Is it even possible not to get excited about shipping?
Subscription business, despite its occasional challenges, brings a lot of joy, primarily through an ongoing, fulfilling connection with the subscribers.
Although you may not be there to see your customer’s face when their package arrives, you can still enjoy the moment when those lovely boxes start off on their journey. It’s so exciting to finally experience the thrill of letting your boxes out into the world!
However, the processes related to shipping can certainly be challenging – assembling, packing, labeling, and the final act of sending the boxes. Therefore, monthly shipping might turn into a confusion fest, despite its obvious charm. It could even feel overwhelming, especially for beginners, starting out in the subscription business.
By mastering and optimizing the entire process of preparing the shipment and shipping itself, whether you’re a subscription business newbie or an experienced business person, it will save you a lot of money, time, and nerves.
Each of the mentioned stages (assembling, packing, labeling, sending, and the organization bits in between) can be fine tuned and polished.
Not to mention how nicely packed and safely shipped boxes will improve your customer’s experience. Of course, the subscribers’ mind-boggling thrill is what we wish to achieve, and we will not settle for anything less, right?
Shipping is much more than the the mere sending of boxes to your customers. Actually, there are two major processes:
In the first process, internal operations, there are plenty of activities you need to handle as a business owner and we sincerely hope this guide will make them all easier.
It might seem strange that we’ll ramble about the design while untangling these internal operations. What does design have to do with shipping? – you might ask. The truth is, it’s crucial, just like all the other elements – carrier choice, fulfillment, packing, labeling, etc.
Each of them is made of various elements and require specific attention. Not doing any of them right, might cost you – with damaged boxes, returns and general customer unhappiness.
Knowing all this, pay particular attention to every step of your preparations for shipping.
Weeks and even months before the actual moment of shipping, your preparation for it should begin. As it often shows in life, it’s much better to think ahead than to suffer the consequences later on.
Not the brightest pearl of wisdom, we know, but you’ll surely benefit from reading this guide and preparing for everything on time.
The preparation phase for the shipping process begins with designing the package. First, make sure that the packaging and a style of your boxes is accommodated to the products you’re sending. As an example, nothing is worse than an overloaded box, nearly bursting from inside.
Actually, there is something worse than that – the way shipping takes its toll on your boxes. Parental advisory, this gif is not recommended for the easily agitated readers:
Ouch.
Make sure to plan your packaging, choose the right size and shape, and do whatever is in your power to protect the products inside. The goal is to ensure care-free shipping, that ultimately results in an extraordinary pleasant customer experience.
The types of products will find their way into your boxes matters. And the size matters too. Truth to say, the process of procurement is the most crucial step when it comes to box designing.
When we say designing, it goes way beyond the outer printing or visual appearance, the term design embraces all the physical aspects of a box.
When it comes to the type and size of products, these are the questions to consider at this phase of preparation for shipping:
Don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the shoulder for thinking ahead in your subscription business. While structuring the box, your sharp mind is already outsmarting the challenges of shipping, how cool is that?
Spontaneously, we slowly dove into the topic of safety. It’s needless to point out the importance of keeping your subscription boxes and all the products inside safe and sound during the shipping process!
Luckily, there is a lot you can do in order to prevent unnecessary issues and headaches:
The next thing you should consider is how your package looks like. Not so much how it looks like while peacefully stored, waiting to be shipped, but how it will look when it arrives at the subscriber’s doorstep.
Another thing to think about is what your boxes look like from a distance, what makes them distinctive and noticeable. But, let’s take it one step at a time…
A good carrier is the pillar of every subscription business.
No matter how hard you work on preparations for shipping, if the job your carrier does is not satisfactory, all that effort could be in vain. Now, once you have the perfect clearance on the endurance and a wonderful look for your subscription boxes, it is time to wisely choose the carrier.
Those strong and reliable hands will be responsible for delivering the boxes, undamaged and preserved, to your eager subscribers.
Choose sensibly and do not assume that anyone is your only choice. There are many carrier services available, feel free to consider consolidators as well.
There are two types of consolidators can help you out through this challenge: parcel consolidators and delivery services. Think beyond the big carriers, because there’s no guarantee that you’ll be satisfied even though their service is widely known.
Have you found your perfect carrier service yet? If you did, don’t let it go!
Joking aside, a high-quality shipping service is what your amazing subscription business deserves, so do not play small. Make sure that all of the above elements are satisfied. This will distinguish you from the sea of competitors and finally, make your customers happier.
Let us begin with the first process, the fulfillment, as it could either feel fulfilling (ha, see what we did there?) or generally unpleasant. Keep in mind that this process could be outsourced or in-house, and you should choose the option that suits your business the best. Whatever the case, your packages should be handled with care and caution.
Also, the area where the fulfillment is conducted should be organized, practical, and convenient.
We’ll gladly cover certain aspects you should consider in this part of the shipping preparations. Focus on these and the entire process should go much smoother:
Speaking of aesthetics, if you have some printed materials for your packages, consider prioritizing them or even handling them separately. Product integrity is also important, so observe how much the products are moved around during the fulfillment and packaging operations.
Of course, try to minimize the moving as much as possible.
As you can clearly see, fulfillment and packaging also contains some challenges that need to be solved. Preparation is the half of the mastery, but in some cases, it is difficult to handle all alone. Other obstacles also appear and it might feel overwhelming to satisfy every need and solve every issue.
That is why you should…
There is nothing shameful in looking for a little help, especially when it comes to operations and logistics behind (before) shipping. The title of this article seems scary enough, we understand.
So, freely reach out for help if you happen to realize you need it. This smart move could save you a lot of nerves, time, and even money. True, you’d still have to pay for various services throughout the pre-shipping and shipping activities, but having someone reliable and trustworthy could prevent other issues.
Besides the obvious advantage a subscription business newbie would gain with a shipping partnership, there’s another excellent opportunity. You see, those professionals might have direct access to better conditions and, most importantly, shipping prices.
A chance to save some dollars? Bring it on.
Errors and difficulties of all kinds happen, that’s the nature of life (and business). But, if something turns bad, keep in mind that the fulfillment centers can handle common errors with no additional cost. Finally, if you determine that partnering with someone for shipping operations might help you out, then consider this option.
Do the research, as having someone else handle your products requires a major investment, not only when it comes to money, but also your trust, your time, and your precious boxes.
Make sure that this is the right option for you.
Bit by bit, we got to the closing section of our comprehensive guide to operations and logistics behind shipping. In the final part of this guide, we touch the very tip of the iceberg – labelling and printing.
As the actual moment of shipping approaches, the topic of labelling becomes important. You can find broad and deep guides on printing and labelling, as well as guides to generally everything that has to do with the appearance of subscription boxes, in our blog. Feel free to explore them, as they will provide useful insights you can almost instantly use in your business.
Now, how is labelling and printing connected to preparations for shipping? Not in many ways, true, but there are certain aspects you should consider:
In this guide covering the internal logistics and operations prior to actual shipping, we focused on these complex, but hopefully now simplified topics:
True, preparation for shipping can be challenging, especially if you’re just starting out in the beautiful jungle of subscription business entrepreneurship.
We hope that these tips made your journey easier and stay tuned, because we are just warming up!
Running a subscription business is a rollercoaster of learning, trying, experimenting and evolving. But, do not give up, no matter how difficult it may seem and feel free to ask us – is there anything you’d like us to cover in these extensive guides?
We’d be glad to help!
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