Category: Boston Fulfillment Services

Posted on

How Your e-Commerce Store Can Effectively Compete with Amazon

How Your e-Commerce Store Can Effectively Compete with Amazon

When it comes to e-Commerce and fulfillment warehouse operations, does it seem like all digital roads lead to Amazon? On its face, Amazon’s infrastructure can be intimidating, and few companies have the financial resources to afford losing money, as Amazon does with its free delivery.

This doesn’t mean your e-Commerce store has to raise the white flag. You might not be able to beat Amazon at its own game, but there’s still room for you to stake your place in the e-Commerce market.

Here are some expert tips for claiming your own share of the digital marketplace.

1. Find Your Sweet Spot

Amazon may try to be all things to all people, but that doesn’t mean they’re successful at all of them. Find the area where you’re better than they are and concentrate your efforts on dominating that segment.

2. Be Proactive with Shipping

If you offer free shipping or other perks simply as a response to Amazon and other companies, it comes off as an attempt to follow the crowd rather than truly satisfy customers. Find out what your target market expects from shipping and deliver an experience beyond that.

3. Offer a Subscription Service

Making a sale is just part of the job. Repeat customers are your bread and butter. Create a subscription service, whether it’s for recurring product shipments or an annual program like Amazon Prime. Subscription services keep your customers engaged and help to establish ongoing relationships.

4. Make Technology Your Friend

Convenience is the major benefit of online shopping. Consumers don’t have to leave their home (or even their pajamas) to purchase anything – from groceries to furniture. Make sure you’re taking advantage of the full power of technology to offer a level of convenience that keeps customers coming back time and time again.

5. Build Your Brand

Customers love Amazon for many reasons, but a personal connection is not one of them. Amazon’s brand may stand for features such as price, selection and shipping, but those qualities don’t resonate emotionally with consumers. Identify what makes your company unique and use it in all your marketing.

6. It’s All About Customer Service

Studies show that two-thirds of customers who leave a company do so because they don’t believe the company cares about them. Customer service is one area where Amazon’s size puts them at a disadvantage. Put yourself above them and the rest of your competition by proving superior customer service with a personal touch.

Medallion: Your Amazon Fulfillment Alternative That Gives You Back Control

If you are already selling on Amazon or are considering selling on Amazon, make sure to ask us how Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics can be your own personal “Amazon-Like Warehouse”.

We can ship your products to replenish Amazon stock levels and allow you to continue to sell on your own website. It is important to know that when you use Amazon as your fulfillment resource, Amazon does not share customer email addresses with you. The customers remain customers of Amazon. This action prevents you, and other small niche businesses, from getting repeat sales and from marketing to your own customers; impacting repeat business. This is particularly important for sellers of consumables who would love to establish a long and fruitful relationship with clients.

Having an account with Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics and Amazon can be a win/win proposition. Medallion’s warehouse storage fees are considerably less than those that Amazon will charge and you get access to your own customer information.

Growing your sales requires full concentration. Let our Los Angeles-based California fulfillment warehouse handle your order processing and shipping needs, including cross-docking, credit card processing and telephone customer support.

Contact Medallion to learn more about our fulfillment warehouse services and how they can be customized to fit your needs.

Posted on

Today’s Networking – Our Tips on Moving Beyond the Digital Scene

Medallion is a California Based Fulfillment Company

Successful networking has always been the foundation of creating avenues to fulfill both personal and professional goals. While digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter make it easier to connect, forging a genuine relationship is still at the heart of building your network. This means making sure you add face-to-face networking opportunities to your schedule too.

So, do you have to be an extrovert or create a phony persona to make these connections? More importantly, once a relationship has been started, how do you nurture it to the fullest extent? Here are some of our favorite tips for effective networking in a digital world.

Good Networking Is a Win-Win Proposition

Networking is intended to open new doors to you, but look at it from the other person’s perspective. He or she is also pursuing potential opportunities. As legendary motivational speaker Zig Ziglar put it, you’ll get what you want once you help enough other people get what they want.

Psychologist Robert Cialdini wrote about the concept of reciprocity, which means people tend to give back to those who give to them. Even a simple gesture like buying someone a cup of coffee can inspire them to return the favor.

Share Your Network

As with many other concepts, networking is about quality, not quantity. According to evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, 150 is the approximate ceiling of the number of meaningful relationships we can maintain at any given time.

Forming quality relationships is the key to maximizing your network. For example, you may not have a social media specialist in your network, but your connections have well-rounded networks of their own, so they can make referrals when needed.

Branch Out

Branding is no longer just for corporations. Creating and growing your personal brand makes you stand out by establishing your unique value and skills.

Multifaceted people are more compelling than one-dimensional individuals. The more you become involved in “extracurricular” activities such as blogging or running a side business, the more others will be drawn to you.

Meet Face-to-Face

As deeply entrenched as social media has become, it still can’t take the place of personal interaction. Make it a point to attend offline networking events that are focused on your interests in order to create local connections in addition to your online connections.

• While the events may occur in real time, online sites such as Meetup and Facebook Events are a great way to discover what’s going on in your area.

• Get the most out of your time by attending workshops, seminars and talks where you can learn something in addition to networking with others.

• Business cards may seem old-school, but they’re still a more personal and memorable way to exchange information when you do meet face-to-face.

Save Time and Money with Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

Do you have your hands full trying to network and also coordinate inventory levels, order processing and logistics? Contact Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics to learn how we can give you back more hours in your day so you’ll have time to make networking work for you.

