Tag: Tips

Posted on

Saved from the Sheriff: Choosing the Right Fulfillment Partner

We got there one step ahead of the sheriff! Alvin wasn’t a client yet when he called us in a panic. He had recently moved his extensive inventory into a new fulfillment house and it had just gone belly up. The Sheriff was on his way to lock the doors and Alvin’s business was in peril. Without his inventory, Alvin would be out of business.

We instantly rerouted some of our trucks and raced across town. Our fast-moving crews loaded Alvin’s stock and moved it out right before the padlock clicked shut. Most of that other company’s customers were not as lucky, and their inventories languished for months in a warehouse they could not access. Without missing a beat, our staff cataloged and stored Alvin’s considerable inventory, and we started shipping his orders in record time. He has been a highly satisfied customer ever since.

Your inventory is the lifeblood of your eCommerce business. When you trust a third-party logistics (3PL) provider to handle your products, you are putting your company’s future in their hands. Alvin’s story serves as a stark reminder that choosing the wrong partner can lead to catastrophic consequences for your brand, your revenue, and your stress levels.

You need a partner that acts as an extension of your own business. You need a team that will drop everything to solve a crisis and strategically position your brand for long-term growth. Read on to learn how an experienced fulfillment partner with bi-coastal warehouses can safeguard your assets, keep your shipping costs low, and deliver the scalable solutions your business needs to thrive.

Problem Solving and Customer-Focused Flexibility

Most fulfillment centers view their job as a simple transaction: pick the item, pack the box, and hand it to a carrier. We take a distinctly different approach. As a dedicated partner, we believe our job is to solve your problems and facilitate your growth.

Because Alvin operated his educational counseling business entirely by mail, phone, and fax, he never embraced computers. Many modern fulfillment centers would have turned him away. Instead, we used our flexibility to accommodate his specific business methods. We leveraged our state-of-the-art computer technology on the backend to help him track inventory, expedite order taking, and maintain detailed accounting records. We even helped him transfer his inventory from its original VHS format to DVD using our media duplication services, significantly increasing his sales.

When you run an eCommerce business, unexpected challenges will arise. Printers will miss deadlines, carriers will misplace pallets, and urgent orders will arrive at the eleventh hour. A great fulfillment partner does not offer excuses. They offer immediate, hands-on solutions.

The Strategic Advantage of Bi-Coastal Warehouses

Customers expect their orders to arrive quickly and affordably. If your inventory is sitting in a single warehouse in the middle of the country, you are likely paying premium shipping zones to reach the coasts.

Operating bi-coastal warehouses is one of the most effective ways to optimize your supply chain. We maintain state-of-the-art fulfillment centers in Los Angeles, California, and Boston, Massachusetts. This strategic positioning gives your business a massive competitive advantage.

Here is how a bi-coastal fulfillment strategy directly benefits your bottom line:

  • Faster Delivery Times: By splitting your inventory between the West Coast and East Coast, you place your products physically closer to the vast majority of the US population. Your customers get their orders faster, leading to higher satisfaction and repeat purchases.
  • Lower Shipping Costs: Shipping zones dictate your postage rates. When you ship from Los Angeles to New York, you pay the highest zone rates. With a bi-coastal setup, East Coast orders ship from Boston, and West Coast orders ship from LA. You bypass high-zone shipping fees entirely.
  • Easy International Access: Both of our locations offer immediate access to major shipping ports. We are located near the Port of Los Angeles and offer seamless global fulfillment outsourcing from our Boston facility.
  • Unified Inventory Management: Managing two warehouses sounds complicated, but our seamless software integration makes it effortless. Our unified system allows you to manage ordering and shipping from the warehouse of your choice using a single, intuitive platform.

Rooted in Family Business Values

Unlike venture-backed startups that burn through cash and disappear overnight, Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics has been serving business owners for over 30 years. We started in the Kent family garage and grew into a national enterprise.

Because we are a family-owned and operated business, we deeply understand the pressures and problems our clients face. We know what it feels like to build a company from the ground up, manage cash flow, and worry about keeping customers happy. We treat your business with the same care and respect that we apply to our own.

