Articles

Ware2Go’s partnerships with its merchants and warehouses went beyond delivery speed and a flexible fulfillment model as they worked together to provide vital support to America’s frontline workers. Together they offered essential supplies and some much-needed pick-me-ups, delivering them all with record speed.

Taking the time to choose the best eCommerce platform for your small business will allow you to focus on the aspects of running your storefront that are most important to you. Whether you’re ready to dive into hand-coding your own solutions or prefer a simple drag and drop editor, there is an eCommerce platform out there for you.

As summer is heating up, so are sales for some of our merchants, and while fluctuating seasonal demand isn’t new for many of these businesses, data shows some distinct trends in summer sales this year with select merchants experiencing over 300% spikes in sales in the months of May and June.

In light of Amazon’s recent announcement regarding the changes to its Inventory Performance Index threshold and quantity limits, many Amazon sellers are weighing alternative fulfillment options. The announcement comes mere weeks ahead of this year’s postponed Prime Day (currently scheduled for the week of October 5th) and just as many sellers are gearing up for the busy holiday shopping season.

Even during good times, business risk is everywhere. This is particularly so for small- and medium-size firms, which face constant pressure from all sides, whether challenged by upstart competitors or established players. As if that weren’t enough, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically shifted purchasing channels and driven unprecedented online shopping demand.

As the situation surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) within the U.S. continues to evolve, many businesses continue to face new and unique supply chain challenges. In light of all that is happening, we feel it is prudent to offer a timely review of how our on-demand fulfillment model is built to accommodate supply chain disruptions of this kind. Although it is widely known by now that both state and federal governments have designated that certain “essential services” (including warehouse, transportation, and logistics providers) remain operational throughout this period, our intent is to offer clarity beyond these designations and showcase specific ways that our on-demand warehouse network can help mitigate risk and offset uncertainty during these periods of disruption.

Unless your business is brand new, chances are your sales are occurring across more than just a single channel. For instance, today’s leading brands are likely selling directly to consumers across e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Wayfair, as well as through their own websites via platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce. Targeting this array of channels makes sense because if you truly want broad market exposure, you have to go where your customers are. The challenge? For each new sales channel you add, a new layer of order fulfillment complexity is introduced.

In 2020, the 3rd party solutions available to merchants for optimizing their logistics and fulfillment workflows are as accessible and affordable as ever. However, for these new-age logistics models to function as they’re intended, merchants must be able to provide a range of data related to their product set, sales channels, and order volumes. By capturing these data sets, merchants enable their 3rd party provider to determine how much inventory should be stocked, how often new inventory should be restocked, and what the most efficient delivery options are.

As merchants seek to provide faster and more affordable shipping options for customers, many discover that building an efficient delivery network is more complicated than they first anticipate. Often times, the standard ground shipping options offered by major carriers are too slow to reach customers across the country. However, the high costs associated with air delivery make this option too expensive to afford long-term. But given these constraints, how can merchants develop distribution networks that guarantee 1-2-day delivery speeds for all their U.S. customers without having to pay expensive shipping fees? One answer may lie in Ware2Go's on-demand warehousing and fulfillment network.

In today’s fast-paced economy, customer demands for faster and cheaper delivery are continually pushing businesses to develop more efficient distribution networks. And as business leaders recognize the extent to which supply chain efficiency impacts customer satisfaction, companies are toiling to lead the charge for the fastest and most cost-effective delivery structure. Resultantly, an abundance of investment across the logistics landscape in recent years has yielded some highly innovative solutions. Learn more about these developments by reading the full story.

Since Ware2Go’s founding, our analysts have held conversations with thousands of merchants regarding their warehousing and storage requirements. By categorically documenting the focal points of these discussions, we have assembled a list of the most common questions that merchants have about our warehousing services. Now, in order to provide the highest degree of transparency back to our customers and potential customers, this Q&A-formatted list is offered as a comprehensive resource that analyzes the scope of our warehouse network, the breadth of functionality we offer, and the costs that are tied to leveraging our facilities.

In recent years, Amazon's same-day and next-day delivery services have set the standard for all other businesses that sell online. As a result, other e-commerce and logistics providers are under pressure to develop and upgrade their own distribution networks to keep pace. But as new providers enter the e-commerce fulfillment landscape and look to duplicate what Amazon has established, many of the solutions have focused specifically on small businesses. Why is this?