Posted on

Not All Website Traffic is Equal – How to Get More High Quality Traffic

Learn About the Amazon Effect

Are you confusing high website traffic counts with high-quality website traffic? If you take a look at the numbers from your ecommerce website, you’ll quickly see all traffic is not created equal. You need the right people – the right demographic, the right segment – to do more than take a Sunday drive through your site – you need them to buy-in.

How Can You Attract More High-Quality Website Traffic to your Online Store?

There are a number of ways you can accomplish this, each targeting a specific genre of people. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular and well-known options.

• Blogs

Blogs pull-in traffic via educational material, FAQs, and industry trends. 409-million browsers view more than 22-billion blog pages monthly, generating an average of 76-million posts and 42-million comments on WordPress alone.

How many do you need? Those blogging 16-times+ monthly generate 3.5-times more traffic than those blogging 4-times or less. But you’ll need a strategic plan. Pro-Advice: Don’t waste precious time and energy if this isn’t your wheelhouse; enlist the help of content marketing professionals who understands the ever-changing dynamics of SEO.

• Social Media

Social media channels are endless. The biggest? Facebook, with over 2-billion active monthly users, and Twitter, with 286.3-million. Facebook encompasses a broader segment, where by-and-large, Twitter is more popular with young adults. Like blogging, targeting quality traffic here takes time, research, and effort. Pick 1-2 channels that make the most sense.

The goal? It’s not attracting users waiting around for a “flash-sale” – but providing a virtual hangout for your target demographic. Don’t get it? Checkout this Twitter page to understand more.

• Video

Video is exploding, with YouTube dominating the market (1-billion+ users). All-ages use it – and it reaches 95% of online adults 35+ per month. With such a massive audience, choosing keywords that send you to the top of search results (getting you to your key demographic) is mission-critical – so do your homework!

• Podcasts

Podcasting opens you up to a wide variety of end-users, but is isn’t necessarily optimized to net traffic. There’s no call-to-action – its corresponding show notes, blogging and social posts that drive marketing, with the end goal of building brand awareness and loyalty (regular listeners/customers).

Remarkable Content Generates a Remarkable Link to Consumers

Key to getting items from cyberspace to your fulfillment warehouse is content quality that appeals to relevant consumers. Content that simply fills digital space won’t rise to the top. You must strive to help buyers through their journey, exploring issues they’ll encounter in the research process, promoting the nurturing relationship they crave and winning them over as to why doing business with you is in their best interest.

Spending money and time on ho-hum, keyword-focused content won’t get you there. Work backwards, providing content that confronts issues customers face – or problems your products solve, standing-out by providing insight/solutions others don’t.

Things picking up? From drawing customers in to getting product out the door, Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics has you covered. Discover more about our versatile fulfillment warehouse solutions today.

Posted on

USPS Holiday Shipping Rate Increases

USPS has raised rates.

We have received notification from the United States Postal Service that shipping prices will temporarily increase on October 18, 2020 until December 27, 2020. These increases are being enacted due to the higher shipping traffic from the pandemic and the expected increase in holiday shipping volume. Read more information.

FEDEX and UPS Shipping Rates

UPS has also announced rate updates due to pandemic shipping volume and extra handling.

FedEx has certain surcharges already enacted but has not announced holiday rate increases at this time.

As we know more, we will communicate any updates to you in our newsletter.

Posted on

Today’s Networking – Our Tips on Moving Beyond the Digital Scene

Successful networking has always been the foundation of creating avenues to fulfill both personal and professional goals. While digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter make it easier to connect, forging a genuine relationship is still at the heart of building your network. This means making sure you add face-to-face networking opportunities to your schedule too.

So, do you have to be an extrovert or create a phony persona to make these connections? More importantly, once a relationship has been started, how do you nurture it to the fullest extent? Here are some of our favorite tips for effective networking in a digital world.

Good Networking Is a Win-Win Proposition

Networking is intended to open new doors to you, but look at it from the other person’s perspective. He or she is also pursuing potential opportunities. As legendary motivational speaker Zig Ziglar put it, you’ll get what you want once you help enough other people get what they want.

Psychologist Robert Cialdini wrote about the concept of reciprocity, which means people tend to give back to those who give to them. Even a simple gesture like buying someone a cup of coffee can inspire them to return the favor.

Share Your Network

As with many other concepts, networking is about quality, not quantity. According to evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, 150 is the approximate ceiling of the number of meaningful relationships we can maintain at any given time.

Forming quality relationships is the key to maximizing your network. For example, you may not have a social media specialist in your network, but your connections have well-rounded networks of their own, so they can make referrals when needed.

Branch Out

Branding is no longer just for corporations. Creating and growing your personal brand makes you stand out by establishing your unique value and skills.

Multifaceted people are more compelling than one-dimensional individuals. The more you become involved in “extracurricular” activities such as blogging or running a side business, the more others will be drawn to you.

Meet Face-to-Face

As deeply entrenched as social media has become, it still can’t take the place of personal interaction. Make it a point to attend offline networking events that are focused on your interests in order to create local connections in addition to your online connections.

• While the events may occur in real time, online sites such as Meetup and Facebook Events are a great way to discover what’s going on in your area.

• Get the most out of your time by attending workshops, seminars and talks where you can learn something in addition to networking with others.

• Business cards may seem old-school, but they’re still a more personal and memorable way to exchange information when you do meet face-to-face.

Save Time and Money with Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

Do you have your hands full trying to network and also coordinate inventory levels, order processing and logistics? Contact Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics to learn how we can give you back more hours in your day so you’ll have time to make networking work for you.