Essential Checklist For Business Start-ups

Startup team

Many people dream of striking out on their own, either as a full-time venture or as a means to supplement their current income. In order to ensure your success, we have compiled this detailed checklist for you to follow. From the basics to advanced strategies for thriving, this book covers it all. The question then becomes how to get off to a strong start without hitting any snags. Use this helpful essential checklist for business start-ups to launch your business with confidence.

#1 - Research the Competition

For example, some people want to one day make a living as yoga instructors, dog walkers, or merchants of one-of-a-kind wares. For others, it's more about breaking free from an employer and striking out on one's own, whether through launching a home-based business, going digital, changing careers, or something else entirely. No matter what drives you to launch a firm, study the industry thoroughly. Finding your target market is the first step in developing a product or service and a distribution strategy. Customers in some industries may be accustomed to, or even anticipate, a multi-channel, cross-device interaction with a company. A yoga instructor might provide sessions in person and online. Keep in mind that while cost is always a consideration, modern buyers also value products and services that minimise their impact on the environment and the community.

#2 - Write a Business Plan and choose a Name

Putting together a business plan will help you refine your company's goals and unique selling point (USP). It also details your plans to expand your consumer base, market your offerings, estimate future earnings and cut expenses. Everything you do should be guided by your objective and unique selling proposition. Your ability to spot and resolve problems early on is greatly enhanced by giving some thought to the practical implications of your business plan. Finding the right name for your business can be facilitated by investigating the "what," "who," "how," and "why" of your proposed venture. Since it will serve as the foundation of your brand's identity, your name should be indicative of your goals and unique selling proposition. You can test how your name sounds in a logo or on other promotional materials with a variety of free and low-cost marketing tools. Are the tone, presentation, and sensation all satisfactory? Does it set you apart from the competition? Will it hit home with your target audience? Will it last and expand as your company does?

#3 - Register your Business

Once you have a company name, you can decide on the structure of your business, which will be important for legal and financial purposes. We recommend you speak to an accountant and/or a solicitor, to get detailed, personalised advice on the options open to you including tax implications, as these are based on company structure and your own very specific situation.

#4 - Financial Management Strategy

Careful and comprehensive financial management is one of the greatest methods to finance a business over the long run. Having a solid working connection with your bank is essential, as is selecting the best business bank account for your requirements. Things like small company insurance and establishing a merchant account for online transactions should also be on your mind. You'll be well-positioned for success if you devote some time to studying the business's finances. From maximising profits to decreasing expenditures to fulfilling tax and legal obligations, running a small business is fraught with financial challenges. Knowing which business expenses qualify for a tax deduction is a good first step towards tax minimization. To keep track of your financials, you can hire an accountant or utilise one of the many internet business tools available, such as accounting software.

#5 - Build your Brand

Your company's reputation transcends its products and services. It tells customers, investors, suppliers, partners, and employees "who" your company is and what it stands for. An effective brand has a distinct purpose and unique selling proposition. The visual identity and voice of your brand can then be developed from this foundation. You can hire a graphic designer to help you with brand development, or you can use one of the many free logo generators available online. As a small business owner, you may take advantage of the current need for deeper meaning and genuine connections by relating your own personal narrative to the demands of your target market. This will help you build trust with your target audience by making your brand seem genuine, modern, and current. Always keep in mind that people do business with those they like, trust, and know.

#6 - Don’t Overlook the Minutia

If you want to succeed in business, you need to provide your customers with an excellent experience across all of your channels of communication. To learn what has to be done, first create a customer journey map. You may use this to plan out every aspect of your business, from advertising and public relations to product and service delivery. It will also aid in the identification of the supporting parts, such as hardware, software, and third-party services, such as a reliable courier who will get your product to the customers front door, which is make or break for online reviews - if people are happy with their experience, they will tell a friend, if they are NOT they tell ten friends!! Find out what general and industry-specific regulations and legislation you will need to comply with, whether voluntarily or legally, as well as any other external elements that could have an impact on your organisation. Keep in mind that your local laws and regulations may differ from those of other places.

Keep in mind that referrals from satisfied customers are a powerful kind of advertising. Maintain an active social media presence by communicating with customers and responding to their comments. You can give potential consumers a taste of what you can accomplish for them by showing them images of your newest product, videos of the process, or in-depth guides. Maintaining a strong emphasis on providing a satisfying experience for customers can help you win over new ones and keep old ones coming back. Take care of yourself first and foremost. It's possible to have both stress and success when running a company. It's crucial to take breaks to recharge your batteries so you don't burn out. If you own a small business, don't be afraid to ask for assistance, since there is plenty of it available.

8 Reasons Why E-Commerce Businesses Fail

e-commerce website

There are so many reasons why you might consider setting up an e-commerce business. Firstly, you can increase your reach to target more customers and, therefore, boost your sales.

