The Future of Ecommerce: Why Startups Should Partner with Third Party Logistics Providers

ecommerce startup fulfillment company

With Ecommerce startups, the automatic inclination is to keep costs down by doing everything in-house. In reality, your fledgling business can benefit from teaming up with experienced companies that provide crucial functions. Consider these valuable advantages that are gained by partnering with third party logistics providers.

1. Cost Savings

It may sound counterintuitive that hiring a 3PL can actually save money. But as with any good investment, the initial investment pays off over time.

  • Thanks to their volume of business, third party logistics providers have significant clout when it comes to negotiating prices with shippers.
  • Operating a warehouse, especially when you’re unsure about what you need, is an expensive proposition. A 3PL offers an economical alternative by charging you only for the space you use.

2. Inventory Management

You dream of a rapid increase in orders, but maintaining an efficient inventory flow can be a real nightmare. A first-rate 3PL incorporates barcodes, scanners, and other high-tech tools for accurate inventory tracking.

3. Customer Service

It takes only one unsatisfactory experience to lose a customer forever. The staff at a 3PL can reliably create a superior customer experience, from processing the order to handling returns.

4. Scalability

Avoid growing pains by partnering with a 3PL that can accommodate your needs, including seasonal fluctuations, as your business develops. You also gain more time to work on new products and improvements without impacting fulfillment of current orders.

5. Technology and Metrics

How do you know if you’re meeting your goals, or you need a course correction? 3PLs use sophisticated software that tracks advanced metrics, such as order revenues and sales by channel, in real time.

Your Success Is Our Success

At Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics, our number one goal is to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

Top Tips for Building a Business Plan for an Online Clothing Store

eCommerce Clothing Store Business Plan

Everyone wears clothing of one type or another, making it an attractive offering for an online store. That doesn’t mean you can partner with a fulfillment warehouse, then just sit back and watch the sales roll in. Use these helpful questions to craft a business plan that will establish your framework for success.

1. How viable is your business?

Clothing is a broad category with countless competitors in the field. Look for a niche, such as vintage clothing or children’s products, that will let you focus on a particular market.

2. Establish a mission.

What do you hope to accomplish with your clothing store? What sets your business apart from others? Your mission statement should tell people exactly who you are and what makes you different from your competitors.

3. Use a SWOT analysis.

SWOT is an acronym for “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.” This analysis helps you determine what qualities you should emphasize and what measures you need to take to overcome the competition.

4. Determine your business structure.

Business laws set forth several different options, such as sole proprietorship or limited liability company (LLV), for operating a business. Each option has implications for liability, taxes, and other important factors. Consult an attorney to decide which choice is best for you.

5. Keep it simple.

Don’t fall into the trap of using lots of jargon, technical terms, and buzzwords to make your plan sound “intelligent.” Stick with simple, everyday language that can be easily understood by any potential reader.

Make Our Fulfillment Warehouse Part of Your Business Plan

We have extensive experience working alongside eCommerce retailers selling just about any type of product. Let us put our knowledge and capabilities to work for you. Contact us at Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics to learn more.

Brand Building to Boost Business

Social Commerce

A brand, such as Starbucks or Apple, is much more than just a name. Branding encompasses all the thoughts, feelings and emotions people experience when they hear the words “Starbucks” or “Apple.”

Your brand represents the commitment you make to your customers through your product or service. Is your business trendy or classic? Who is your target audience? What is your mission?

Building a brand requires careful thought and consideration. Use these guidelines to create a brand that’s unique, memorable and appealing.

Seven Tips for Creating a Vivid and Memorable Brand

• Figure out who your target audience is. Learn more about their wants, needs and shopping habits by talking to them and following relevant social media accounts.

• Develop a positioning statement. You’ll be tempted to include everything but the kitchen sink, but communicating too much ultimately communicates nothing at all. Stay focused and craft one or two lines that sum up why your business matters.

• Choose a business name, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. If the name is too on-the-nose, it could be awkward if you plan to expand your offerings down the road. You also have to consider logos, website domains and trademark registrations.

• Once you have a name, it’s time to work on fonts and colors. Unless you have a specific reason for choosing something a little more complex, stick with clean and simple fonts.

• Choose a palette based on the  psychology of colors, but make sure you consider how it looks in black and white and against different backgrounds.

• What would a brand be without a logo? In addition to the design elements, check to make sure it’s scale-able across a range of sizes.

• Write a short but punchy slogan that immediately paints a picture. A slogan is a great way to maintain consistency, but you can certainly adapt it over time as you refine your marketing efforts and strategies.

Now that you’ve created a polished and powerful brand, start applying it across all phases and segments of your business. Don’t forget that consistency is key.

