Introduction

The latter half of 2022 has brought a host of new challenges for small businesses to contend with. The range of these new issues include the lingering inflation rates; the aggressive hike rates by the Federal Reserve; and the threats of a hard landing and recession fears in 2023 with a lack of knowledge on the length of harder times ahead. These challenges have created tighter budgets and some pullback from consumers and have additional ramifications in terms of storage of lingering items that are not being sold in Los Angeles. Small business owners need to be aware of the new nature of how dead storage plays a key part in navigating the next few months leading into the usually busy holiday period and into the beginning of 2023. Here, we will address why this challenge is happening as well as the best ways to make sure that your small business, whether in e-commerce or B2B, can avoid these issues. 

How the Second Half of 2022 Flipped Logistics Issues

Going into these last few months of 2022, there are several key issues that have become important key points for small businesses in particular to be aware of: lingering inflation rates and the looming threat of a ‘hard landing’ that would mean a high chance of a recession. From the beginning of 2022, we have seen global economies react to lingering inflation rates that have either increased or stayed high due to continuing supply chain issues and the push and pull factors that the pandemic continues to impact in several key markets. In the US, for instance, inflation rose to a high of 9.1% in June 2022 before holding steady at 8.2% in October 2022, much higher than the Federal Reserve’s goal of hitting a 2% inflation rate. The current inflation rate is one of the highest rates in over four decades. Because of this, the Fed has continued to push up the US federal funds interest rate by .75 of a percentage point for four consecutive quarters. 

This aggressive policy to combat inflation has started to have the intended ramifications of tampering down demand in the economy, but many businesses and consumers are bracing for a possible recession. On the one hand, less demand means less vessels clogging up traffic in the ports and less wait time for goods, which was a large issue from 2021. Ship volume has decreased nearly an average of 9% since last year. On the other hand, many businesses overprepared for the coming Q4 holiday period as they based their planning around 2021 figures of unprecedented pent-up consumer demand and very laggy shipping times. With sales down due to the economic situation, businesses have an overabundance of their products in the marketplace. 

This current situation has caused the current dead storage issue, meaning a long-term storage of product that has been at a standstill over 90 days. Because of lower than expected sales mixed with this dead storage, warehouses in Los Angeles are full. Businesses of all types, including e-commerce and B2B, are hoping to move and sell their product by Q3 in 2023 depending on how the impact of the higher federal funds interest rate plays out and barring any other shakeups. Full warehouses mean that many small businesses will be scrambling to look for locations to store any new product they may be wishing to sell and a battle of rising rates to occupy such spaces in another twist to the supply chain issues. 

Finding Open Storage Available in Los Angeles 

To those small businesses looking for storage space during these difficult times, it is important to make sure you are well connected with a strong fulfillment partner who keeps you up-to-date on the best locations with open storage as well as helping their clients find the best rates possible. Here at TRG, for instance, we have helped our clients both stay up-to-date, keeping them informed about the latest and best information such as open warehouse capacity that just opened up in Torrance and Gardena. If you are interested in learning more about the latest logistics and fulfillment news and open warehouse space, contact us here. 

The post The State of E-Commerce & B2B Fulfillment & Dead Storage in Los Angeles appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.

Intro

2022 continues to be a tricky year for small businesses. Although there have been some optimistic signs including the Consumer Price Index being fairly resilient throughout the year along with some prices falling, the overall mood for small businesses have been still fairly volatile, especially in regards to overseas shipments. In this latest blog post, we will explore several, practical best practices that we use here at BetFiery that you can apply to your small business in regards to international shipments. . 

What Is Affecting the International Markets

The summer of 2022 has been affected by highs and lows that have been important considerations for fluctuating pricing both domestically and internationally. 

Inflation fears still remain high. Although several key indicators showcase a much more complex fight at work in the background, governments worldwide are rallying behind increasing their national interest rates in order to reign in inflation, and this price fluctuation and hardships in borrowing power will affect both consumer demand and pricing for small businesses. 

Inventory is also a growing issue. Small businesses have been noted to offload a lot of the stock they built up throughout the last two years due to the pandemic that is taking up space and pricing. Owners have been trying to balance out how best to save money while being more nimble dependent on economic issues.

