Entering the world of business was never easy. Take risks in deciding what would be the best for your business. You must also think out of the box and be creative enough to make your business stand out from other business entities. Nothing is more satisfying when you see your business grow.
With this, you might want to consider having warehouse services for your products. Nowadays, shipping services are also one of the trends especially with the use of technology, your customer can receive their purchases on time or ahead of time with the help of delivery route optimization. You don’t need to go to the physical store to buy and pick up the product yourself.
Here is your ultimate guide on choosing your warehouse and how you would go for the best shipping service.
Also read: Elements Every Business Website Should Have
Table of Contents
Warehouse Services
Space and Storage
If you are expanding your business, it is an excellent option to have your warehouse services. It will serve as one of the alternatives in keeping track of your products and placing them in a safe place. You primarily need a safe and clean space for your products, especially when you have many stocks that you need to keep. With this, you will be able to monitor your inventory correctly. Also, putting your supplies in a warehouse will be more beneficial than keeping them on your premises.
Types of Warehouses
Every business has its product. These products are unique from one another. We need to consider the type of warehouse storage that you need in keeping your products.
- Public Warehouses
This type of warehouse is government-owned. However, they can be utilized by private sector companies. This type of warehouse is budget-friendly. You can even use it for personal or for business purposes that allow short-term use. However, considering its affordability, it lacks state-of-art technology.
- Private Warehouses
This type of warehouse is a perfect choice when it comes to the e-commerce business. It is a typical choice for businesses that need a long-term solution looking for a strategic location. Given that premise, you can use it for an extended period, and it is more expensive than the public type of warehouse. This type of warehouse is commonly utilized by those who are into wholesaling (wholesalers).
- Bonded Warehouses
If you have imported goods and want them to be stored until they can be released to the buyers, this warehouse kind would be a good option. The customs fees are paid after the product release. You can store the restricted items for a certain period up until the legal paperwork has been completed already. Also, it is unnecessary to pay customs fees in this warehouse-type until the products have been purchased. However, this type of warehouse must be paid to a warehouse authority and ensure that there will be no monetary loss when the products have been released already.
- Smart Warehouses
This type of warehouse has its storage and fulfillment processes performed by Al. However, its disadvantage is that even though it is automated and streamlined by an Al. There might still be errors and areas that need improvement. It is why it still needs to be rechecked by the operator.
Inventory Optimization
You can upgrade your inventory with the use of a 3PL provider. What does a 3PL provider do? A 3PL is a type of service that lets you outsource your operational logistics. It includes warehousing, delivery, and transportation, picking, packing, and even inventory checking. Therefore, if you want your business to grow and be better, you might want to consider having storage and warehousing services.
Shipping Services
Shipping services are already one of the trends in our present time. This type of service allows you to transport your products to other places without handling them personally. There are types of shipping services that you can choose from and help transport your products.
Types of Shipping Services
- Road (Ground)
This type of shipping service is considered the standard mode of shipping method. It allows you to transport small or medium-sized goods. However, with this type of shipping service, a bulk of products or goods that are to be delivered at such a long distance is not advisable.
- Rail
If you are to transport bulk or larger goods, this type of shipping service is more appropriate. Some rail freight companies that offer this kind of service can arrange for your products to be transported. Sometimes, this type of shipping service is combined with a rail if necessary.
- Ship (Sea Freight)
This type of shipping service can accommodate all kinds, shapes, sizes, and freight weights. However, its disadvantage is it will take a more extended period for your product to be transported. This type of shipping service is one of the best choices if you want to widen your products’ reach overseas.
- Air
The perfect choice for those who wish their products to be transported quickly is by air transportation. There are available special freight planes that are available to transport products in different countries or places. This type of shipping service can partner with various rail freight shipping services. The rail freight service company itself can help you arrange if you ever have additional delivery to and from the airport.
Why Consider Having Shipping Services?
There are several reasons why you should acquire a shipping service for your products. Here are the top reasons for you to consider.
- Organized and Planned Shipments
Because of the advanced technology that we have now, everything seems possible. You can now have a track of the products that you will be shipping. Also, you will be able to determine the shipment location, condition, and the date the delivery is expected to arrive.
- Automatic Technologies
Electronic identification technology has now been implemented. With this, the products that have been shipped can be identified on board. You can easily print reported logs to determine one item from another.
How To Choose The Type of Warehouse That Best Suits You
Warehouse services are essential. With this, you will be able to have the chance to track your inventory—the number of products available, those that have been sold already, etc. However, you need to choose what type of warehouse service you need to engage in. If your company is at its starting point and still does not want to spend a lot of money and temporarily enjoy storage where you can put your products, you can be engaged in a public warehouse type.
Through time, your business starts to grow and have more demands. You now can supply in a large number of products or what we call bulk. With this, you can consider engaging in a private type of warehouse. Though more expensive, you can use it for a more extended period.
Otherwise, a bonded warehouse is the right choice for those who cannot pay the warehouse service in a one-time full payment. Well, the good thing is that this type of warehouse service does exist!
If you are into more advanced technology, then you can consider having a smart warehouse. However, you need to be careful since workload can be doubled if there will be a problem with the system that might result in rechecking your product inventory.
How To Pick The Best Shipping Service For You
Shipping services can save a lot of time and effort. As mentioned, you don’t need to go to different places yourself just for you to deliver your products. There are already a variety of shipping services that you can choose from.
If you are going to ship small to medium-sized products, then the Road type of shipping service is the best option for you.
On the other hand, the rail type of shipping service is preferred when you ship a bulk or larger number of goods.
Ship type is the right choice for those who have many bulk products and want their products to be transported overseas.
On the other hand, the air shipping type of service is a perfect choice if you want your product to be delivered quickly overseas.
Takeaway Thought
There is no right or wrong when entering the world of business. You need to take risks in doing so. If you don’t, then you won’t be able to know if this would become successful or not. With this kind of situation, you need to be ready on how you are going to address them.
Warehouse and shipping services are critical for the business industry, especially when your business starts to grow. It would help if you considered having storage to put your products and a shipping service where you can transport your products to other places.