Not only that, but as a business model, it is very scalable, you can offer more shipping and payment options to customers, and you’ll be presented with lots of exciting marketing opportunities.

It’s easy to see why so many businesses have turned to the internet to sell their goods or services, but despite its promise, a huge percentage of these businesses will fail.

In fact, a study found that 90% of e-commerce businesses will fail within the first three months of launching and that there are common reasons why. We will look at each of these in more detail below.

And understanding the reasons that so many e-commerce businesses fail can help you to mitigate the risks and ensure your business is a success.

Read on to find out more.

Poor online marketing

One of the biggest reasons that so many e-commerce businesses fail is that they don’t make the most of online marketing platforms. In fact, according to the earlier study, this led to the demise of over one-third (37%) of e-commerce businesses.

A strong online marketing strategy is the key to success. After all, how can you expect people to buy from you if they don’t know you exist? Therefore, every e-commerce brand needs to invest in an online marketing strategy.

But this doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune. There are plenty of budget-friendly and even free tools that you can use to get a strong strategy in place.

Lack of online visibility

Similar to the above, if you lack online visibility, you’re going to struggle to attract customers to your e-commerce website. Visibility is the overall online presence of your brand beyond your website, so this could be social media, advertising, search rankings and other online content.

Businesses with little to no online presence (outside their website) are going to find it much harder to drive traffic to their pages and build brand recognition. Not only this, but these brands can be seen as less trustworthy and rank lower on search engine results pages (SERPs).

In order to combat this and ensure your website doesn’t get lost in cyberspace, a strong search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy is key. So is creating strong online content and ensuring a social media presence.

All of this can boost your online presence and trustworthiness, increasing your online visibility.

Running out of cash

One of the greatest parts about e-commerce is that there is plenty of budget-friendly, even free, tools that budding entrepreneurs can use to get their business up and running. The problem is, no business can function with zero capital, and too many find themselves investing in their new idea, only to run out of cash after just a few months.

It’s important to remember that it might take you a few months to establish your business, build a customer base and encourage brand loyalty. Therefore, it’s important to have enough money behind you to keep you going through the first tougher months while you’re starting out.

Issues with pricing

When you first start out on your e-commerce journey, knowing what to charge can be tricky. Of course, you can do some market research and try to find out the industry standard, but you need to make sure your prices are competitive while reflecting your offerings and ensuring you turn a profit.

If you get your pricing wrong in the first instance, you might find that you either don’t make enough sales or that you don’t make enough profit to stay afloat. This is a fine line to tread, but one you need to get right in order to be successful.

Fierce competition

With so many e-commerce businesses already up and running, competition to secure customers can be really tough. Today’s consumers are happy to shop around, compare prices and read reviews before making a purchase.

Therefore, a business has to go above and beyond to make a sale, and this can be tricky in the early stages. This can be even harder in popular niches, with thousands of other brands selling similar goods.

Then you have big-name retailers like Amazon who can often offer similar products at lower prices; all topped off with next-day delivery. This competition can be too much for some and lead the business to fail, so it’s imperative you find and utilise your USP.

Little to no market for products or services

As we’ve said above, competition in the e-commerce space can be fierce, so it’s important that you don’t choose a product or niche that is already saturated. That being said, you don’t want to go too far the other way, either.

The aforementioned study found that a third (35%) of businesses start up an online enterprise despite there being little to no market for their goods or services. If there is no target audience and no need for your offering, who are you selling to?

This is a surefire way for your business to go under quickly, so it’s important to choose products or services with existing demand.

Lack of customer service

Today’s consumers expect a certain experience from brands, and in particular, they expect a high standard of customer service.

Having recently started an e-commerce business, too many people are unable to provide the answers and support that customers need, thus costing themselves a lot of sales. There could be several reasons for this, either lack of time, no staff or no awareness of the importance of customer service.

Whatever the case may be, answering customer queries in a timely manner and ensuring they can find FAQs and other helpful content is so important.

No clear return policy

Finally, it’s understandable that you don’t want to think about customers sending your goods back, but that is a reality of the world we live in.

Consumers want to know that they can easily return goods either to be swapped or for a refund. If your e-commerce website doesn’t clearly explain your returns policy, they are unlikely to risk spending their money with you.

That is why it is vital to have a clear returns policy displayed on the website and to make it as easy as possible for customers to return unwanted or faulty items.

How Cost Of Living Is Affecting Shipping Costs For Businesses

Over the last four or five years, businesses, both big and small, have seen themselves facing challenge after challenge as they struggle to survive. The Coronavirus pandemic had an impact on businesses around the globe, and this impact is still being felt now, even as we begin to emerge from the other side of the pandemic.