Finally, the global supply chain has seen some improvements from the messy state of 2021, but it still faces lingering issues that have not been solved yet. Although shipping containers may not cost as much as $20,000+ as it did in 2021’s peak shipment crisis, costs today are still significantly higher than average. Companies worldwide are still watching key issues that are playing out such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine which are affecting flour prices to the continuing semiconductor chip shortage from lockdowns from China’s no-COVID policy. 

All of these factors lead to complicated choices that small businesses need to continue to be cognizant of and ways to try and save money in these uncertain times. However, there are a few factors that small businesses do have control over to help with getting items shipped internationally. 

Best Practices in Saving Money in International Shipments

One important point is to make sure to have a good relationship with your carrier (or a well-versed intermediary) who can point out specific international shipment notes that many may not commonly know of. Every country has their own regulations of what can or cannot be shipped to and from their borders. For instance, if you are a small business that ships books to China, you need to be careful as there are certain kinds of books that will be stuck at customs depending on the subject matter. 

In addition, these rules change constantly as well, so it is important to keep up not only with the news but to make sure you have a good rapport with the people you ship with. Most small businesses have a difficult time with international shipping because they have to ship less across borders versus domestically, creating less familiarity. 

In this example, certain shipping fees applied to countries like the United Kingdom are not applicable to other locations. Perhaps you are shipping an item to Cambridge, but because it does not fit the correct parameters, you have to pay over $1,000 because it gets stopped at customs. These fee increases also hit important areas like international taxes where they may charge you everyday the shipment is in London. These fees quickly add up if you are not keeping up with the news and carrier relations. 

Because of our good relationship with the carriers, TRG has a designated representative from each company talking to us and telling us about a specific new change taking place all over the world. If you would like more information on our staff’s work and knowledge of international shipments and other logistical questions, contact us here.

The post Small Business Tips on Saving Money Shipping Internationally appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.

Intro

2022 has been a rough year for many small businesses as there have been many variables to consider from inflation to COVID. Increasing inflation rates; major weather events; the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine; and COVID-19 variants have continued to impact a slew of different parts of the economy and shipping disruptions. In this blog series, we have covered a number of different aspects to be cognizant of during these turbulent times, but one new aspect that some small businesses may not be considering is the importance of understanding the relationships with the shipping carriers and fostering better relations with them (or using a great intermediary that has the knowledge). 

Why does it matter to actually have a better understanding of and relationship with shipping carriers? Doing so will help you to better realize important shipping techniques that will help out your small business. Even more importantly, you can actually save money and get other perks that you may not be aware of. Some may mistakenly believe that they have all the information they need via their experience as well as seeing just the information available online. However, as we will explore in this blog post, that is only half the story, and you are missing out on savings and important information.

Why trust us? At TRG, we receive a large amount of quotes from our clients and create orders so often that gives us a great overview of the different options, perks, and rights that you may not be aware of unless you also ship a large number of packages and keep in good contact with agents at the carriers. Because of TRG’s good relationship with the carriers, we have a designated representative from each company talking to us and telling us about a specific new change taking place. Below, we’ll break down a few important points in understanding shipping carriers. 

Using Carrier Knowledge to Reap the Biggest Discounts and Perks

Having a good rapport with carriers will help your small business know where to actually go shop and find big savings and helpful items. For instance, specific carriers may only help out in looking for a lost package if you purchase insurance while other carriers may only cover a specific amount of value for a missing package from a claim ticket. Not every customer gets this knowledge because it really is dependent on the relationship that is developed over time with the carriers and amount of business. 

One direct perk that you get with a good carrier representative relationship is getting a heads-up on dates that may be super busy or events that may impact shipment times. For instance, at TRG, we will be notified which holiday dates will be most impactful on shipment times or if there is a storm in a state like Wyoming. Using this knowledge, we can directly let our clients quickly know what is going on ahead of time for potential delays. 

Another benefit is actually getting a heads-up on discounts and related to the amount of business a fulfillment center or customer gives to a carrier. It’s important to be on the lookout for a fulfillment center that carries enough volume to make an impact with the carriers. Much like in any beneficial business relationship, shipping carriers do focus more of their efforts and care with customers that send more shipments to them and move a lot of volume. Loyalty is also taken into consideration as well. At TRG, because we move high amounts of volume, we are given a dedicated representative that gives us consistent updates and discount deals exclusive to these higher volume customers. We then pass that knowledge onto our clients to make sure they benefit. 