Our longevity in the industry means we have established rock-solid relationships with major shipping carriers. We leverage these relationships to secure better rates and resolve transit issues swiftly. When you partner with us, you gain the stability of a financially sound, well-respected firm staffed by long-term employees who genuinely care about your success.

Scalable Services Designed for Growth

Your fulfillment needs today will look very different from your fulfillment needs a year from now. A rigid 3PL can severely bottleneck your growth if they cannot adapt to your changing order volumes or new sales channels.

We designed our fulfillment services to be entirely scalable. Whether you are shipping 50 orders a month or 50,000, we have the infrastructure to support you.

We offer a wide range of services to streamline your operations:

  • Startup Programs: For new businesses, Etsy stores, or test marketers, we offer a Flat Rate Fulfillment Starter Program. This allows you to test new products with set fulfillment expenses that protect your limited capital.
  • B2B and B2C Fulfillment: We handle both direct-to-consumer eCommerce shipments and large business-to-business wholesale orders, including less-than-truckload (LTL) freight.
  • Seamless Tech Integrations: Our software integrates smoothly with all popular shopping cart platforms, ensuring automated, fast order processing without manual data entry.
  • Amazon Replenishment: We provide Amazon stock warehouse replenishment services, helping you avoid strict FBA storage limits and expensive long-term storage fees.
  • 24/7/365 On-Call Support: For clients who need parts or critical items shipped immediately, we provide round-the-clock counter-to-counter air service and local couriers.

Partner With a Fulfillment Center That Has Your Back

Selling your products and growing your brand is what you know and love. Managing warehouse staff, negotiating shipping rates, and packing boxes takes you away from those vital revenue-generating activities.

Handing over your logistics to an experienced fulfillment partner frees up your time and protects your inventory from unforeseen disasters. Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics provides the responsive customer service, bi-coastal warehouse reach, and flexible technology required to take your business to the next level.

Keep your eCommerce shop running smoothly and profitably, no matter what challenges arise. Complete our quick online form today to get a free price quote, and discover how our personalized fulfillment services can accelerate your business growth.

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.

Posted on

How to Take Product Photos for Your Store Like a Pro But on the Cheap

As online shopping continues to grow market share, the sense of touch has been removed from the buying process, making visual appeal more important than ever. According to ecommerce consultant BigCommerce, two-thirds of consumers rate image quality as “very important” when it comes to online purchases.

Before you rush out and hire a pricey photographer, check out these great tips for cost-effective and professional-looking DIY photos.

1. Technique Is More Important than Equipment

Don’t let anyone talk you into dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars on a state-of-the-art camera. If you can afford it, then by all means, but modestly priced cameras and even smart phones are capable of producing high-quality photos. Decisions such as lighting, staging and processing play a more significant role.

2. Create Your “Studio”

• Set up a table as close to a window as possible without getting into the shadow cast by the windowsill.

• Use poster board or mats to create a generic white background, “sweeping” it from the horizontal tabletop to the vertical wall to provide a seamless look.

• You’ll need at least two lights. Clamp-style is preferable as they stay in place but can be easily moved around. Make sure to use identical light bulbs with a cooler shade.

3. Include Action Shots When Appropriate

In many cases the white background will be sufficient, but some products have more appeal when shown in use. For instance, a picture of a person wearing sunglasses can be more attractive to potential customers.

4. Don’t Stop at One

Take a number of pictures of your product from a variety of sides and angles. Multiple views are the best way to overcome the two-dimensional aspect of online images.

5. Keep It RAW

For best results you should shoot in RAW format, which captures all of the visual data and gives you greater latitude in editing. In addition, changes don’t affect the original file so you won’t have to worry about losing data.

6. Evaluate and Adjust

After every session, review your work with a critical eye to see what worked and what didn’t, and then apply your findings to future photo shoots.

Ecommerce Fulfillment Services for the Busy Entrepreneur

Are inventory, order processing and logistics taking valuable time away from the business of driving sales? Contact Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics to learn more about our comprehensive ecommerce fulfillment services.

Posted on

FedEx Announces New Surcharges Effective Today

Learn About the Amazon Effect

Today is the day that the new temporary surcharge amounts for FedEx Express International parcel and freight shipments from China increase.

