With this year’s peak retail season now in full swing and with online shopping expected to continue to grow by an additional 29.6% by 2024, how retailers choose to package, ship and deliver items to their customers is becoming an increasingly important factor in the practice of retaining customer loyalty and creating brand identity. That’s why, in this article, we’re exploring the best ways for retailers both big and small to post clothing items, minimizing the prospect of crumpled dresses, damaged coats and torn trousers this holiday season.
From outlining the importance of recognizing the differences in garment types to ensuring accurate tracking logistics are in place before you pop the label on, we’re looking at the top ways to send parcels this Christmas – ensuring your products are met with a smile and the positive reviews they deserve, every time.
1. ENSURE TRACKING LOGISTICS ARE UP TO SCRATCH.
As soon as your products leave your store or warehouse, it quickly becomes difficult to retain control of how long they will take to arrive – as well as controlling the condition they’ll arrive in. As such, it’s important to ensure you’re prepared for this before sticking your postage label on by investing in a tracking logistics system that allows you to give your customers real-time responses about the current whereabouts of their order.
With couriers such as DPD and Hermes offering fully-trackable delivery on both a national and international scale for small business and large retailers alike, there are plenty of options available for you to consider before the busy sales period commences. This will allow you to assess and refine your shipping processes ahead of the (hopeful) influx of orders in the run-up to Christmas.
2. RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCES IN PRODUCT TYPES
Once you’ve set up the necessary tracking logistics, it’s time to familiarize yourself with your products from a postage point of view, as opposed to from a sales perspective. After all, sending a couple of pairs of jeans will undoubtedly require a completely different process compared to shipping a sequined occasion dress.
Naturally, quantity will play a role in deciding on the type of packaging you choose to use, as while one pair of trousers will slot nicely into a bag, heavier or bulky items might require you to upgrade to boxes – particularly in instances where you’re sending products in bulk to another retailer like a department store. Make sure your products are sealed and secured properly before sending, taking particular note of loose items such as belts and jewelry that could easily be damaged during transit.
3. PROTECT DELICATE ITEMS
Unlike other product types such as glass, tech items and homeware, items of clothing aren’t typically considered to be fragile goods. As such, clothing products can sometimes be mishandled during delivery when careful attention hasn’t been paid to them – leaving you with damaged garments and unhappy customers as a result.
Therefore, in instances where your clothing pieces are deemed to be particularly fragile, such as with embellished abayas or silk shirts, you’ll need to ensure you use additional packaging on the garment itself in order to prepare it for national trips and journeys overseas.
For example, whether you decide to opt for bubble wrap, packaging tissue or loose fill to reduce the movement of an item within its box or bag, it’s important to invest in suitable packaging to future-proof your brand reputation. Additionally, if you’re looking to send intricately sequined or heavily jeweled items in the post, you might want to place a sticker on the outside of your package to ensure it’s handled with care during transit.