Wednesday, September 5, 2018

How Your Halloween Makeup Online Store Can Benefit From Cross-docking

By Daniel Wood


The better informed that consumers become, the more the pressure they put on retailers when it comes to fulfillment. Specifically, the former expect their orders to be delivered quickly, precisely, and for free. Chances are that you've been looking for a way to do this without affecting other areas of your online Utah Halloween makeup store. With that being the case, it's the high time you switched to cross dock operations.

Think your business is too simple for you to start throwing around terms like 'cross-docking?' It's actually less complicated than you think. Specifically, it involves the use of inbound inventory to fulfill existing customer orders. A typical cross-dock facility is designed to allow unloading, screening, and sorting of incoming shipments under the same terminal. They're then dispatched to their relevant destinations via pre-selected means.

Of course, it takes a great deal of planning and effort to sustain speed in what's already a demanding supply chain. Not that it will make sense in all situations either. Still, cross-docking has proved a success for businesses that depend on online sales. This makes it worth your consideration, but there's no harm in exploring its benefits:

Better Turnaround Times: This comes from the ability to link up both ends of your supply chain, thus bypassing the warehousing phase . Keep in mind, though, that this won't do away with the need for the said facility. In actual sense, what cross-docking does is reduce the amount of time inventory spends in storage. This creates room for quicker order fulfillment, more so when combined with automated processes.

Frees up Space: The less time it takes to ship inventory after it's received, the more square footage you'll have available in your warehouse. From there, it's up to you to decide whether to scale up your operation or use the space for other purposes. Even if it's a rented facility you're using, the reduction in your requirements will still boost your business's bottom line in some way.

Minimizes Risk: Cross docking cuts out some of the steps involved in a standard warehouse operation. This in turn minimizes handling and movement, thus taking out some of the risk involved. Specifically, inventory is less likely to get damaged or lost when it passes through a minimal amount of hands. The likelihood of overstocking will also shrink substantially.

Cost Effective: With cross-docking, shipments headed to a similar destination can be transported together. This leads to better utilization of the available carrying capacity, thereby optimizing costs in the long term. The carbon footprint of each unit product also shrinks.

Added Value for Shoppers: The ability to match market demand with fast, reliable deliveries will never go out of fashion. And if that sounds obvious, so too should it be to offer free shipping to your customers. The cost savings realized thanks to cross-docking will more than make up for the sacrifice.

Obviously, your top priority is to keep your supply chain flowing to the rhythm of demand. You also want to be able to expedite deliveries, albeit without paying outrageous amounts for it. Implementing cross-docking could help you solve both puzzles without losing your sanity. As always, be sure to plan your approach carefully before diving in.




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