One last perk that many may not know about is the exclusive pickups that only these high volume customers have access to. For instance, TRG and other high volume customers get access to trailer drops and pickups. For example, this trailer drop opportunity is given on Black Friday to us. The reason is that this is a heavy duty time in which companies are fighting for pickups since daily pickups need to take place with a high demand from consumers. With so much congestion, the carriers are not always able to fulfill all the orders, and then small businesses are stuck with a package that can be delayed and hurt the business’ reputation and repeat business. 

Because of the strong relationship and constant communication at TRG with the carriers, they will provide containers and trailers for use on dates with a high volume of shipments whether on holidays like Black Friday and Christmas as well as any average date. This trailer is dropped off in the morning just for use by our clients where we fill it up, lock the trailer, and leave it overnight. The carriers then pick the trailer up during this period and scan all the packages in their facility quickly, so that they can drop off the trailer the next morning to create this efficient cycle where our clients can get their packages out to customers on time. This perk creates trust between high volume customers like TRG and carriers as well as between TRG and our clients. 

Learn More About TRG’s Outstanding Carrier Relationships 

As we shared throughout this blog, BetFiery is a great resource with a staff who has a great relationship with the shipping carriers and gets the latest information on what best practices you need to be mindful of. If you have any questions or shipping needs for your business that we can help, especially with the upcoming busy holiday periods, contact us here. 

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The battle with inflation and shipping continues into the summer of 2022 compounded by closed Chinese factories and heavy global demand from consumers. How do you as a small business owner dependent on shipment goods best prepare and combat these trends? This blog will guide you into the most relevant news about what is to come and how to get ready. The battle with inflation and shipping continues into the summer of 2022 compounded by closed Chinese factories and heavy global demand from consumers. How do you as a small business owner dependent on shipment goods best prepare and combat these trends? This blog will guide you into the most relevant news about what is to come and how to get ready.The battle with inflation and shipping continues into the summer of 2022 compounded by closed Chinese factories and heavy global demand from consumers. How do you as a small business owner dependent on shipment goods best prepare and combat these trends? This blog will guide you into the most relevant news about what is to come and how to get ready. 

Intro

Inflation has continued to heavily impact various parts of the worldwide economy, sending prices spiraling on various consumer goods from chocolate to even real estate. Analysts are seeing this not only in the US but in numerous countries with US inflation jumping to 8.5% in recent months. Small businesses are now forced to contend with having to raise prices on their own goods to try and combat their own bottom line in trying to balance out rising shipping and gas costs as well as a number of other areas. 

Why are these inflation trends still hitting us in 2022 and how might it impact your small business? We are here to help break down the reasons and give practical solutions to help out. 

Why Are We Seeing Summer Inflation Patterns? 

There are several reasons for why we are seeing record inflation that the US has not seen since the 1970’s. The supply chain continues to show major weaknesses in this uneven time period – one of the biggest factors in causing these current inflation impact pain points. One recent study looked at data from over 140 countries and saw that if freight rates double, inflation picks up and can last over two years, and these trends are consistent with what we are seeing in the US and other major countries worldwide.  

Freight shipments in particular have skyrocketed. The reason for this price discrepancy has changed from a shortage in containers  to a lack of room and equipment to handle the heavy demand. Compounding these factors is a shortage in several labor markets related to shipping as well such as a lack of truck drivers as well as port workers. In addition, COVID-19 continues to play a major role in factory shutdowns in major manufacturing hubs like in Shanghai and other areas of China, increasing delays in several important key areas of production and impacting the entire workflow as well as gas inflation being impacted by the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The Governmental Response to Inflation

In the US, numerous measures are being taken to combat inflation trends that small businesses need to be cognizant of. This includes the Federal Reserve raising interest rates by half a percentage point, the highest increase in over 20 years, and another half a percentage point interest raise coming in the next month or two. Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve, also alluded to a possible three quarters of a percentage point raise on interest if needed as well, saying that his goal was to reduce inflation to 2% while attempting to create a ‘soft landing’ where these rate hikes do not trigger a major recession. Finally, as many economists have noted, these inflation trends are happening globally such as in many Western European countries. 

