Starting your own business is an exhilarating feeling. You’ve taken a
single idea and turned it into a reality, whether it’s selling unique
handmade products from home or discovering a gap in the market that
desperately needed to be filled.
When that business is up and running, you’ll no doubt be involved in
every single part of its day-to-day operations, micro-managing every
little detail to make sure things run as smoothly as possible,
especially where order fulfilment—actually getting the product to your
customers—is concerned.
Order fulfilment tends to be one of the most expensive parts of any business, but it needn’t be.
Here are 4 simple tips to help lower your fulfilment services overheads:
Consolidate multiple items into one packageThis is a very simple and effective way of reducing the amount of packaging you use when fulfilling customer orders. Not only does it save you time and money on materials, but it’s also environmentally friendly!
Charge delivery fees
Some companies charge a fee for delivery; others do not. Charging the customer for delivery will help keep your order fulfilment costs low. Yes, customers are usually pleasantly surprised with free delivery, but they are often just as happy to pay a premium– as long as their item arrives on time and in good condition.
Offer a collection service
This works really well if you have multiple branches – some customers might prefer to collect their items in person; it saves them money on the delivery fees and reduces the amount of packaging you’ll need to use. It also provides some face-to-face interaction, which is great for building customer relationships.
Outsource your fulfilment to Fairway!
Managing your small business fulfilment can be fun – when you’re a small business. But if you are expanding and sales are growing, then you’ll need a dedicated team who can take over and provide the same care and attention to detail that you would give.
Outsourcing your order fulfilment is an investment, particularly when good customer feedback starts to increase overall sales. Flexible packages and fulfilment services mean that no matter what you sell, your business will always be in safe hands.