More than this, the implications of Brexit, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a global shipping container shortage and, of course, the ever-rising cost of living are also having an impact on businesses and their customers.

Many are trying to adapt, but with rapidly rising costs to contend with, this is not easy. And there is one area, in particular, that is suffering right now, and that is shipping and logistics. The soaring cost of shipping is having an effect on supply chains.

And let’s face it, you can offer the best product in the world, but it’s no good if you can’t get it to your customers. It’s also no good if rising shipping costs are putting a huge dent in your profit margins and making it even harder to stay afloat.

Below, we’re going to take a look at how all of the above is affecting businesses and shipping costs right now. Particularly as the cost of living continues to rise and large parts of the Western world appear to be heading towards a recession.

The Coronavirus pandemic

During the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, consumers had to rely on online shopping and having goods delivered directly to their homes. This included everything from food to computers and clothes to gym equipment.

This placed unprecedented levels of demand on global and domestic supply chains. With labour shortages as a result of the virus, shipping providers both dockside and at sea were buckling under the pressure.

Not only this, but on the roads, truck drivers were not able to cross borders, and large numbers of drivers were becoming ill as a result of the virus. This meant delivery via the roads was suffering too. The increased demand on supply chains, particularly the demand for freight transport, saw costs begins to surge across most shipping routes.

The Suez Canal accident 

Then, in March 2021, a huge shipping vessel got stuck in the Suez Canal. This blocked the entire waterway - an important shipping route - for a whole week. Given that 12% of the world’s trade passes through that canal, this accident once again caused shipping charges to shoot up even further.

Despite clearing the canal after a week and getting operations back up and running, the blockage caused delays that took weeks, even months, to correct.

Brexit negotiations

Meanwhile, back on the roads, Brexit and the subsequent negotiations contributed to a huge shortage of HGV drivers. This led to shipping providers offering huge salaries in a bid to attract new drivers.

This placed further tension on the supply chains, not to mention businesses were having to fork out more money to attract skilled workers. So once again, shipping prices were on the rise.

The war on Ukraine

Then, just as we began to adjust to life in a post-pandemic world and governments across the globe recognised the need to do more to address the rising cost of living crisis, Russia invaded Ukraine.

The move shocked the world, and once again, the shipping industry was rocked. Freight companies and their customers were now dealing with the soaring cost of Russian oil and gas. Plus, with so many countries boycotting Russian produce, rapid price rises in fuel, food and manufactured goods only skyrocketed the cost of living even further.

The war has caused widespread disruption to the shipping industry and has only exacerbated ongoing supply chain disruptions. As of April 2022, there were numerous merchant vessels still trapped in Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The cost of living crisis

As we’ve already said above, the cost of living is rising rapidly as a result of Brexit, the war on Ukraine and the knock-on effect of the Coronavirus pandemic. This is affecting both consumers and businesses alike.

Businesses are already facing rising costs of shipping, couple this with the fact that the current cost of living means many shoppers are cutting back, and it’s not looking good.

Spending £2.99 on shipping is no longer just taken as a given. Consumers have begun to weigh up the cost of their goods in comparison to shipping to determine if this is the right way to be spending their money.

In many cases, this has forced businesses to offer free shipping to counteract this and continue to drive sales. This is only increasing the cost of shipping for themselves and creating a dip in their profit margins which ultimately comes at a much higher cost to the business.

Final thoughts

It’s a turbulent time for both businesses and consumers right now, and this doesn’t look like it will be resolved any time soon. The cost of living continues to rise, as does the cost of shipping, and so many businesses must do all they can to offset this and stay afloat until a resolution is found.

A Guide To B2B E-commerce

B2B Ecommerce

When we think about e-commerce, our minds tend to turn immediately towards B2C brands, that is, the selling of goods to everyday consumers. However, selling your goods or services to other businesses online can also be very lucrative.

The problem is e-commerce B2B businesses models can feel a lot more overwhelming than B2C models with tried and tested methods.

But there is good news if you’re considering starting up a B2B e-commerce venture or moving your existing B2B business online. The more you learn, prepare and take action, the more successful your B2B initiatives will be.

Below, we’re going to take you through the B2B e-commerce model and some common misconceptions, as well as discussing whether B2B e-commerce is right for your business (spoiler - it probably is!).

What is B2B e-commerce?

B2B stands for business to business; therefore, B2B e-commerce models are those which provide goods or services to other businesses through online sales channels.

Because this centres around the supplying of goods or services from one enterprise to another, product prices tend to be a lot more flexible, and order volumes can be much larger depending on your offering.

Not only this, but since it’s businesses buying from one another, B2B e-commerce transactions are usually more logical, need-based and are far less impulsive than those made by individual consumers.

Some examples of well-recognised B2B e-commerce businesses include Amazon, Alibaba, Salesforce, Hootsuite and Microsoft.