How to Prepare for an Inflation-Heavy Summer

How can your business then best prepare for these high prices and uncertain situations? There are three major steps that you and your team should already be preparing for.

First, your business needs to set aside a portion of your budget for hardships throughout the year. Several major situations from COVID-19 to the Russian invasion of Ukraine are examples of very unpredictable situations that have arisen whether these last six months to over the last few years. Being nimble and staying on top of the news with blogs such as this one will help you stay one step ahead of incoming difficulties in the future. 

Second, you will want to make sure that your company or one of your logistics partners are using advanced analytical logistics software. Questions you can ask your partner or yourself include – is your logistics system accurately tracking and reporting all of your orders? Is it creating efficient and automated systems that help keep track of the logistics of your business and any transitions from manual systems to eCommerce? And are you or your partner able to keep a good flow of communication between all relevant team members and customers with quickly changing situations? 

Finally, you will want to make sure your company or your logistics partner has relationships and the most up-to-date information on the ports, transportation, and storage containers. Do you or your logistics partner have a good history of being in touch with relevant representatives at the major ports? Is there knowledge about the best pricing for storage and proven hard data as well as qualitative data on transportation? Make sure these questions are answered as  you are venturing into the summer.  

BetFiery has all of these factors, from the most up-to-date news to advanced tracking/reporting software and great relationships with local ports and transportation and storage services to be a great partner for all of your needs. If you have any questions or would like to chat about your shipping and logistics needs, please contact us here. 

The post Best Shipping Practices to Combat Inflation Trends for Small Businesses appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.

A great fulfillment warehouse needs experienced personnel, the most up-to-date technology, and important relationships with key logistics players. However, they should also be able to offer a bevy of toolsets to help you best reach your customer and provide a world-class marketing suite and team to guide you to success. At BetFiery , we are able to provide our customers with both a full-service integrated marketing team and robust design services due to our long-standing second arm of the company known as The Regan Group. 

How Both The Regan Group and BetFiery Were Created 

How did both organizations begin? Patti Regan, CEO of BetFiery , founded The Regan Group originally 30 years ago. She started the business to bring marketing support to many Fortune 100 companies and help strategize the best campaigns. The company is still a creative and powerful marketing force today. 

10 years after The Regan Group’s inception, Patti then saw a need in fulfillment and shipping with many of her clients like Blockbuster Videos and other entertainment studios, who were moving into retail distribution, shipping promotions, and moving home entertainment goods. At first, Patti expanded The Regan Group itself to help with storing and supporting her clients by purchasing and managing warehouses, but eventually, this side of the business became large enough to facilitate the creation of the BetFiery Warehouse business as we know today.

Even though the two entities may not live under the same name, Patti made sure to create these two businesses side-by-side to directly help one another, supporting many of her now warehouse clients with the marketing capabilities honed at The Regan Group. 

The Importance of Having Marketing and Fulfillment Work Together 

Why is having the marketing capabilities from The Regan Group important for BetFiery Warehouse clients? Having this unique combination helps bring BetFiery the best of both worlds: experienced logistics professionals and experienced marketers to help clients create the best and most effective strategy campaigns. With our unique dual set-up, clients can choose to work with just one side or the other (along with both!) depending on their needs which helps keep our team nimble as well as experienced to investigate a wide array of campaigns for clients. Some examples of past campaigns include helping a client drive e-commerce sales by building out the necessary assets and online support to supporting another client with an influencer campaign to get more visibility and driving interest in a product. We understand both sides of fulfillment and marketing well and bring in experience and flexibility into our support. This means that we can help successfully guide your customer’s journey from beginning to end, where the customer discovers your product with our marketing support to the final shipment that we can help you track through our 3PL and experienced employees. 

If you’re interested in learning more about our fulfillment and/or logistics process, please contact us here.

The post Merging World Class Marketing with Logistics – How Both The Regan Group and BetFiery Helps You Succeed appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.

Are you feeling the pressure from your customers to ship your items faster? If so, you are not alone. Shipping expectations from customers have never been higher for sellers where same day and two day shipping have become the norm, even amidst the global pandemic that has brought on big logistical challenges to getting these parcels out to the appropriate people. Because of this, it is important to figure out, well ahead of time, a game plan for working with the right logistics partner as well as the tool sets that you should be on the lookout for. 

