How was 2022 for your business? Did you struggle with shipping charges? Were you spending unnecessary money for your packaging? You’re not alone. It was a busy year for a lot of us, with many retailers ramping up their logistics efforts. With an ever-increasing demand for superior service, it’s imperative every business takes the time to evaluate where they stand when it comes to bottom-line costs. Oftentimes, adjustments need to be made to improve efficiency and increase profits.
Below, we’ve compiled key items you should be tracking to ensure success in 2023.
Packaging
How are you packaging your customers’ products before they ship? You may unknowingly be dumping unnecessary money into your packaging material. While the use of economical packaging is important, you also need to ensure it’s able to stand the test of transportation. If you’re constantly dealing with damaged packages, it will significantly increase your overall costs.
Shipping Charges
Are you spending what you think you are for shipping? When looking at refreshing your shipping charges in the New Year, it’s important to start from the beginning. What is the absolute bottom-line cost to ship an item? From there, you can calculate what to charge a customer to ensure your profits stay in the black.
Return Policy
An increasingly high number of consumers look at the return policy before purchasing an item. If your return policy is not clear, you may unknowingly be turning customers away. It’s important you’re outlining exactly what the return policy is for every single SKU. This will ensure your customers are educated and know their rights.
Forecasting Profits
Tracking a number of details when it comes to customer orders is important. What was the average order size? Dollar value per order? Items in an order? Were there shopping carts left without purchasing? All of these components are huge when forecasting profits for the upcoming year. If you’re aiming for higher returns in 2023, you want to see an increase in the amount of items per purchase. This is where your marketing strategy comes into play. How can you increase the average order size and encourage every customer to go through the entire purchasing process? Even better, how can you consistently create a return customer to inspire future purchases?
Overall, deconstructing every facet of your purchasing and shipping process from 2022 will help you better understand where your profits and losses come from. If you are able to pinpoint where you struggle, you can always readjust both the process and shipping methods you use in 2023.
Working with a logistics company who is able to take the load off your back when it comes to the actual shipping facilitation allows you to focus your efforts on growing your business. Sweetwater Logistics specializes in getting your products from point A to point B by streamlining operations and reducing your overall shipping costs.