The key benefits of setting up a B2B e-commerce store

There are a number of reasons why selling through B2B e-commerce can be very advantageous, and the key benefits for both you and your customers include:

But despite these many benefits, some brands are still reluctant or worried about embracing this business model - and this is often down to a number of misconceptions.

What are some common misconceptions about B2B e-commerce?

Whether already running a business or considering getting started, there are some common misconceptions that hold lots of people back from selling B2B online; these are believing:

  1. That the traditional B2B method is absolutely fine as it is and needs no updating
  2. B2B customers don’t want to buy things online; they all want to speak with a sales rep in person or over the phone before purchasing
  3. B2B pricing is too complex for an e-commerce website
  4. Good customer service and business interaction don’t translate well online
  5. B2B products are not suitable for online sales
  6. E-commerce sites can’t comprehend more complicated payment methods such as monthly instalments
  7. B2B websites don’t need to be fancy or cleverly designed
  8. E-commerce sites are costly and take up a lot of your precious time

Of course, none of this is correct. In today’s digital world, as Millennials and younger generations are increasingly in decision-making roles, more and more people prefer to buy goods and services for their business online.

Not only this, but B2B e-commerce does not have to be costly, labour-intensive or complicated. There are plenty of tools and platforms out there that make creating and maintaining a well-designed, engaging website quick and easy.

What features and capabilities should a B2B e-commerce site have?

If you’re ready to get your e-commerce site set up, you might be wondering how to get started and what key features your website is going to need. The good news is there are certain features and capabilities that every good B2B e-commerce site should have, so tick these boxes, and you’ll be on the path to success:

Customer accounts

Firstly, you need to make sure your clients can buy goods, monitor orders and reorder as quickly and simply as possible. It’s a good idea to allow customers to create an account they can log into and quickly reorder or access past orders.

This should include solo and multiple user accounts, and you could even allow them to set up permissions and user authority levels for making purchases.

Order and pricing features

Where required, it’s important to indicate minimum and maximum order quantities, as well as fixed price lists or volume-based discounts.

If you don’t offer fixed prices and instead offer tailored packages, ensure that contacting the relevant sales reps is as simple and easy as possible, pop up chat windows can be very helpful for this.

Payment options

Flexible payment options and portals such as buy now, pay later (BNPL) are great for customers as they offer them a range of ways to pay. As such, it’s a good idea to offer a variety of portals and ways to pay, carefully displaying all options on your e-commerce site.

Courier and shipping options

As well as offering different payment options, it’s a good idea to offer a range of different shipping options. This can be particularly important for businesses who need swift deliveries or special courier services for heavier, larger or more fragile goods.

Administrative features

These features should also benefit the business by synchronising orders, inventory and client profiles with the administrative office. Your site should also integrate helpful business systems such as bulk pricing, quote management and inventory handling.

Data and privacy

Finally, you need to make sure that you follow all data privacy and other cybersecurity protocols to keep your business and customers safe. Remember, when using your website, businesses will be sharing a lot of sensitive information with you, and this needs to be protected.

So should you be selling B2B through e-commerce?

For the most part, yes, you should be selling B2B through e-commerce. That being said, depending on your goods or services, there will always be some exceptions, and ultimately you need to determine this for yourself.

However, as we move further into a digital world, consumers and businesses are increasingly looking for quick, simple and more efficient ways to get the goods and services they need.

Not to mention e-commerce opens you up to a much bigger audience, which is so important in today’s competitive market.

Small Business's Guide To Financial Planning For The New Year

Finance sheet

While lots of people are focusing on the festive season, getting ahead of their Christmas shopping and organising holiday celebrations for small businesses, the upcoming new year is a time for reflection and financial planning.

Ultimately, the sooner you get started with your business financial planning, the better prepared your business will be for the year ahead. However, as this is a busy (and exciting) time of year, it can be tricky to know how to get started with your finances.

But, if you want to set your small business up for success, this guide is for you. Below, we’ll give you a rundown of the financial planning tasks you need to take care of head of the new year.

1. Prepare all your key end-of-year financial documents

One of the most important parts of reviewing your finances and forecasting for the future is ensuring you have all the key financial documents at your disposal. Plus, these will be important for settling any outstanding payments as you move forward into the new year. The key financial documents you should gather include:

Having these statements is an important part of monitoring and analysing the overall performance of your small business. These help to show whether you’re running a healthy business or not, if you do need some adjustment or if funding, expansion or mentorship could be a possibility in the future.

Not only that but from these documents, you will be able to calculate your current assets and liabilities, any debt you owe and any profit you’ve made. Having all this information to hand can help you to not only see what you’re doing well or possibly where your business is suffering, but it is vital for planning your finances and budgets for the new year.

2. Start preparing your tax documents

Following on from our first point, although the end of the year might not be the end of the tax year, it is a good time to start getting your tax documents in order.

