To say that 2014 was a crazy year for fulfillment would be an understatement. Between the rise of digital commerce and significant changes in retail sales, distribution and fulfillment services are evolving rapidly.
Now that 2015 is here, it’s time to look back and see what lessons can be learned from 2014 and what can be done to make your 2015 fulfillment year the best yet.
1. Sell Internationally
The recent news about developed U.S.-Cuba relations, combined with the rise of e- and m-commerce, means that your order fulfillment can and needs to go global. There’s a lot of international demand and now you’ve got the tools to access it. Provided you abide lawfully, you can send products across borders that may not have been possible to send before.
2. Go New Media
YouTube is full of banner ads and short video ads that have met with great success. Be it digital printing or creating videos, there are new forms of media available that allow you to present your products and services in the most visually spectacular way possible.
3. Be a Blogger
There’s always a demand for news and information. Now this demand is met with content marketing, with the best and easiest format being a well-written blog that is optimized with keywords.
4. Embrace Retail
Some fulfillment companies continually try to sell to wholesalers and work in the larger areas of business-to-business (B2B) direct marketing. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, it’s important to note that retail is still thriving. Working with retail doesn’t necessarily mean bricks-and-mortar locations, but rather online retailers. Some even run an online and physical store simultaneously, which gives your business and distribution network more options.
5. Transition to M-Commerce
M-commerce took over Black Friday in 2014, surpassing even e-fulfillment. However, so many fulfillment and distribution services do not have a proper m-commerce setup; for example, their desktop e-ads look acceptable but don’t function on smartphones and tablets. If you haven’t adapted to m-commerce yet, consider it necessary and a priority, while if you’re already incorporating e-commerce, simply continue to test your ads and make the proper adjustments.
Need solutions to your product fulfillment problems? APS Fulfillment, Inc. has the knowledge and services to make your direct mail and product fulfillment ventures more successful. Contact APS Fulfillment, Inc. by e-mail at [email protected], visit their web site at www.apsfulfillment.com, or phone at (954) 582-7450.