FedEx announced an earlier temporary surcharge on international parcel and freight shipments on April 6th. This new updated surcharge impacts shipments from China.

FedEx explained the surcharge was due to new coronavirus restrictions which are disrupting the global supply chain. Additional costs incurred by FedEx due to limited air cargo space is driving up costs.

We will keep you advised of any additional shipping cost impacts as we know them.

Posted on

Got a New Product to Sell? Get Some Tips on How to Create Demand

Fulfillment Warehouse

 

It survived the concept pitch, the drawing board, R&D, prototypes, focus groups, and testing. Now your new product is ready to launch.

Whether you opt for a “soft launch” to introduce your baby to just a few markets or demographics; or a “hard launch” that involves a company-wide strategy and major rollout, you’ll want to build brand recognition and product awareness the fastest, most cost-efficient and most ROI-oriented ways as possible.

In years past, the debut of a new product into the market meant heavy investment in paid advertising. Just 10 years ago, you may have designed your launch around print ads, brochures, radio, outdoor boards… the so-called “interruption” marketing.

Today, however, consumers are more savvy and more discriminating. They’re less likely to respond to such expensive media as TV, print, or direct mail, and more likely to head for their desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 50 percent of today’s shoppers spend 75 percent of shopping time online!

Let’s repeat that statistic: Half of the consumers spend most of their shopping time on the Internet. It’s where they get their information and, increasingly, make their purchase decisions.

If your marketing is mired in 20th century tactics, you have a great opportunity to enjoy the benefits 21st century marketing can offer in terms of brand recognition.

The New “Word of Mouth”

A 2011 survey of small-business owners revealed a surprising fact about their attitude toward online marketing.

  • A combined 65 percent of the participants thought that the web and social media had little or no value for their business, or didn’t know enough about it to form an opinion;
  • But at least 50 percent agreed that “word of mouth” is a major force in attracting customers and prospects.

Here’s the point where these two ideas (dis)connect: Today’s word of mouth comes from the web.

Social media, websites, forums… that’s where people go to share information, communicate with businesses, comment on products and make recommendations to others. They’re where you need to be.

Content Drives Consideration

Having a website for your business is one thing. Optimizing that site so that people seek it out is another. To establish or boost brand recognition, your site needs to be a destination. The good content you provide makes this happen.

What do we mean by “good content”? Let’s start by defining what good content isn’t. It isn’t an unsolicited email, a coupon or an ad. Web users are bombarded with such sales pitches every day, and will largely ignore yours. Good content isn’t a press release about your latest award, or an announcement of a new location. In other words, it’s not about you.

It’s all about your customers and prospects – what they find compelling, or what worries them. Consumers want facts and proof, not promises. So your good content can:

  • Outline a common problem consumers face and show how your product or service provides a solution.
  • Give background information into your industry that helps people understand how your product came to be.
  • Offer a guide to safety or security tied to your industry.
  • Provide statistics on the way people use the product or service you offer.

Factual, insightful or entertaining content engages consumers in a way that paid ads do not.

When introducing a new product, you’ll face an understandably wary audience. Good content establishes you as more credible.

Get Seen to Get Leads

Building brand awareness, and qualified leads, through content starts with grabbing attention through the media that matters:

  • Blogs. A series of informative articles, peppered with the search engine optimization (SEO) words and phrases a search engine recognizes most, will boost your website to the top of the Google results. Other text-based online marketing includes reports, e-newsletters and industry white papers.
  • Multimedia. Think of what you might pay for one run of a local TV commercial – plenty. Compare that to producing engaging, entertaining videos and posting them to YouTube for free. Videos, podcasts and infographics get responses from consumers. The best go viral.
  • Social Networking. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks attract communities who share an interest in the product or service you provide. Post your content to your social media page, and you’ll be in a good position to net new “friends” or “followers” who will comment on, and share, your offerings.

Once you’ve built a community of visitors interested in what you have to say, you can use strategic landing pages to gather their contact information in exchange for more, or exclusive, content. This tactic narrows the field from casual searchers to qualified leads.

Does This Strategy Work?
Yes – countless small businesses are using the power of the Internet to build brand recognition for their new products. It could work for you, too.