Shipping time and money savers
Seven ways to be more efficient in your ecommerce business
When you run a small business, every single penny you save matters. Whether you work on your own or have a small team, you will be looking for ways to save time.
We are regularly talking to eCommerce business owners and have found these ideas will save you both time and money when shipping products to your customers and don't forget to add a custom label or sticker!
Make sure you do your research on postal and delivery costs so that you are always getting the best deal. Don’t just assume that your usual method of delivery is still the cheapest. It is worth shopping around based on the products you are shipping, size and weight of the package, as well as the location it is being shipped to.
Arrange collections of your packages when possible as this will save you a lot of time driving to a local depot. Try and arrange for as many orders to be collected in one go as possible.
Think about ways to minimise your packaging. You can try little tricks like taking any excess cardboard off the edges of boxes to reduce weight and size of parcels and don’t use a box that is too large for the items inside.
Re-use old packaging where possible so you aren’t having to buy new every single time. Obviously, it needs to look good quality so it isn’t detrimental to your business. You could include a message on your package explaining you have re-used the packaging as this shows you are an ethical and caring business.
You can use Integrated Labels to save time as this will allow you to print your address labels and invoice or despatch information in one go. Avery Address Labels are compatible with many ecommerce systems meaning you can use the blank labels within your existing software. It reduces the risk of shipping error too as all paperwork stays intact until you are ready to send.
Purchase all your shipping supplies in bulk as this usually means you are buying them at a lower cost per unit than if you buy a small amount at a time. Just make sure you have enough space to store items so it doesn’t impact the efficiency of running your business.
Be upfront and accurate with your courier or postal company so you don’t incur additional costs once the item is en route to your customer.
We’d love to hear your own shipping and labelling tips so get in touch by Twitter or via Facebook using the hashtag #LabelStories.