The types of records you keep will vary depending on the nature of your business, but it’s a good idea to keep as much as possible until the end of the tax year when you know your return has been filed correctly. These key documents could include:

Once you’ve gathered all the documents and details that are relevant to your business, you can start the new year feeling more prepared and with some idea of what your tax bill might be that year. Not only this, but you’ll be able to look back at where you’ve been spending your money and where your key earners are, making it much easier to plan for the future with real data and insights.

3. Start planning your goals for the new year

Armed with all the relevant documents, information and insights, you can review your goals from the past year. This will highlight areas of strength and weakness, helping to give you a clearer picture of your business goals for the new year.

At this stage, you can start writing down your goals for the new year based on your findings. For example, is your goal to increase sales? Hire new employees? Cut business costs? Or perhaps to make the move from retail to online and open up another source of revenue?

Of course, these are just a few ideas, but at this point, you should write down each business goal you hope to achieve over the coming 12 months, including as much detail as possible about each one.

4. Develop action plans based on your financial goals

Once you’ve begun writing down your goals, it’s time to think about which are going to be your key priorities and get an action plan in place for each of these. It can be very helpful to use the SMART method by setting goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.

In order to get the most effective action plan in place, you should break each goal down into smaller objectives, making these more specific. You can then outline the key metrics with which you’ll measure your goals, ensuring your goals and targets are relevant to the overall success of your business.

Finally, you can set a deadline for each of your goals, making sure these are realistic and attainable.

This is because if you set goals that are too hard to reach or that you will not reasonably achieve by your set deadline, this can become very disheartening. So, to help you stay on track and feel as if your business is driving forward, set SMART financial goals.

An example of one such goal could be:

5. Create a strategic financial plan

Now you’ve got all your documents together and have outlined the goals you hope to achieve, the final stage is to get a strategic plan in place.

Look at your goals and plug in the costs needed to achieve them; you can then compare this with your current financial situation and determine the funds you’ll need to achieve your goals. Creating financial projections in this way ensures you have enough money in your budget to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself.

What’s more, based on your SMART goals, you can determine whether you will need more staff, equipment, etc., to drive your business forward. This will again help you to set budgets and get a strategic financial plan in place to ensure success in the new year.

How Retailers Can Move Online With Amazon

In recent years, lots of retailers have chosen to make the move from traditional retail models to e-commerce. This is largely as a result of the boom in e-commerce and online shopping.

This move to the digital world was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with lots of businesses having to close their brick and mortar stores, therefore relying on making sales via the internet. In fact, the e-commerce industry grew by a staggering 46% in 2020.

However, if you’re yet to make the move online, but you’re hoping to do so in the near future, you might be unsure of your best options.

And one giant retailer that isn’t going anywhere is Amazon. As such, you might be considering opening an Amazon e-commerce store.

But how do you go about doing this?

Well, that’s exactly what this guide is here to teach you. Below, we’ll take a look at how retailers can move their business online with Amazon.

What are the benefits of moving your business online with Amazon?

Before we begin, let’s take a quick look at some of the key benefits of using Amazon to move your retail business online. If you’re still not sure why this is the best option for you, you should consider choosing Amazon because:

• Your products are much easier to find and will be visible to literally millions of online shoppers
• You know you’re listing your products with a trusted and established brand
• Your products will be protected by Amazon’s security and fraud protection policies
• You can sell to people nationwide and across Europe in five marketplaces
• There are no listing fees; you only pay when you make a sale
• You have the option to let Amazon fulfil your orders, so you don’t have to deal with the packaging or shipping of your goods if you don’t want to

Another great reason for choosing Amazon Marketplace is that it is simple to get started and won’t require you to have a huge amount of budget behind you. To explain just how easy it is to list, sell, ship and get paid for your products through Amazon, we’ve put together a step by step guide to opening up your online Amazon store.

So, in this next section, we’ll take you through each stage of the process so you can get your Amazon retail store up and running in no time!

1. Decide what type of seller you are

Amazon Marketplace allows retailers to sell their goods using Amazon’s infrastructure in exchange for a fee.

So first and foremost, you need to determine what type of seller you are because Amazon charges different fees depending on the nature of your business. Sellers are split into two key categories; these are casual and professional.

Casual sellers are those who sell 35 items or less per month. Because of this, they are only asked to pay a small completion and referral fee per item.

However, if you plan on selling a larger quantity of items, you’ll need to sign up for a professional account. And this requires a monthly subscription fee in addition to the individual completion and referral fees.

So before you get started, decide whether you’re going to need a casual or professional account.

2. Upload your products

Once you’ve signed up for the most relevant account, you then need to get your products on your Amazon Marketplace page.

Thanks to Amazon’s easy to use interface, it doesn’t take too much time or effort to do this.

