Tim Story Shares His insights on Shipping Services For Small Businesses

Tim Story has experience of 28 years in the transportation management system. He is currently the executive vice president of freight operations at Unishippers. He observed shipping practices from a very early age. He noted how most of the work was done manually by his father and grandfather. Pricing was also a major issue back then. In the present, every bit of information is easily accessible due to technological advancements. The implementation of tech helped small businesses to make their shipping process economical and effective.

Let’s elaborate on the Steps that should be taken while choosing a shipping carrier for your business.

It is suggested to partner with a reliable carrier. A lot of research should go into this, as this is the crucial point of the process. At first, a collection of references is to be made acquired from clients and trustworthy companies. It is advisable to choose a carrier that provides the option of tracking and tracing. This feature provides better transparency and control of the shipment with the ability to locate any package at any point in time.

It is important to get an idea about the resources of the handpicked carrier. Carriers are different from each other based on the type of shipping service it offers. It is recommended to understand the specific type of shipping service required for the goods involved in the business. To ask the carrier about their experience and capability of moving the goods in your business is a must. An inquiry should be made on the safety measures taken by the carrier during transit.

One should ensure that the carrier is compliant to the specific standards set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The checklist of this organization demands the carriers to have renewed insurance, file specific registrations, updated documents along with compliance to safety standards. A carrier with poor compliance rating should not be the first choice.

Every carrier has its own liability programs. Research should be done to understand the limits of liability. It is not to be assumed that the carrier’s liability program will cover the charges for damage in transit.

If there is a requirement to ship goods at a specific date, then the business should opt for a carrier that offers guaranteed delivery services and not only rely on estimated date of delivery from other carriers.

Now comes the steps NOT to take while choosing a carrier for a small-scale business.

It is suggested to not overlook the insurance of your package. It is important in the sense that once it is shipped, it is handled by many people on different modes of transport. So a possible human error can lead to the loss or damage to your goods. If your package is insured, a complete refund of the value of the package misplaced will be made.

Every country has different rules and regulations imposed on the type and size of good that can be shipped in that country. So it is not advisable to assume every type of product can be shipped anywhere. Consultation with the carrier before shipping a package is a good option.

Packing is an important factor, and proper packaging is mandatory before shipping a package. The best way to ensure proper packing is to tape the opening and seams of the box with brown reinforced packing tape. Reuse of shipping boxes for economic reasons is not a good option as the structural integrity of cardboard boxes reduce with every shipment.

A business should not compromise on the quality of services provided by the carrier. Investment on a moderately high-cost carrier service is preferred as air transfers involve less handling and top priority is given to goods on board, saving hours of time.

Shipping can cost a business lot of money due to inconsistency, delays, and damage to goods. Tim Story believes the above pointers if taken into consideration will work out almost perfectly for small businesses who are sensitive to the high cost of expenditure on availing high-quality shipping services.

Eco Friendly Inks and how they Revolutionize Packaging

There are tons of great ways to be eco-friendly. You can get boxes that are sustainable, encourage people to recycle, or even enhance your packaging with bioplastics if you try to get people to toss away the plastic so they break down.

But what about printing? What a lot of people forget is printing is not very sustainable unless you take matters into your own hands and implement sustainable means.   This type of packaging for design plays a critical part in how many types of customers look at your packaging.

Traditional inks are made with petroleum, which isn’t sustainable.   This has created a negative impact in terms of our carbon emissions.. However, with sustainable plastics and inks, we’re able to reduce our carbon footprints, and using eco-friendly printing techniques really shows you care about the environment. 

What Eco Friendly Inks Entail 

Eco friendly inks are inks that won’t completely destroy the environment.

These tend to be soy-based, such as through soybeans, or water-based, where with water and various processes it creates the inks that are there. algae -based inks are another, where, through algae, you’re able to print on a medium. This can be great for a lot of customers, especially if they want to reduce their carbon emissions.

Regular printing uses petroleum, which is not sustainable.   It also releases volatile organic compounds to the air, which increases greenhouse gasses.   Basically, it’ll just cause more pollution. 

It doesn’t break down either, which further aggravated the problem.