To best understand why these fast shipment expectations have come to fruition, we need to look to none other than two of the biggest forces affecting the world today – Amazon and the COVID-19 pandemic. Expectations for faster shipment options have never been higher thanks to one-to-two day and same-day shipping prioritization from companies like Amazon. A report from Blue Yonder and Reuters Events Supply Chain titled, “The State of Supply Chain Execution Report 2021”, found that online sales have not only increased over 120% over the last year but also increased disruptions according to a majority of those surveyed. 

In addition, a Walker Sands study found that 41% of US consumers receive at least one Amazon package per week and 56% of customers expect same-day delivery. Even with the rise of better than ever shipment options, only 15% of consumers were happy with their shipping speed. Taking this information all together, you can see how customers have not only come to expect fast shipments thanks to platforms like Amazon and Wal-Mart that offer same-day shipping but also an increased expectation and demand. 

Businesses then have to be mindful of strategies to try and make sure they are keeping up with this competition. How do you then best prepare for the high amount of demand in shipping? The right fulfillment house will have three important feature sets that will help you meet your shipment goals and give you the right advice. One is that your fulfillment partner uses a warehouse management system, the 3PL Central system with API, cloud-based warehouse management software. A great shipment software platform should be efficient with a high rate of orders being properly processed and tracked. 

The second is a fulfillment house that can prove they have good relationships with its shipping partners. The importance of this is that not only does your fulfillment partner have the right technology to help you map out your strategy but also get you the best contacts and routes that only comes through a team developing long-standing relationships. With the rise of same-day shipments, knowledge about last-mile transportation providers have been integral with local fleets and smart workflow strategies as well as up-to-date pricing with companies like UPS and FedEx. 

Finally, you want to make sure that there is an ongoing customer service network with your fulfillment partner. There should be a dedicated account representative that should be assigned to you once you start your partnership with a fulfillment warehouse. This representative allows you to make sure you are not just talking to a chatbot or waiting forever in an email inbox of an outsourced company. Instead, you are talking to someone who is experienced and has both the technical knowledge to utilize the 3PL Central system and seamlessly integrate you to the system.  

BetFiery has all of these attributes with over 20 years of experience, using 3PL, long-term relationships with shipping partners with a 99.8% success rate of orders being properly processed, and expert knowledge that will help you get the leg up in your shipping competition. If you want to learn more about how BetFiery can help you meet your shipping goals, make sure to contact us by clicking here.

The post How To Find the Right Fulfillment Partner to Make Sure Shipments Get Out Quickly appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.

If you have been trying to import nearly any kind of product, most likely, you have been experiencing prolonged delays and increased pricing. In this blog post, we will break down the current situation of what is happening at the national ports and give you tips on how to best navigate the current situation, especially in terms of why it is critical to choose the right fulfillment partner, including how TRG can best be of help for you and your products. 

What Is Happening and Why? 

As the world starts to reopen and adjust to the ongoing pandemic, the global logistics chain continues to also be swayed to never-before-seen extremities, creating historic back-ups and outsized demand. In 2020, when the pandemic forced countries into lockdowns, cargo volume fell heavily to some of the lowest levels in the past four years. Many retailers were not looking to bring in any new supply to protect their margins, driving down demand. Now, as businesses continue to quickly reopen in the US and consumer demand comes roaring back, historic demand has lopsided the supply chain in the opposite direction. More than a million containers were shipped over from March 2020 to December 2020 and has suddenly spurred strong demand as vendors try to catch up. In the port of Long Beach and Los Angeles, for instance, a record amount of container ships are continually waiting to offload, with more ships behind them that are waiting patiently to do the same and creating these extreme bottleneck situations. Container, palette, and fuel pricing have also gone up significantly which also further complicates the transportation of goods. 

