Your first goal should always be deciding exactly who your target market is. Once you have this in mind, you are sure to notice that other aspects of your business just seem to fall into place. The same should be true of your retail distribution system. If you are planning to offer your products to the retail public in addition to or even instead of the wholesale market then you need to ensure that your system is in place and ready to go before you even open the doors.
While wholesale customers tend to be a bit more patient those who are purchasing in a retail type environment tend to want their purchases immediately. This means you need a strong retail distribution system in place to track all orders, shipping needs and even backorders to keep your customers informed and your business flowing.
Simply deciding that once a week you will package and ship products will likely leave you with a mountain of unhappy customers, an upset shipping company that is suddenly bombarded with packages and you running around frantically trying to locate a product that was ordered. This is never a good idea and will result in either your business failing, or coming close to failing, there is a much better way to handle things which can improve your business and of course sales.
You should first take some time to decide exactly what days you are going to ship on. Then take the time to let your shipping company know so you can schedule pick-ups on those days. This saves you the hassle of having to load up packages and take then to your shipping company. Let them come to you and save a ton of time. Additionally, you need to look at all of your products and decide what you need in order to package and ship everything.
Retail distribution tends to encourage you to use nicer looking packaging since you are trying to make a good impression on your customer. However, never spend too much on supplies since you need to control costs while still providing a nice "wow" touch. As you move along for the shipping supplies, you are going to need tape, labels, boxes, and even packaging materials to protect your products from damage while in transit. Additionally, invoices and packing slips may also be helpful to include so having all of this on hand before you start shipping is helpful. Read more about distribution management at http://www.managementdistribution.com
You need to also work out a specific area where you pack orders. This will allow you to create a flow to your packing that will enable it to go much faster and ensure that all customers receive a properly packed box, rather than their items just randomly tossed into a box. Remember, in retail business presentation is a lot of your image and you need to project a good image to customers in order to gather repeat business. From your packing area, you should also be able to devote some space for completed orders that are just waiting on the shipping company to pick them up. The entire process smoothes over your time simplifies your life and improves your business all in a few easy steps.
Article source: Ezinearticles.com
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