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Owning a small business can wreak havoc on your nerves.
There are seemingly endless things to worry about, including product development, marketing, HR, and sales. Your business needs a team, a plan, and a website to get off the ground.
One of the most significant areas of owning a new business is shipping. Navigating the shipping needs of your small business does not have to be a nightmare.
The alternative is not offering online shopping, and with the way technology is currently headed, that could be a death sentence for your budding business.
Below are five of the most helpful shipping tips to help your small business reach new heights and new customers:
1. Define a Shipping Strategy
The first step is to develop a shipping strategy.
To do this, you must understand the shipping costs that pertain to your business and where you will sell your products.
The latter part will depend on your unique business and product offerings.
Some small businesses initially sell their products out of their garage for a while.
If possible, consider a multi-channel approach and market your products through different marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, as well as your website.
2. Shipping Zones
When a package gets shipped from one location to another, it crosses through shipping zones.
A shipping zone is a geographic area defined by a courier or shipping agent and includes specific zip codes for shipping containers. Destination zones are determined by their proximity to the origin zone.
Knowing your shipping zones is essential for negotiating shipping rates with third-party delivery agents.
While your small business is getting off the ground, target local customers in nearby shipping zones to help you save on initial costs.
3. Negotiate Shipping Rates
Sharpen your negotiation skills to get the most profit out of your small business.
There are two main methods for negotiating with courier companies – Cross-modeling and Benchmarking.
Cross-modeling is a sophisticated tactic that is more complicated. It involves considering the specific characteristics of your shipments and requires a team that understands where carriers have the highest profit margins.
Benchmarking focuses on the volume of your shipments and the dollar amount.
Go to https://www.couriersatlanta.com to learn more about the packages available for small business delivery needs. It is essential that you find a delivery partner who can service same-day deliveries and regular ones.
4. Use Smaller Packaging
One of the highest costs for small business delivery is associated with packaging.
Many small businesses use boxes larger than their products, driving up shipping costs based on dimensional weight calculations. Using boxes that are too big will also necessitate the use of more padding materials, such as peanuts and bubble wrap.
By ensuring your business uses the right size for its packaging requirements, you can save on shipping costs and shipping safety materials.
5. Scope Out Competition
When in doubt, scope out the competition.
Order from them and see how much they charge for delivery, track how quickly the order arrives, and take note of the packaging used.
That will help you learn what they are doing right and wrong and quickly use that knowledge to improve your business’s packaging and shipping methods.
To End
Take some time to learn more about the tips above and how you can best implement them for your small business.
It may seem like extra work now, but it will be worth it in the long run!
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