Lifestyle & Money

6 Tips to Make Your Shipping Processes More Efficient This Holiday Season

Editor

The 2021 holiday season promises to bring new and unique challenges to small businesses. Supply-chain issues have caused vacant store shelves everywhere, all while people search for the perfect gift — often turning to online retailers.

How can you maximize your profits while minimizing headaches? Here are six tips to make your shipping processes more efficient this holiday season.

1. Reduce Packaging Waste

Packaging costs businesses a small fortune every year. Fortunately, you can take the following proactive steps to reduce your waste:

  • Commit to one packaging supplier: Ordering packaging materials from multiple vendors means running out of some of the supplies you need at crunch time. It also inflates delivery costs.
  • Minimize your packaging: Choose the least amount of material to get the job done. For example, padded mailers recycle like cardboard boxes while costing far less and creating less waste than corrugated crates. They also weigh less, decreasing postage needs.
  • Embrace automation: Using robots to replace human workers for menial tasks like assembling boxes can save considerable time, money and frustration.
  • Think sustainable: Choosing eco-friendly packaging elevates your brand’s reputation. It also minimizes waste and reduces costs. Select materials that collapse to easily fit into recycling or compost bins.

2. Keep Everything Stocked

If you run out of product or shipping supplies, your customers have no one to blame but you for failing to deliver their order. Delays cause friction, negatively impacting your brand’s reputation and causing valuable shoppers to look elsewhere.

If you create specialty items, you may wish to diversify your suppliers for hard-to-get items. For example, you probably know of the computer chip shortage if you manufacture electronic goods. Having a list of established vendors helps ensure you have the parts you need when you need them.

Additionally, keep communication lines open with your various suppliers. Employ technology for automatically following up on orders and notifying you of potential delays so that you can make the requisite adjustment.

3. Optimize Checkout Processes

You don’t have much time to capture the attention of online shoppers. Most people spend less than 15 seconds on a website, quickly clicking on something new if they don’t find what they want. You need to capture their attention and streamline the checkout process if you hope to win some of the consumer’s hard-earned cash.

You can optimize the checkout process by allowing for guest checkout. Yes, you want to capture your user’s information for marketing purposes, but not at the expense of losing a sale. Additionally, offer free shipping if feasible. Doing so gives the consumer fewer choices — and less opportunity to change their mind and see if a competitor offers such an amenity.

4. Employ Route and Notification Technology

Delays in shipping cost your drivers time and gas. It’s also not very carbon-friendly to idle in traffic. Please employ apps such as Waze and Garmin to avoid traffic snarls and chart the most efficient delivery routes.

Today’s tracking technology makes it easier than ever to let your customers know when their product arrives at their doorstep. Consider using apps or devices to scan boxes, sending a text to consumers that their package awaits their retrieval. Some allow your drivers to take photographs, ensuring the parcel made it to their doorstep.

5. Use Local Pickup

Another way to minimize delivery headaches is to use local pickup. This method works seamlessly if you already have physical stores in many locations.

What if you don’t have a storefront? Some smaller entrepreneurs have successfully used their porch for customer pickup, although this arrangement works best if you run a small, independent shop with regulars you know and trust. Larger vendors might consider coded lockers in public locations where purchasers can pick up their goods.

6. Clarify Your Return Policy

Returns create a considerable hassle for small business owners seeking to make their shipping processes more efficient this holiday season. Poor customer service casts a negative pall over your brand, as those dissatisfied will advise others to shop elsewhere. Plus, it costs you a fortune in materials and shipping to process.

If you manufacture one-of-a-kind goods, you may have a no returns policy. However, you should still offer compensation if an item reaches a customer defective or broken. Post your rules prominently on your site and include a hard copy in each box. Include a questionnaire asking the consumer to explain the reason for their return so that you can avoid similar circumstances in the future.

Make Your Shipping Processes More Efficient This Holiday Season

The 2021 holiday season offers unprecedented challenges to small businesses. Make your shipping processes more efficient this holiday season with the above six tips.