depending on numerous factors, market niches, or other forces. Take the following considerations into account when weighing the situation in order to get a better sense of the best direction to take. (more…)
Product Fulfillment Services for Toys and Games
Product fulfillment services overall is a difficult industry, but the toy and game industry is an especially tough market. Several factors are against its success; the most prominent of which being the declining world birth rate, and the shift from children playing with physical toys to now being in the digital space. Despite these challenges, the toy and game industry continues to grow and experts believe the industry will keep growing up until at least 2018. The key for toys and games fulfillment is an experienced logistics company who can manage the nuances of shipping to both B2B and B2C...
