You’re an entrepreneur who has decided to take the leap into running a business online. You’ve got your website all set up, you have a shopping cart in place, and you even have a pretty decent following on social media.
Your efforts are starting to pay off, too! People are actually placing orders, and you can hardly contain your excitement! But as you’re getting ready to ship out the products that your customers have ordered, you find yourself in a bit of a pickle: You don’t know the first thing about packing and shipping!
It might seem like a pretty simple and straightforward task at first; all you have to do is wrap up whatever your customers ordered, put it in a box, slap a shipping label on it, and you’re all set! While it might seem easy on the surface, in reality, packing and shipping products out to your customers is a bit more involved.
To ensure that the items you are shipping arrive safely and that your customers are impressed, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when you are packing and sending out those orders from ParcelABC.
Wrap it Right
If you’re sending out anything breakable, you really have to take the extra effort to make sure that you are wrapping the right way. Bubble wrap is a great material for those breakable items. It provides a nice cushion between whatever it is that you are shipping and the sides of the box. It also helps to absorb some of the bouncings that might occur in transit, thereby preventing breakage.
If you really want to go the extra mile and ensure that nothing gets damaged, in addition to bubble wrap, but some packing peanuts in the box. There are new biodegradable options that won’t harm the environment and they offer another level of protection for those fragile items.
Choose the Right Size Box
If you’re shipping out small items, you don’t need an oversized box. You’ll need to spend more on those packing peanuts and bubble wrap, and you’ll pay more for postage, too. Choose boxes that are just the right size for whatever items you are shipping.
Be Smart with Taping
When you’re taping up your boxes, use the H-tape method. This method prevents the box from popping open during shipment, which prevents any lost or damaged items.
To do the H-tape method, simply apply tape along the open seams of the box as you seal it; this will include the sides as well as the middle of the box, creating the shape of an H.
Double Check Shipping Addresses
The last thing you want to do is package up an item and send it to the wrong person! Or worse yet, have it go missing! Make sure you double – or even triple–check your shipping addresses before you put your packages in the mail! Also, make sure that everything is legible. If your handwriting looks like chicken scratch, consider printing up your labels on a word processing program, or ask someone with really neat handwriting to write them out for you!
Add a Personalized Note
If you really want to impress your customers, toss a thank you note inside the box. A simple little message that thanks them for placing an order will make them feel appreciated and could very well encourage them to place another order with you in the future.
Wrapping it Up (No Pun Intended!)
Following these packing and shipping tips will impress your customers and could even take your online business’s success to the next level!