If your products already exist on the Amazon catalogue, then you can list these individually by simply adding the name, price and available stock. Alternatively, you can use Amazon’s bulk listing tools if you have the product barcodes.

However, if your product does not exist in the catalogue, you can create them by adding all the relevant product information. This includes the EAN, UPC, or ISBN code, names, descriptions, prices, etc.

3. Add images to your products

Then, once you’ve got your products on your Amazon Marketplace page, you need to add pictures. These can be the difference between making a sale or not. In fact, a recent study found that 60% of digital shoppers said they needed to see an average of three to four images when shopping online. And a further 13% said they needed five or more.

So you need to be sure you’ve got some strong images of your products ready that really show their quality. Just be sure that the images you use are in a tif or jpeg format. Image file names must also consist of the product identifier.

4. Choose how you want to fulfil and ship your orders

When moving your business online with Amazon, you need to determine who will manage the fulfilment and shipping of your orders. And all orders are managed via the Seller Central account, which every seller has full access to at all times.

When you sell an item through your page, you will receive an email notifying you of payment from the customer. You must then dispatch the item within 48 hours to comply with Amazon’s regulations. However, if you don’t want to manage the product delivery process yourself, Amazon can do this for you.

This is done through the Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) feature. Though there are no extra fees for adding this service to your account, you will have to pay fulfilment and storage fees.

Because of this, you need to determine your budget, whether you would prefer to store and send your goods yourself or whether it’s better to let Amazon do the hard work.

If you need help with parcel delivery to Northern Ireland you know who to contact, it is us, NI Parcels!

5. Get paid

The final step in moving your business online is getting paid for your products. Through Amazon Marketplace, buyers are paid every 14 days from the day they register as a seller. It’s a good idea to keep this in mind as the money takes a few weeks to reach you.

However, you will be sent a notification by e-mail each time your payment has been processed and sent to you.

 

Some More Information:

Shipping to Northern Ireland

Selling Online

7 Things To Look For In A Courier Partner For Your Business

Courier Van

Whether you’ve recently started a business or you’re just looking to make some changes, a reliable courier service is important for your shipping and logistics.

Not only can the right courier partner save you money, but your delivery service also contributes towards the customer experience and your reputation.

So you really need to get this right.

However, finding the perfect courier service can be tricky and is not a decision to take lightly. That’s where we come in.

To help you get this right, we’ve pulled together a list of the things you need to look for when choosing a courier partner for your business. These are:

1. Reliability

One of the most important things you need to consider when choosing a courier service is how reliable they are. An unreliable courier partner could not only cost your business money but could negatively impact your reputation.

The good news is there are several ways you can find out about the reliability of a courier and these include:

So before you settle on a provider, be sure to do thorough research and check out the reliability of each provider you’re considering. Then you can make an informed decision and ensure you choose the most reliable service provider.

2. Professionalism and communication

Another important consideration is how professional the service providers are and whether they’re good at communicating when you need them.

After all, you want working with them to be as easy and enjoyable as possible.

So before you choose a courier, you need to determine important aspects such as how they communicate with clients, how they do their invoicing and how you go about arranging bookings with them.

Look for a courier service that is going to make the process as seamless as possible and who are always (within reason) on hand to help should you encounter any issues.

You also want them to be professional in terms of the service they provide to your customers. This means you want couriers with clean, tidy vans and well-presented delivery drivers. This is because the professionalism of their employees will also reflect on your business.

3. Speed of delivery

In a world where same-day delivery is possible, consumers are increasingly expecting faster delivery times. As such, the speed of delivery is important and is something you need to consider when choosing a courier.

You want to choose a courier who can offer express shipping and rush orders when required. You might also wish to choose a provider that offers same-day, next-day or overnight delivery as these options are very well received by consumers.

So look at the company website and speak with the couriers before deciding. They will be able to advise you on the types of delivery options they have on offer. At NI Parcels we specialise in postage to Northern Ireland.

4. The range of services on offer

We’ve briefly touched on some of the services you might want. but before you settle on any courier partner, you need to make sure they offer all the services you need or might need in the future.

So take a careful look at the variety of services on offer. And remember, you might be a small business only offering local delivery right now, but if you plan to expand in the future, you want a courier partner that can handle the logistics and shipping of your growth.

Plus, if you already ship internationally or you hope to do this in the future, you’ll need a service provider that offers this service.

Some of the services that a good courier partner should provide and therefore the things you should look out for include:

5. Security

We are hearing a lot more about security these days, whether online or offline, as people are sharing more of their data than ever before. And security is something you also need to consider when choosing a courier.

Depending on the nature of your business, your courier could be shipping packages containing sensitive information or items. This means you want a courier that provides multiple ways of keeping your packages safe.