California Fulfillment Services: The Solution for All Your Order Processing Needs

Looking for a California fulfillment services company that will help maintain the integrity of your brand? Contact us to find out why Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics will provide the consistent service your customers expect.

How to Reach Customers Now During the COVID-19 Crisis

How to Reach Out to Customers in the COVID-19 Crisis

With shut downs, shipping delays, and customers sitting at home, there’s never been a better time to keep you name in front of anxious buyers using an e-newsletter.

The COVID-19 epidemic is of unprecedented proportion. Many people have never experienced a work stoppage or for that matter a quarantine. While customers wait for orders that may be delayed due to shipping issues or supply chain problems, email is the best way to soothe worries and keep customers loyal to your business.

Here are some tips to take to heart with how to communicate with customers during these unusual times.

1. Be honest of what is going on with your business. If there are delays due to supply chain issues – share the challenges in a positive manner.

2. Accept and acknowledge the uncertainty of the situation. Be real, people truly want to connect with you during this crisis.

3. Express gratitude and appreciation for orders and for those that will wait to receive their goods due to unforeseen delays.

4. Keep a regular connection with your client-base. Specifically, contact during this uncertain period should be several times a week or once or twice a month.

If you need help setting up an e-newsletter we have expert providers that are ready to set up an account at iContact for you, load your list, and even customize our own mobile-friendly reusable HTML e-newsletter template. Just let us know and we will put you in contact with one of our experts or get you started fast.

For Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics clients, our provider has created a special mobile-friendly template for newsletters that can be updated with your logo and content. Ask us for more information about this concierge-level e-newsletter program including setup, implementation, content creation, and scheduling. Pricing is customized based on your need.

http://medallionenterprises.com/newsletters/medallion-sample-template.html

For do-it-yourselfers, an iContact account provides access to easy to use templates. You can enter in your own e-newsletter information and set up your own e-newsletter issues to send on your own schedule.

Our team or our experts can work with you directly to assist with your needs. Just give us a call and let us know that you would like to reach out to your clients by email – fast!

Google Says Going Mobile is Key to Your Business Growth

Mobile trends aren't like other web trends – because while other trends come and go, mobile is apparently here to stay. So if your business has not yet gone mobile, it's almost as if you have no online presence at all. That's because consumers, clients and everyday users are switching from the big personal computer (PC) monitors to the small screens of convenient smartphones and the versatile tablets – and the numbers bear that out. • By the end of 2012, reported Forbes, mobile devices were poised to outsell personal computers by a 2:1 margin • International Data Corp researchers expect the number of consumers accessing the Internet through PCs to drop from 240 million in 2012 to 225 million by 2016. • Even the more portable laptop computer is not immune: tablets will outsell laptop computers by a 6:1 margin by 2017, according to market researcher NPD. • Over the past two years, notes Google, smartphone adoption in the United States grew from 36 percent to 61 percent. Mobile technology is even overtaking radio and television for entertainment. And the reason for this evolution is not hard to determine: smartphones and tablets accommodate today's on-the-go lifestyle. With Wi-Fi connections and data plans fueling usage, it's now possible to access the Internet virtually anywhere. The Mobile Trends Noted by Google Include These Arresting Statistics: • 94 percent of smartphone users search for location information; • 48 percent called a store; and • 85 percent of mobile search-triggered calls to stores happened within 5 hours of the initial search The biggest names in search engines have acknowledged mobile trends. Google and Bing, for example, "will index mobile content in a different manner than regular search," says e2ideas. "Search engines will serve up mobile optimized websites first over non-mobile sites when a mobile user does a search on a smartphone." No Longer a Novelty – Mobile Optimized Websites Are a Necessity This development is especially important when considering usage on Google, the undisputed leader in search engines. Today, websites that lack a mobile responsive design are going to be at a disadvantage in Google search results – and if your site doesn't make the first page of Google search results, it might as well not exist at all. The good news is that mobile searches are still relatively new – so "people who are first to market have a significant advantage," as e2ideas notes. Retailers are using mobile to their advantage – installing QR codes on shelves to encourage device-holders to scan and find information on the product; creating apps that link to special offers or deals accessed by phone or tablet; and creating virtual coupons good for on-the-spot discounts. Making Mobile Work for Your Own Customers The mobile web has altered the way your business gets discovered and accessed. While a robust, client-focused website is still a must-have, the way that site is designed and programmed for mobile use will make all the difference to your customers. The conventional PC optimized website, optimized for up to a 19-inch viewing screen, are too complicated for mobile use. The image- and text-heavy pages of a PC website are often slow to load on a smartphone, and once all the data transfers to a 4-inch screen, objects look cluttered and hard to navigate. Google reports these very interesting comments from a recent survey: • 57 percent of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site; and • 40 percent have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience Catching the Wave with Mobile Trends Creating a mobile presence from your traditional website presents some challenges. You need to take a step back and view your business and its message the way your customers would. What do they want to know most at the moment they pull out their smartphone? Are they just getting acquainted with your business, or are they ready to consider a purchase? Knowing your customers' buying habits are key to designing a mobile presence that they'll enjoy using. When it comes to the nuts and bolts of mobile sites, you typically have several options, but many businesses find the most success with these three choices: • A responsive design website changes the way it looks and navigates depending on the device. For instance, it will hide some content on a tiny smartphone, but show it on a larger tablet. • A native mobile app developed specifically for a device and is downloaded from app stores like iTunes and Google Play. • Using a DudaMobile automatically created mobile website done with the click of a mouse and a fast installation of a small snippet of code. Getting the Word Out Once you have taken your business mobile, let your customers in on the good news. Use your Facebook, Twitter or other social pages to announce the change; send email to your customers and prospects, and reach out to trade organizations and industry publications to get users interested in your site.

