Shipping Tips for Small Businesses
Now that you’ve shipped all of your holiday orders, you may have lots of ideas about how you want to handle things differently for the next busy holiday season: Valentine’s Day.
I read a very good article in Gourmet Retailer, December, 2006 issue: “Shipping & Packaging: Thinking Inside the Box”. Author James Mellgren has great ideas for setting up your shipping and gift wrapping departments. This article is also available on Gourmet Retailer’s on-line magazine.
One of author’s best ideas is to invite a representative from your carrier (UPS, FedEX, etc) to come in for a meeting with your shipping manager and any other employees involved in shipping. At this meeting, you can show the representative the products that you typically ship, especially the fragile items. Also be prepared to show the packing materials that you use including boxes, fillers, padding, and tapes. You can even pack up some of your most popular products and ask for feedback about how those are packed or what other ideas the representative might have.
This meeting also offers the opportunity to make sure you have all the information and forms that you will need to file damage claims. Find out who you should call in case of damage and all the steps you will need to follow.
Make sure you read this article for informative suggestions about setting up a gift wrapping department too. This service is one that can set you apart from other businesses.
Check out your carrier’s web site for more information about good shipping practices.
Add comment December 26th, 2006