Not only this, but you want a service provider that is going to require proof of ID where necessary and that will ensure they are not taking any unnecessary risks with your packages.

A good way to check the security of a courier is to find out whether they offer any of the following:

You should be able to find out or ask about these on the company website or by getting in touch with the customer service team.

6. Environmental considerations

People are increasingly becoming aware of their environmental footprint and as such, they are making more environmentally friendly choices. And businesses are no exception.

If you’re hoping to reduce your carbon footprint, you should look for a courier service that works with eco-conscious suppliers and has systems in place to reduce emissions. For example, some couriers now use bikes for local deliveries, while others use electric eco-vans.

So if this is something that is important to you and you think it can have a positive impact on your brand, speak to couriers about what they’re doing to be more eco-conscious.

7. Price

Last but by no means least, you need to consider the price of your courier service. While you want a courier service that is going to offer all the services, security and customer service you want, you also need to consider the costs.

You need to find a balance to ensure you get everything you need from your new courier partner but at an affordable price that suits your budget.

The great news is there are plenty of courier services out there that offer both; it’s just about shopping around and doing your research until you find the right one.

How To Add A Local Delivery Service To Drive Online Sales

Research conducted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic found that a huge number of consumers have changed their buying behaviours as a result of the virus and not just because of the shift towards e-commerce. In fact, more than this, 53% said that the pandemic has changed the way they willl shop in the future, even once retail stores are able to open again.

When it came to finding out about local delivery, 31% said they have bought something online for local delivery during the pandemic and 59% of those that did, said they would use this method more in the future, particularly while the pandemic is ongoing.

Another shift we’ve seen this year is increased support for smaller businesses, with people trying to shop local in order to support their community. This has led many businesses to consider and even start doing local delivery, which is a great way to connect to local customers, provide a better service and drive up your sales.

So, if you're considering setting up a local delivery option for your business but you're not quite sure where to start don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how you can get started with local delivery to help drive up your online sales.

What is local delivery?

Just in case you're not sure what we mean when we say local delivery, let’s first clear this up. With locals unable to just pop in store to get what they need; they might have turned to your e-commerce site instead. However, it can be frustrating having to wait several days to receive your goods when the store is just down the road. And this is where local delivery comes in.

Local delivery allows customers to visit your online e-commerce store and make a purchase, their goods are then immediately packed and sent out for delivery to their home. There is usually a cut off radius or area in which local delivery applies, this could be just your local town or the surrounding areas as well.

How can local delivery help your business?

As we’ve said, local delivery can be great for connecting with the local community and driving sales online. But more than this, it also means local customers are more likely to choose your store as they can usually have their goods within 24 hours, often even the same day. This can stop them from choosing other online retailers like Amazon which typically offers fast delivery times, but doesn't often offer same-day delivery.

It’s also a nice way to give back to the local community and offer a meaningful shopping experience to those that frequent your store. It’s a way of taking your customer service to the next level. But let’s not waste any more time, below we’ll look at how you can add a local delivery service to your business. If you need local parcel delivery in Northern Ireland, look no further than NI Parcels.

  1. Think about the logistics

Before you jump straight in and tell people that you're offering local delivery, you first need to consider the logistics behind it. You’ll need to make sure you’ve got the time and resources to be able to take, package, send or deliver the goods yourself. If you want to make this a viable option you need to think about the following:

Once you’ve put some thought into all of these questions, you’ll have a better idea of how you're going to conduct this service. Of course, you might find easier solutions along the way but it’s important to have a solid plan in place before you commit to a local service, just in case you cannot meet demands.

  1. Create an e-commerce site (if you don’t already have one)

A huge step towards adding your local delivery option is going to be creating an e-commerce website if you don't already have one - and you really should! This will give you a place to advertise your goods and allow people to place orders. There are plenty of platforms out there that make creating an e-commerce website as simple as possible, for example, WordPress and Shopify.

  1. Add local delivery to your e-commerce site

The next step is to add a local delivery option to your website and there are several ways you can do this. You might wish to create an entirely new page dedicated to local delivery which contains your contact details so that locals can place their orders. Alternatively, e-commerce platforms like Shopify have whole features dedicated to allowing you to add local delivery to your website.

Essentially, how you choose to go about adding this feature is up to you, just make sure it is simple enough for locals to be able to find it and easy enough for them to place their orders.

  1. Shout about your local delivery options

You can’t just expect the locals to know about your new service, so you need to make sure you let them know. There are several ways you can do this, the simplest is putting up a sign up in your shop window to direct people to your website or social media pages. If you have an existing email list you can also use this to send out an email to those registered in your local area to let them know.

Lastly, shout about your new delivery service on your social media profiles. It’s likely that your following will largely be made up of locals and people who have visited you before, so you’ll be able to reach them directly. To boost your visibility further, ask other local businesses and customers to share your updates.

