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.

Why you Should Customize your Shipping boxes

Customized shipping boxes are still in. with more people clamoring for mailers or even poly bags, some might wonder if mailers are the solution. Simply put, they are still a worthwhile means to really make sure your items get to where they need to go.

But customized shipping boxes enhance the brand engagement, and it’s a trend that will in turn really make your packaging shine.   Personalization creates memorable unboxing experiences, some of which you should take advantage of. Here, we’ll go over some of the reasons for customizing your shipping boxes, and what you can do to make sure that you get the most you can out of your branding experience. 

Exterior and Interior customization

These days, everything can be customized, and this includes the outside and inside. For the outside, you can make a personalized box with your company name, colors, patterns, and other little fun designs. It’s super simple, and really enhances the branding experience. So many people are able to benefit from this type of branding, because it makes the product really stand out in a unique, exciting way.

There is also the interior design. You can add interior graphics to enhance the branding experience. For example, custom prints of the company’s logo and various other information printed on the inner lid works. Some companies also add their mission statement to the foray in order to really build that connection with customers. 

Some may also consider using a unique little message for care instructions to save paper. Again, this is all customized, and something that, for many of the people involved, will really help to ensure that your efforts stand out, and that the efforts are met with the same enthusiasm as before. 

Other fun additives 

There are other fun additives that can be used in order to enhance and reflect your brand identity.

Colors are a big one. Does your brand have colors? Consider using them with your packaging. Even just adding a couple of colors here and there will really make the packaging stand out, and help to engage customers with the product as you wish to have them engage with it.

The second is stickers. Now stickers might not be the first thing you think of using with this, but branded stickers are about to be your best friend. you simply put them on the package, and then use it to close the box, or maybe to help seal the package. Adding them to the tissue paper works too as a way to enhance the brand identity in some cases.

You may also want to use branding inserts. These include designs, little notes and thank-you cards, or any sorts of freebies. You can customize this for every single person that you’re selling to in order to make this really personalized. 

Finally, there are also different packaging designs that reflect your brand identity. Are you an eco-conscious brand? Consider using various sustainable initiatives such as paper that’s sustainable, in order to enhance the experience. You’d be surprised at the difference it makes when you offer some better, more personalized experiences for all that are involved. 

The importance of branding. 

Branding will boost the recognition and enhance the customer satisfaction through packaging that’s thoughtful and means a lot.

It is great for customers, and really bolsters the engagement of the brand. Thoughtful packaging plays a huge role in this, and it can ultimately help turn customers into recurring people who support your business.

The biggest downside is to manage the costs and logistics. When you figure this out though, you will enhance your branding, taking it to the next level. n

Including Packaging in Paid Ads

Advertising has been used to boost packaging and product appeal and has done so for many years. You need to make sure that the product, promotion, price, place, and product packaging are there, especially when marketing.

Advertising costs a lot, and every single brand is trying to make it so that they reach the most customers with the least amount spent.  Packaging is a good way to offer this, so they can properly identify it, and then they’ll be able to talk about you once they get it. 

Virtual Unboxing 

One good way to make your paid advertising pay off, and boosting ROI, is virtual unboxing. 

This is a way for you to show the unboxing of the product, and some visuals, and you can use this on Facebook or Instagram posts that are sponsored. 

This provides customers with a good feeling on what brands are selling, how this looks, and the packaging, including what this holds. 

With unboxing, you’ll be able to make every day, normal sorts of products into something that’s very exciting, and quite fun. 

Did you know that less than 30% of people are actually read by users, so gifs are how you want to communicate. 

New Design Experimentation 

Even before these customers see the designs that you have, you’ll be able to show them how these packaging products and the like are then received by other customers. 

You might wonder why you’d ask customers about this, and if it’d be better to do this through social media, or organic posting.  While they do work to a small degree, the paid ads provide a level of reach that neither method normally does.  This gives customers a chance to target this and are better than just hoping that someone finds you in an organic manner. It’s actually a huge way to drive business to your company. 

For instance, some companies may have their initial designs that are there, but as the brand changed, they added different visuals that are there. 

One company kept a bit of the original identity of the brand, so that customers could find them, and were able to identify these products. 

Subscription Box Product Showcase s 

Finally, you can use packaging to showcase subscription boxes.  For some companies, packaging is very important for them to find these products.

Ecommerce as well is god as well, because there is a limit to the amount of contact that you get to have with customers. That means, you need to make sure that the presence is the highest tier that it can be. 

With the correct packaging, you’re building the first impression that clients have, and is something that a lot of customers will start to see. 

You want to make sure as well that you have the right types of budgeting that you can get for this.  If you don't have a large budget, don't worry.  You can boost this growth rate as things get better. 

Provide Good Information and Visuals 

When you’re building an ad campaign, two things that you need to make sure that you do, in order to get your packaging to advertise for you, is to have good copy, content, and visuals that really pop.

You want to make sure that customers get everything they need without having to do a google on just who you are. 

Provide this information in the sense that the next step of the customer would be to get them to press the shop button and buy something off the website. That’s the ultimate goal, and if you hit that, you win the game of ecommerce.

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.