In the Ever Changing Shipping Landscape, a Strong Distribution Partner is Key
Pre-COVID, the only time anyone really talked about shipping slowdowns was around the holidays, and even then, the major shipping carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL) could pretty easily tell you when something had to be shipped to arrive “on time” (whatever your definition of on-time was).
Fast forward to 2020 and our world shuts down, and suddenly everyone is ordering anything and everything they can online. Businesses are overwhelmed by the demand, never mind the fact that they are likely short-staffed and dealing with ever-changing COVID protocols, and the major shipping carriers are dealing with the same issues. As the holiday season approached, the carriers were beyond overstretched. Delivery times became increasingly unpredictable and some retailers were cut off because they were shipping too many packages at once and were not working to consolidate their shipments in any way.
The fundamental issue was a lack of organization. Any fulfillment and logistics, no matter what you are shipping, is all about planning, organization, and successful execution. So many businesses operate in a “just get the orders out” mentality that they end up spending an excessive amount of money on packaging, shipping, and their employees (or their own) time. After all, we all know that time is money!
In the same way that Kirkwood Direct customers save money on postage because we do the organization for the USPS, we have found that we can also save our customers time, money, and stress by handling the shipping and distribution through any carrier for them too. Based on what’s being shipped, we can determine the smallest possible box size (a key to save on shipping costs because carriers charge based on the dimensions of the box, and then overages for heavy packages), the best carrier to use based on what’s being shipped and where, make sure your customers are notified when their package is shipped with an accurate delivery date and tracking number, and even have the carriers charge your account if you have negotiated rates. No negotiated rates with the carriers? No worries, we’ve got you covered with our own low shipping rates.
At the end of the day, no matter the time of year or if we’re in a once in a lifetime pandemic (we hope), having a distribution partner in your corner is the best way to ensure cost savings, efficient fulfillment, and shipment of your items to safely get to their destination on time and on budget. Contact us at (978) 642-0300.