Compounding this situation is the continuing pandemic itself and extraordinary situations that have arisen. One area is a labor shortage. Truck drivers and longshoremen are trying to quickly increase their labor pool but struggling against spikes in COVID-19 infections including the more contagious Delta variant. In addition, there is increased competition for workers nationwide that has created a workers’ forward market. Some of the extraordinary situations this year, thus far, includes the Suez Canal backup, where a container megaship was stuck and backed up cargo that was worth billions of dollars’ for weeks, along with extreme weather such as the volatile flooding in China and Europe that continue to disrupt the global supply chain in July of 2021, hampering the transportation of wheat, coal, and other supplies. 

How Do You Navigate Your Business During These Historic Times?  

If you are currently a retailer or trying to sell imports in the US, you need to be both cognizant of the ongoing global logistics news to see whether your products are being affected and be ready to shop for the best product available that can reach you and your customers more quickly. In addition to this, you need to make sure to be working with an experienced fulfillment partner that has the right connections and experience. How do you go about accomplishing this? One way is to make sure to bookmark the blogs and news sites of experienced logistics fulfillment providers, like our TRG blog, with the most up-to-date information and analysis being provided. Another important step is to work with qualified and experienced fulfillment warehouses that understand how to best adapt quickly and have a well-trained staff of over 20 years like TRG. We utilize RF-enabled warehouse management systems that are built specifically for our clients needs and infrastructure. We also have good relationships with the ports that have been built up over the last couple decades, so we can inform our customers in regards to the best course of action as well as having the right people in place to streamline the process. TRG makes sure that as soon as the cargo is available, we are both picking up these shipments and moving them for the best efficiency possible. 

Contact us today to see how we can help you, and make sure to bookmark our blog for the latest analysis and news in regards to fulfillment and logistics!

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The fourth quarter always seems to surprise many businesses, especially this year as it is literally just a few months away! As you are most likely well aware, the fourth quarter is one of the busiest times of the year, and with COVID-19 and the Delta variant, there are a lot of question marks that will appear during this time period alongside the increased consumer demand. Is your business ready to take on this tricky period? 

Driving Growth 

Forecasters are predicting a record-breaking and unpredictable year. The National Retail Federation is looking at retail sales to possibly go up to $4.4 trillion with online sales expected to grow up to 23 percent up to $1.13 trillion. This is compared to the $4.02 trillion in retail sales from 2020. Economists like Beth Ann Bovino also predict a steady growth in the economy for more demand and increased GDP growth, which she last predicted to be at 2.8%, the strongest increase in 37 years. 

Much of this demand is set from the reopening of the economy and multiple stimulus bills that are currently in place. As people nationally are wanting to get out more, major industries are all seeing demand skyrocket as well as many having some additional income benefitted by rising wages, stimulus checks, and additional support. There is concern though that there may be some choppy waters ahead as the Delta COVID-19 variant continues to make the future forecast of the economy reopening rather murky along with possibly inflation that lingers further than expected. Economists warn that a balanced approach and keen eye are necessary to watch in the coming months. 

Tips on Best Ways to Prepare

How does one prepare for this confusing and busy fourth quarter this year? One important first step is making sure that you are mapping out your upcoming dates clearly to know when best to prepare both inventory and best practices. This means that if you have seen your sales in previous years spike a few days before Black Friday or knowing that Christmas is going to bring in certain spikes in demand, it’s best to not only mark these dates down but also note the ramp up period needed to stock and distribute your goods to the right people in your area. 

Not only do you need to check this against your own historical data but because of the variabilities in the supply chain in this particular climate, you need to also work with the right facility. Why? Because when an important milestone date comes, like Black Friday, your products need to be received and shipped out in a timely manner, especially with the consumer expectation of quick and efficient delivery. Last year was an important example of many business owners not being able to get their goods out to their customers in a timely and efficient time period due to lacking the right partner and not preparing in time. Customers complained about these delayed or poorly distributed packages, resulting in both refunds and a hit on brand reputation. Marketplace Pulse saw the greatest amount of negative reviews and sentiment for online sellers last year with more than 11% of typed out reviews being negative, doubling that of the previous record. 

Here at TRG, we are well-versed in making sure our clients have the best data possible as well as efficient shipping. Order transmissions are assigned to an account representative via BetFiery ’s 3PL Central warehouse management system, and our order warehousing and fulfillment is highly efficient, with 99.8% of orders processed within 24 hours. Our warehouse staff is proficient in assembling all manner of pack-outs for shipment, from single packages to large orders with over 20 years of experience under our belt. 