Mobile trends aren’t like other web trends – because while other trends come and go, mobile is apparently here to stay. So if your business has not yet gone mobile, it’s almost as if you have no online presence at all. That’s because consumers, clients and everyday users are switching from the big personal computer (PC) monitors to the small screens of convenient smartphones and the versatile tablets – and the numbers bear that out.

• By the end of 2012, reported Forbes, mobile devices were poised to outsell personal computers by a 2:1 margin

• International Data Corp researchers expect the number of consumers accessing the Internet through PCs to drop from 240 million in 2012 to 225 million by 2016.

• Even the more portable laptop computer is not immune: tablets will outsell laptop computers by a 6:1 margin by 2017, according to market researcher NPD.

• Over the past two years, notes Google, smartphone adoption in the United States grew from 36 percent to 61 percent.

Mobile technology is even overtaking radio and television for entertainment. And the reason for this evolution is not hard to determine: smartphones and tablets accommodate today’s on-the-go lifestyle. With Wi-Fi connections and data plans fueling usage, it’s now possible to access the Internet virtually anywhere.

The Mobile Trends Noted by Google Include These Arresting Statistics:

• 94 percent of smartphone users search for location information;

• 48 percent called a store; and

• 85 percent of mobile search-triggered calls to stores happened within 5 hours of the initial search

The biggest names in search engines have acknowledged mobile trends. Google and Bing, for example, “will index mobile content in a different manner than regular search,” says e2ideas. “Search engines will serve up mobile optimized websites first over non-mobile sites when a mobile user does a search on a smartphone.”

No Longer a Novelty – Mobile Optimized Websites Are a Necessity

This development is especially important when considering usage on Google, the undisputed leader in search engines. Today, websites that lack a mobile responsive design are going to be at a disadvantage in Google search results – and if your site doesn’t make the first page of Google search results, it might as well not exist at all.

The good news is that mobile searches are still relatively new – so “people who are first to market have a significant advantage,” as e2ideas notes.

Retailers are using mobile to their advantage – installing QR codes on shelves to encourage device-holders to scan and find information on the product; creating apps that link to special offers or deals accessed by phone or tablet; and creating virtual coupons good for on-the-spot discounts.

Making Mobile Work for Your Own Customers

The mobile web has altered the way your business gets discovered and accessed. While a robust, client-focused website is still a must-have, the way that site is designed and programmed for mobile use will make all the difference to your customers.

The conventional PC optimized website, optimized for up to a 19-inch viewing screen, are too complicated for mobile use. The image- and text-heavy pages of a PC website are often slow to load on a smartphone, and once all the data transfers to a 4-inch screen, objects look cluttered and hard to navigate.

Google reports these very interesting comments from a recent survey:

• 57 percent of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site; and

• 40 percent have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience

Catching the Wave with Mobile Trends

Creating a mobile presence from your traditional website presents some challenges. You need to take a step back and view your business and its message the way your customers would. What do they want to know most at the moment they pull out their smartphone? Are they just getting acquainted with your business, or are they ready to consider a purchase?

Knowing your customers’ buying habits are key to designing a mobile presence that they’ll enjoy using.

When it comes to the nuts and bolts of mobile sites, you typically have several options, but many businesses find the most success with these three choices:

• A responsive design website changes the way it looks and navigates depending on the device. For instance, it will hide some content on a tiny smartphone, but show it on a larger tablet.

• A native mobile app developed specifically for a device and is downloaded from app stores like iTunes and Google Play.

• Using a DudaMobile automatically created mobile website done with the click of a mouse and a fast installation of a small snippet of code.

Getting the Word Out

Once you have taken your business mobile, let your customers in on the good news. Use your Facebook, Twitter or other social pages to announce the change; send email to your customers and prospects, and reach out to trade organizations and industry publications to get users interested in your site.