You need products when running a business and you need a place to hold those products which is where warehousing comes into the picture. Warehousing is a skill that is important because it allows you to store your products in a secure place and to keep up with inventory, increasing or decreasing depending on demand. To help you on your journey of learning how to warehouse efficiently, here are 3 things to consider.
- Should You Do Warehousing Yourself
Warehousing can be an exhausting endeavor and it might be better to not do it yourself. You could have a third-party do the warehousing for you which has many benefits and some downsides. Consider both before deciding to do it yourself. But before that let’s see the benefits of doing it yourself.
Doing It Yourself:
Doing warehousing yourself is perfect for small business since you probably won’t have thousands of products or any demand for that much. During the starting years of your business you might not even need a large professional storehouse, you could just use a basement or garage. Doing this gives you more flexibility and it saves you money. You have more control over products and how they get to the customer. Doing it yourself is also great for those that are tight on money.
Hiring a Third-Party:
Pros:
- Hiring them will give you more time to work on the product or the business.
- You don’t need staff to stock your supplies, the third-party takes care of that. This will save you money in the long run.
- You’re more focused on developing the product and business. In the long run it will be more important to focus on things you are good at instead of the overly complex world of warehousing.
- When hiring a third-party you don’t have to sign a static contract that forces you to pay a set price at fixed intervals. The price of the relationship will adapt to how the business is doing.
Cons:
The pros do outweigh the cons but it is still worth mentioning.
- It has a greater upfront cost. This is the reason why small business should stay clear until they have proper backing.
- Business that have highly specialized needs might not find a third-party to work with.
- The Difficulties of Warehousing
There are difficulties that involve warehousing like fulfillment issues, stolen goods, customer dissatisfaction and even profit losses if you’re not careful. There are softwares available that can help minimize and track these risks.
- The Importance and Benefits of Warehousing
It is vital to understand the importance of warehousing so you don’t miss out on the benefits, third-party or not.
- Tracking Inventory and Storage:
Warehousing will allow better tracking of inventory because you would have a single place for all your products. This place would have better security along with workers who keep track of inventory. All of this will allow fewer instances of late shipments, delayed order processing and theft.
You can also store products in the warehouse for a letter date. This is perfect for products that are sold at the best price during different seasons like surf boards or Christmas products.
- Risk Management:
A proper warehouse will not only provide better security but also a place where perishable goods can be stored and kept from wasting away. Products stored at a warehouse are also insured so even if the products are stolen or damaged you can be compensated; this adds an extra safety blanket.
- Better Customer Service:
Having a warehouse will allow better management of delivery times. Customers love receiving their products on time or quicker than the normal. You can increase your profits and reputations by using the warehouse to speed up your delivery times. You know where the product is going and where it comes from, so you can map out the most effective route to the customer.
Now you understand more about warehouse and what to expect when you decide to do it. To ensure your efforts are worthwhile, it is always worth it to invest in a project management software to keep track of your warehouse. Manufactured.net is a great example of one of these softwares. It allows you to track your warehousing alongside your supply and orders to ensure your stock is tracked and supplies arrive on-time.