Contact us to learn more by clicking here.

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The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made an impact on businesses, both big and small. It has left a level of uncertainty in the air for when things will go back to normal. Through the guidance and best practices put forth by the CDC, BetFiery has worked tirelessly on making sure we keep our employees safe while maintaining the incredibly important supply chain moving forward.

The safety of our customers and employees has and will always be our primary concern. At this time, our hours of operation will remain the same, and our locations fully staffed. As we work diligently to fill all orders as quickly as possible, our warehouse has installed more cleaning stations, executed new sanitation protocols, and mandated our packing tables abide by the CDC’s recommended 6-foot distance.

eCommerce is vital now more than ever, and we are thrilled to play a role in products getting from point A to point B. From safety gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer, to shipping laptops to homes for LAUSD students. We have you covered!

We understand that these are unpredictable times for all of us, but wanted you, our valued customers to know, we are here for you. Thank you for your continued trust in our team. From our family here at BetFiery , we wish you good health and safety.

Give us a call today for a quote and let us know how we might help with your day to day fulfillment needs.

The post We’ve Updated Our Health and Safety Protocols in Light of COVID-19 appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.

At the same time, becoming so immersed in minutiae to the point of not being able to see the forest for the trees is a problem. While it’s easy to get lost in the details, never lose sight of the fact that fulfillment services involve many vital functions addressing specific needs. Following one item through the system may best illustrate this concept.

Rubber Ducky, You’re the One

Let’s say Mr. Duck is for sale through omni-channel retailing. A buyer goes to the store website and orders him. At this point, visions of some store employee boxing up the duck in a back room may come to mind. Banish those thoughts. Instead, picture the order going to a fulfillment warehouse, where the warehouse staff picks the item out and packs it up for shipment to the customer.

Elsewhere, a consumer goes into a brick-and-mortar store branch looking for the duck and is lucky enough to get the last one in stock. The store is able to quickly restock by contacting their distribution center for a shipment of rubber ducks.

Providing fulfillment and distribution services means Mr. Rubber Ducky (or a few crates of him) arrives at the warehouse safely and promptly, is efficiently checked in, and properly placed in the perfect location for later pick-and-pack for shipping to a customer or for shipment to restock a store.

Receiving Inventory

So, how did the duck get to the warehouse? Using proven practices and efficient warehouse management systems (WMS), wholesalers and retailers should have the ability to arrange for direct shipment of their inventory from the manufacturer to the facility. This is one example of the importance of the physical location of a distribution warehouse.

A location near several shipping hubs – including air, sea, rail and road – is ideal because it promotes easy transport of goods from place to place.

Where’s the Duck?

Sure, it’s just a rubber duck, but for our purposes, that duck represents many types of inventory, therefore many people (including you) care about his whereabouts. A lot of money changes hands to bring products like Mr. Duck to market. That’s a good reason to keep tabs on traveling ducks throughout the warehouse distribution services.

Good distribution warehouse processes foster higher overall profits through inventory management systems that safeguard against misplaced or damaged inventory.

Somewhere, there is a child waiting for his or her new bath toy, and a set of parents wondering when it will arrive. If an order fulfillment warehouse integrates its WMS with its customers’ inventory systems, they can locate the duck quickly. Good WMS integration means customers have seamless access to order data and status.

Beyond Warehousing

Any outfits providing fulfillment and warehouse distribution management likely also offer value-added services, which may end up saving you money and time in the long run, so consider using them:

• Product labeling/ticketing
• Component assembly
• Kitting
• Palleting

A distribution center and its supporting services should have the means to cater to businesses of all types and sizes. Even companies of the same size, even in the same category, have varying distribution needs. For some, there may be a high volume of fulfillment services, so they must ship the duck to your customers, whether they want one duck or 1,000.

Keep your ducks in a row and ship them out in an orderly fashion, both to your customers and to your retail outlets, by keeping an eye not just on the details of warehousing distribution but on the big picture.

Efficiency combined with a realistic overall vision of how everything goes together means more money and happier customers – including that kids’ parents who just made bath time less of a struggle with a fun, new toy.

The post The Warehouse Distribution Services: In Brief appeared first on BetFiery Warehouse.