What’s more, if you wanted to put a bit of budget behind it you could always run ad campaigns targeting those that live nearby but that will depend on whether you’ve got the money to spend.

  1. Consider curbside pick-up

Finally, though not strictly delivery, some locals may prefer to swing by and pick up their parcel themselves when they're out and about. If you're able to have someone at your store or nearby location that can run this service, consider adding curtsied pick-up to your list of options. This gives customers even more flexibility around how they choose to shop and receive their goods.

 

More Information:

Shipping to Northern Ireland

How Retailers Can Move Online With Amazon

Making The Move From Traditional Retail To E-Commerce

Ecommerce site

Amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, businesses are desperately doing all they can to try and stay afloat. Whilst Government funding might pick up a bit of the slack, it can only go so far and as a result, many retailers that have been forced to shut their shop are turning to the digital world for help. Some are keeping it simple by just sharing their products on social media and doing contactless drop-offs or pick-ups. Others are setting up websites so they can take their business fully online.

If you’ve found yourself in this situation and you're desperate to make the move from traditional retail to e-commerce in time for the Christmas rush, we’re here to help. If you're new to e-commerce it can feel a little overwhelming and you might not know how to get started - and that’s OK.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how you can pivot from traditional retail to e-commerce as easily as possible and just in time for the festive season.

  1. Choose the right e-commerce platform

If you’ve decided that you need to get your website up and running as soon as possible, you’ll need to choose the right platform for the job. Luckily, there are several e-commerce platforms and marketplaces out there that make setting up a site for your business easier than ever. For example, you could set yourself up an account on Etsy, eBay or Amazon to sell your products. Alternatively, if you want a selling space that’s all your own you could use a website builder like WordPress or Shopify.

Which you choose will largely depend on the functionality you're looking for, your budget and how confident you are in your abilities to set this up yourself. Although you don’t have to jump right in at the deep end, it’s worth looking at what plugins or functions are available for enabling reviews, SEO, adding blogs and other improvements you might want to make in the future.

Once you’ve chosen your platform you can build your website or pages (most will have built-in themes you can choose from) and get ready to start adding your products.

  1. Add your products

Next up you need to add all your products to your pages and make sure you give each one a description. These don’t have to be long, but make sure they include relevant keywords and give a good and accurate overview of the product. Most website builders will have simple ways you can add your products and will prompt you where to put your descriptions - so don't panic!

It’s also important that you add photos of your products as this will boost your chance of making a sale. Think about it, in-store your customers can see and hold your products and they're unlikely to purchase anything if they have no idea what it even looks like.

If you wish to and you have the skills to do so, you might even want to add videos of your products being showcased or demonstrated.

  1. Decide how you're going to ship your products

If you choose to offer delivery to your customers (and you should because click and collect will only get you so far) then you need to choose how you plan to ship your items. Our courier comparison service will help you find the best deal for you. There are lots of couriers out there that are working their hardest to keep things going despite the pandemic. How you choose to ship your parcels will likely depend on the volumes of sales you're making and what’s available to you.

Ni parcels

NI Parcels is used by hundreds of local small businesses in Northern Ireland and beyond and we are committed to keeping costs as low as possible. We specialise in Postage to Northern Ireland

  1. Let everyone know you're open for business

Once your website or marketplace is up and running, you need to let people know that you're open for business. The final step in moving from traditional to e-commerce retail is to market your business effectively online to help you draw in customers. After all, you can no longer rely on foot traffic and people simply passing by your shop, you need to work that bit harder to drive traffic and make sales.

Open for business

But don’t worry - while marketing might be almost entirely new to you, the good news is that it doesn't have to be hard work. There are several ways you can do it:

NI Parcels launches Pallet Services

NI Parcels specialises in transporting parcels for business and personal users, however, more recently we have been getting asked about large shipments. It can often get very expensive to send large items via a courier company, so this is why we have launched our new Pallet Service called "Pallet Anywhere".

Currently, you can send pallets within the UK and Ireland with Pallet Anywhere with more routes been added soon. We have some fantastic rates to send in and out of Northern Ireland. You will not find better rates to send half and full pallets to Northern Ireland.

You get many features with Pallet Anywhere, just like NI Parcels Parcels, such as;

With Pallet Anywhere, you can book your pallet delivery online within minutes. Pallet-Wraps-300x211Our online booking system is available 24/7 and is super easy to use for your convenience. To get started, simply get a quote.

Just as with NI Parcels, Pallet Anywhere has a handy pay-as-you-go system, which means there’s no rate cards or price lists. All pallets sent with us are priced individually based on their size and weight, we offer both half and full pallets to ensure that you receive the very best value for your money every single time. To get a quick quote all you need to do is enter you postcode (if within the UK) and country to send sending to.