Tag Archives: shipping supplies

Increase Profit with Shipping Supplies

custom printed tape
It is standard practice in the business world to try and limit costs as much as possible to maximize profits. However, many are not as aware of how they can achieve this goal by more efficiently utilizing their shipping & packaging materials. Often, more attention is given to finding a packaging supplier that offers the best deals. Once you have the packaging materials on site, there still needs to be a strategy that will ensure efficiency and minimal waste.

Shipping supplies standardize packing

When designing and sourcing shipping supplies, you will have assessed the product you ship and what you need to ensure they are appropriately packaged and will arrive at their destination safely. It is important to create a standardized procedure that your employees can follow when packaging items for shipping. You can develop checklists and how-to guides that will direct them on how to safely package diverse types of items before they are sent out. This will eliminate confusion, ensure safe packaging, and speed up the shipping process.

Shipping supplies quantity

Keep checking on how much stock you have left of your shipping supplies. Ensure that you have ordered enough supplies well in advance of peak sales periods like Christmas and Black Friday. There may be other peak periods during the year, depending on the nature of your business. You will need more supplies on hand during such periods or risk not being able to send out orders in enjoyable time. Ensure that you place your order for these supplies early enough to avoid overwhelming your supplier when others businesses are making similar orders.

Shipping supplies schedule

Ensure that you give yourself enough time to pick out items ordered, package, label, and ship them out. Do not overwhelm yourself or your employees by insisting on same-day shipping. Be reasonable when setting timelines and ensure that you provide accurate information on your website so your clients are aware of how long this process will take. Too tight a timeline may lead to costly mistakes like poor packaging or mislabeling of boxes. Give yourself enough room to carry out orders in an organized manner.

Organize shipping & packaging materials

It can help to speed up the packing process by pre-packing items that are in the highest demand. That way once an order comes in it is just a matter of labeling and sending it out. You can also place goods that are most ordered close to one another in the same section so they can be quickly picked out for packing.

Reducing The Cost Of Your Shipping Supplies

No matter the size of your business, it always makes good business sense to try and keep costs low to maximize profits. Shipping supplies have become an increasingly large part of many business budgets thanks to the surge in e-commerce. More consumers are opting to make their purchases online and wait for their delivery at home. Here are some helpful tips that can be used to limit this expense.

Optimize packaging sizes of shipping supplies

When ordering shipping supplies like boxes, it is advisable to ensure the sizing is a good fit for the range of products you send out. The smaller the size of the packaging, the lower the cost of ordering boxes and the cheaper it will be to ship. Work with your box supplier to have your boxes customized for this purpose.

Using shipping tools and automation

For larger businesses that have many deliveries to effect, automation can help speed up the packaging process and reduce the need to have extra staff just for this function. There are distinct kinds of machines you can incorporate into your operations to take over such mundane and time-consuming tasks as taping and sealing boxes. These machines not only save on the expense of additional workers but can also limit your carbon footprint by ensuring minimal waste is produced. They can also help reduce incidents of workplace injuries by reducing the need for manual handling of shipping tools and make for more precise packaging that will impress customers.

Vary protection in your shipping supplies

While shipping supplies like corrugated boxes do much to protect products while in transit, not all products are made the same. Some are more durable than others and can arrive just as safely at their destination when less protective packaging is used. For instance, single clothing items can often arrive at their destination in the same condition whether in a box or an envelope. Only that an envelope would be cheaper. Consider the range of products you do send out and invest in a variety of options that will allow you to maximize your profit margin while still effecting safe delivery.

Buy shipping supplies in bulk

Buying your supplies in bulk can certainly help reduce costs as box makers and other suppliers are happy to offer discounts on large orders. However, do keep in mind the amount of storage you have on your premises for these supplies. You need to ensure there is enough space for storage while still accommodating other operations and the safety of your employees.

Tips on Lowering Shipping Supply Costs for E-Commerce

shipping and packing materials
With people now increasingly opting to make purchases online, more businesses are being forced to expand into e-commerce to remain competitive. Even with brands that have been staples, it is easy to lose customers if you do not make it possible for them to buy online. However, with online businesses, there is the added cost of shipping to cover. Here are a few ways businesses expanding in this way can keep these costs low through consideration of their shipping & packing materials.

Optimize Box Sizing

It is important to make use of boxes that just fit the contents. The smaller the box, the lower the shipping costs. Shipping companies now factor in size alongside weight when determining shipping costs. Minimizing this aspect helps lower overall shipping costs. Having a good variety of box sizes to work with can help limit this problem.

Packing Safety

Be considerate of the products you are shipping and how best to safely pack them. The more delicate the contents of the box, the more effort you should put towards ensuring they are not damaged in transit. This can mean having to use inserts, filler shipping supplies, and labeling the box as fragile. Keep in mind that if the contents are damaged, you may need to ship again at your own cost, making the transaction less profitable to the business. For more durable products like clothing and books, you can use cheaper packaging options.

Low-Cost Customization

There are various ways you can customize your box design so that it reduces the overall cost of shipping supplies. For instance, instead of making separate labels, you can have the box manufacturer directly print whatever graphics or information you want to communicate on the box. You can also customize the box dimensions to better fit the product, thereby further reducing shipping costs. Keep an eye on new technologies like recycled cardboard that can be used at a lower cost to make boxes. When new kinds of shipping & packing materials come up, sample them to see what effect they may have on your expenses.

Pick and Pack Fulfillment

Where your business tends to receive many orders from distant zones, you may want to consider adopting the pick and pack system. This allows for orders to be fulfilled from warehouses that stock your products at different locations. They become part of the online ordering system and are able to deliver products to clients at a faster rate and lower cost.