But with eco-friendly inks, you’re reducing the emissions that you have, and also putting out less pollution. A little goes a long way with this, and it can be great for ensuring that your eco-friendly items are in the correct area. 

Overall, you want to consider this for your packaging, especially when printing out certain items. 

The Benefits and Challenges 

A lot of eco-friendly inks are great for reducing toxic waste. There's so much waste already in the environment that you want to use practices that are safe and sustainable, so you’ll definitely want to use this.

You’ll find that with this, you’re able to reduce pollution, at least through your practices.   

With this as well, you’ll also be able to tell customers about the sustainability efforts that are there. While it may seem like a small thing, customers do pay attention when you just have sustainable printing practices. Who knows, maybe others will as well be able to see your results and also get on board the train to sustainability.

There are some challenges that come with this type of packaging, especially with the inks. For starters, they’re a new type of ink for the items at hand.   It does cost a lot more than regular printing, and isn't as readily available. So, if you plan to use this, bear in mind you might need to shoulder the costs for the sustainable alternatives.

Thue other downside is the compatibility that this has with the current packaging that you have. With eco-friendly inks, they don’t work on all types of packaging. Paper yes, but if you’re using plastics, it’s less likely to work. If you’re using a plastic-based packaging, consider switching to alternatives, and also consider as well adjusting the inks that you have with those packaging materials.

Food, cosmetics, and apparel do benefit from this type of packaging, and you’ll be grateful that you have this. consider sustainable inks for your packaging needs, and see for yourself the profound impact that this type of packaging has for you, and the results of your sustainable efforts on customer perception of your brand.

Packaging Trends Shaping the Industry

 E Commerce is a growing and thriving type of industry, but it also is becoming more oversaturated with different sellers. While there are a lot of great strategies, the details are a big part of it.. You want to focus on all facets in order to boost the experience, making sure you set this apart from the rest.

With that said, what are the current and latest trends in the realm of ecommerce? Here, we’ll go over them, and tell you what you should be aware of in order to boost your  business. 

Sustainable Packaging 

Probably one of the biggest ones is sustainable packaging solutions.  This is because it’s something that customers look for.

Below are some of the new innovations that are being used within the packaging world to create better packaging solutions: 

• Biodegradable items: this is important because it lets you switch out from plastic to let you have something that’s easier on the planet, and also on your wallet too 

• Paper based items, such as paper Bublé paper protectives will help with protecting the items you have during transit, and reducing the plastic that’s used 

• Better packaging designs, to reduce the amount of materials that are used. This inevitably saved a lot of money while also reducing the impact on the environment 

• Organic types of packaging, such as fungi, mushrooms, and even cornstarch. They’re biodegradable, and are more ethically sourced than a plastic or paper type of packaging 

Customized Packaging 

There are also new ways to customize the packaging that you have than ever thought possible. 

Below are some of the newest trends in customized packaging design: 

• The logo, which allows you to incorporate all of this there to make sure that customers remember just who you are, and the brand associated with you for your next session 

• Colors, especially bolded colors that really stand out, and are used to craft a more cohesive, better branding image 

• Instructions, especially special instructions for opening and handling. Customized packaging ensures that the items are best handled with the right care and attention 

• Social media additions, as they allow you to make sure that people follow you after they get the packaging, providing a better update on the product releases that are there 

Better Protection 

Another popular trend that is becoming more important is getting better protection while also not sacrificing the financial costs associated with this, and also for protecting different products such as metal and other items. 

VIC paper for example, is one of the few that’s created a barrier for a lot of items. There are desiccants too, which create barriers of air around this to prevent water, oxygen, and even dirt from touching those products as they’re being transported. 

Oxygen and water are used to stimulate rust formation in some metal items, and this can cause a major disdain for the customers.  It also boosts the return of products which you don’t want. 

VCI packaging is good for protection of brand images, and also ensures that customers are satisfied too. 

When choosing the right product packaging, you want to make sure that you consider these trends. There are a lot of great ones to choose from, and a lot of options to decide on. If you’re looking for a new and improved packaging experience, take a moment to look at the trends, and from there, decide if any of them are made for your needs, or if you need something different for you to work on instead, in order to create the ideal packaging protection and experience possible.