Were You Defeated by the Holiday Rush? Here’s Why E-Commerce Hinges on Transportation Management

December 29, 2021
EMG
Uncategorized

When you first opened your online business, you probably fantasized of the holidays as a bustling time of long hours but lots of added revenue right at the end of the year when you need it most. We can always dream, right?

The reality is, you’re going to get caught biting off more than you can chew unless you have a robust transportation and logistics process. The last thing you want to do is choke over the holidays when people are practically *begging* you to take your money.

Call it growing pains or call it a learning experience. We’ll call it just another holiday season. We’re used to the seasonal ebb and flow and have the tools, staffing, and experience to not just handle it, but give your business a level of reliability that customers will remember for the rest of the year, and certainly the next holiday season.

Supply Chains Can Be Like Traffic Jams

Traffic jams, as much as they are a huge pain, come from humble beginnings. Even the longest jams are caused, at first, by a couple of cars pumping their brakes. Like a ripple in a pond, the effect moves outward, getting worse and worse until everyone is gridlocked. So, how do you thwart a traffic jam? You simply keep things flowing, no matter how slowly. Some progress is always better than no progress.
That same methodology is used in supply chain logistics. Rather than let a bottleneck completely interrupt the flow of inventory, it’s much easier to track everything the moment it leaves a warehouse, and ensure, at the very least, that it’s on the move. When you’re only looking at the trucks via a tracking number, then you’re essentially only looking at the cars that are already stopped. With transportation management tools you can see the traffic ahead, see what’s stuck, and divert the stuff that hasn’t yet arrived to try and keep things moving.

Freight Consolidation: It’s Complicated

The average shop owner probably doesn’t have enough time in their day to begin to tackle the logistics of freight consolidation. Yet, the principle saves you a lot of money, while potentially increasing your shopping speed. A good transportation management solutions understand the giant chess board that is freight consolidation and knows when (and when not) to group your goods for the sake of cost-savings, and when speed is the priority.

E-Commerce Fluctuates Fast, Can You Handle It?

If your sales never change, then your business isn’t growing. Growth is a good thing, and with growth comes complexity. Even still, all businesses have a seasonal ebb and flow, especially around the holidays. While a brick and mortar store may be able to bring in seasonal staff to stem that tide, an online business without a transportation management company in their pocket has to brave the holidays with their hands tied. You’ve been at the end of the line at the RMV; are you willing to be just as unimportant to the big delivery companies in the United States? With a good transportation management team, the packaging, transportation, and inventory management of your business can be scaled at will, giving you the resources you need, when you need them. No, this isn’t a “take a number, get in line” business.

We Make You a Priority

Most of all, a transportation management business has your back. At the end of the day, our business is vouching for you. In a long line of e-commerce business, that can be nearly impossible for you to do on your own. We’ve already built the relationships needed to give your business the priority it needs to operate efficiently.

Transportation Management Makes Being Busy a Good Feeling

Being busy can be great. Yet, as a business owner, it can feel like a nail in your coffin if you simply can’t keep up. When you have a business like us manage your transportation and logistics, you can actually feel good about that sudden increase in sales. You know we’re in the background, packing your product, sending it out as efficiently as possible, and getting it to your customers’ doorsteps in time for the holidays.