What Logistics, Warehouse & Fulfillment Companies Need To Know…

Introduction

Unless you are a logistics expert, it can be hard to know what you need in terms of logistics for your business. The truth is that there are many different components that go into making sure your products get from A to B—and most of them aren’t even related to boxes or trucks! In this article, I will discuss the importance of choosing the right shipping carrier and label printer, as well as some other important areas such as inventory management and packaging materials. Let’s get started!

Know Your Inventory

It’s important to know your inventory. What is inventory? It’s the goods you have in stock, ready to sell or distribute. How do you calculate inventory? That depends on the type of business you’re running–if it’s a warehouse or logistics company, there are different ways to go about it than if it’s an ecommerce site or brick-and-mortar store.

How do I track my inventory? Tracking your company’s assets (including raw materials) can help keep costs down by ensuring that any unnecessary items aren’t being bought when they aren’t needed; this also helps prevent theft by employees who may take advantage of their position as an opportunity for personal gain at work. If things get stolen from my facility regularly enough, I might want someone else watching over what comes into our building so nothing gets taken without anyone noticing until after they’ve been sold off somewhere else first! Managers should always keep tabs on what goes in through their doors so nothing slips past them unnoticed.”

Choose Your Shipping Carrier

When choosing a shipping carrier, there are several factors to consider. The first is reliability. You want to make sure that your packages will be delivered on time and in good condition. You also want to find a carrier that offers affordable rates so that you can keep costs down while still offering fast and efficient service to customers.

Some companies choose their own carriers while others use third-party services like UPS or FedEx for all their orders. This can be beneficial because it allows them more control over the process but also increases their workload if they have multiple clients with different needs who require different types of shipping services (such as ground or air). If you decide not use your own carrier, then you should research different options so that when an order comes through from one customer they aren’t using an entirely different type of service than another customer who placed an order around the same time frame!

Label and Package Your Products Properly

• Labels should be clear and easy to read.
• Labels should be placed on the outside of the box, where they can easily be read by a shipping carrier and/or consumer.
• Labels should not be covered up by other packaging materials (such as bubble wrap).

The goal is for your product’s label to stand out from its surroundings so that it doesn’t get lost in transit or at home when being unpacked by your customer!

Use the Right Packaging Materials

There are many different types of packaging materials and it’s important to choose the right one for your products.

For example, if you’re shipping books and DVDs, bubble wrap is a great choice because it will protect them from getting damaged in transit. If you’re shipping fragile items like china or glassware, then bubble wrap isn’t ideal–you’ll want something more sturdy like foam peanuts or corrugated cardboard.

When choosing your packaging material there are several things to consider:

• How heavy is my product? If it’s light enough to be shipped via USPS First Class Mail (under 16 ounces), then bubble wrap might work just fine! But if it weighs over 16 ounces (or if I’m trying to ship internationally), then I need something sturdier like corrugated cardboard or foam peanuts.* What kind of space do I have available at my fulfillment center? Some fulfillment centers have limited storage space which means they may not be able to accept certain types of packages.* What kind of condition does my product arrive in? If someone drops off a package full of glass bottles without any protection whatsoever–and doesn’t even bother sealing them inside plastic bags first–then chances are good those bottles won’t make it through delivery unscathed!

Get Digital With Data Tracking Systems

When you’re getting your warehouse and logistics operations in order, it’s important to have a system that can track all of your shipments. The system should be able to do the following:

• Track inbound and outbound shipments, so you know what is being shipped and when
• Track inventory levels across all locations, so you don’t run out of stock in any one place
• Be used to track returns and refunds (and exchanges) as well as customer data like addresses and phone numbers

Efficient, effective logistics are critical to running a successful online store.

Efficient, effective logistics are critical to running a successful online store. As a retailer, you need to ensure that your products get to customers quickly and safely. Your logistics partner will handle all aspects of the delivery process from start to finish–from picking up the product at the manufacturer or distributor’s location, transporting it through multiple channels (air freight, trucking etc.), delivering it directly to your customers’ doorsteps and collecting payment for those deliveries.

That sounds pretty straightforward right? Well not really…it gets tricky when we look at all the different variables involved in getting those packages where they need to go:

Conclusion

In short, your shipping and fulfillment strategy can make or break your business. It’s important to take the time to research all of the options available to you, so that you can make an informed decision about what kind of logistics company will work best for your needs.