For many small business owners, the holiday season is a time for increased sales and new customers. Here are seven tips to maximize your shipping budget, your productivity and your ability to impress customers around the 2011 holiday season.
1) Pay attention to shipping deadlines and process orders quickly.
The longer you wait to mail your shipments, the fewer shipping options you’ll have. To maximize your holiday shipping budget, be sure to package and mail shipments quickly and use the most affordable mail class. If possible, pre-package popular items to save time. Visit USPS.com for 2011 holiday shipping deadlines.
2) Dedicate time to packaging and shipping.
Many mailers find dedicating an hour each day or one day a week strictly to shipping to be more productive than processing orders as they come through. Try stepping away from your computer and focusing your efforts on packaging for a block of time to see if it’s more productive for you.
3) Stock up on supplies ahead of time.
Have a full supply of boxes, labels, tape and other packaging materials to process and package shipments during this busy time. If you work from home, designating an area for packaging can help you stay organized and focused.
4) Print postage in-office.
A number of online postage services exist that allow you to buy postage online and print postage, shipping labels and tracking codes in-office. Shipments can then be monitored and tracked online. As a bonus, you’ll gain access to discounted rates on certain USPS services.
5) Verify addresses.
Before packaging your orders, be sure to verify mailing addresses. This step minimizes returns and re-mailing. Many online postage services include free address verification.
6) Weather-proof your shipments.
Ensure shipping labels are readable by covering them with clear shipping tape (leave barcodes uncovered). Wrap damage-prone items in plastic. To be sure your item is delivered, add an extra address label inside your package in case the outside is compromised.
7) Schedule carrier pickup.
To save you time, your postal carrier can pick up your outgoing shipments when he or she delivers your mail. Visit USPS.com to schedule a pickup online.
Creating a holiday shipping plan using the above mailing tips is a great way to prepare yourself and your team for an increase in shipments. Here’s to a busy and fruitful holiday season!
Written by the Pitney Bowes team from Pitneyworks.com, offering small business postage meters, online postage solutions, electronic letter folders, envelope openers and other mailing solutions.
Image by Flickr user Pacdog (Creative Commons)
Web.com is now offering forums designed to support small businesses in cities throughout the US. Learn more about these forums here: http://Businessforum.web.com/
Tags: holiday 2011, small business
Posted in sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology | 2 Comments »