In order to shed light on the obstacles confronting CBD suppliers within the logistics space, Ware2Go conducted interviews with two U.S.-based CBD brands. Each brand is focusing on a unique segment of the CBD market and is operating at a different stage of business growth. The stories and experiences of these two brands are provided here in order to paint a vivid picture of what the logistics challenges surrounding the CBD industry look like today, and how companies are working to successfully navigate them.

If your business is built around providing physical merchandise or products to customers, you know how important it is to always have enough inventory on hand to meet demand. However, as operational costs pile up, investments in areas like marketing, R&D, or sales might suddenly dominate your budget in one month or quarter. As a result, you may find that maintaining enough capital to always afford sufficient stock is harder than it sounds. This is where inventory financing comes into play.

Today, the ability for companies of all sizes to leverage a 3PL or 4PL for enhanced logistics efficiency can provide massive advantages over in-house processes. However, there are also numerous risks that can arise from outsourcing your logistics workflows, especially if the wrong provider is selected or if the level of functionality adopted is insufficient to support operations. So, for companies that need access to greater logistics capabilities but are unfamiliar with today’s complex solutions landscape, the following article offers insight as to what should be focused on when selecting a provider.

Whether you're a large enterprise jump-starting a direct-to-consumer sales channel or a start-up just beginning to sell your products, developing a robust e-commerce strategy should be at the top of your priorities list. But before companies dive too deep into their online marketing and sales efforts, it is important to take a step back and consider all the steps involved with building a sustainable, long-term e-commerce strategy.

For small businesses dealing with high shipment volumes or complex (heavy or bulky) products, having to personally pick, pack, and ship every new customer order can quickly become overwhelming. This is especially true as the rise of e-commerce gives businesses access to a broader base of potential customers. But given their limited resources, how can SMBs upgrade their fulfillment workflows without depleting their budget or overwhelming their staff? For a growing number of firms, the answer is on-demand warehousing.

Long before the winter holidays arrive, seasonal suppliers are already prepping their supply chains to handle the uptick in demand. But without a warehousing and fulfillment strategy that is tailored to fit seasonal requirements, companies lose out on significant portions of their revenue due to year-round storage and inventory management costs. With this in mind, how does on-demand warehousing and fulfillment enable seasonal suppliers to avoid unnecessary expenses while still capitalizing on their peak season?

Today, many small businesses dream of a scenario where they have so many clients, they can't keep up with demand. But while this scenario sounds nice, the operational challenges that arise from small business growth can actually do more harm than good. To combat the risks associated with unchecked growth, how can small businesses support an expanding customer base without adding excessive costs or overwhelming their staff?

Today, many of the established but increasingly cumbersome logistics models of large enterprises are struggling to handle a new age of customer expectations. An increasing number of traditional 3PL providers are falling behind the curve as well. And as their inefficiencies grow more pronounced, enterprises are looking for new ways to foster innovation and drive improvement across their supply chains without introducing excessive risk or adding costs. Along this front, on-demand warehousing and fulfillment models have proven effective in providing large businesses with an alternative distribution network that allows them to quickly respond to new industry trends, test demand in new markets, and deliver expedited shipping to customers.

Competition among businesses to win over new clients is as high as it’s ever been. Given that U.S. companies collectively spent $220 billion+ on media advertising in 2018, how can merchants with limited budgets stand out above the noise to create lasting impressions on their customers? In a world where e-commerce shopping is on the rise, combining personalized packaging with a seamless delivery experience may be what ultimately differentiates your brand from competitors.

Although Shopify’s core e-commerce platform is already robust, there are thousands of “add-on” applications available that can be used to enhance site owners’ pages. These apps can perform all manner of functions from running sales promotions and developing marketing campaigns to tracking and managing online orders. To help you determine which of these apps are best for your business, this article highlights 11 of our favorites.

As recently as January 2019, a U.S.-based survey of over 300 corporate and banking professionals (1) revealed that trade conflict was not a top concern domestically. At the time, there was still uncertainty over various U.S. trade agreements, but efforts between all involved parties looked to be progressing in a favorable manner. However, the climate can change without warning, and the past several months have seen a sudden escalation in several major trade disputes.

Who doesn’t love a good rivalry? In the e-commerce arena, the ongoing power struggle between Walmart and Amazon has dominated the recent headlines of most major media outlets and generated significant industry buzz as a result. While competition between major retailers and e-commerce providers is not uncommon, Amazon and Walmart’s battle continues to escalate as each seeks to outperform the other when it comes to speed-of-delivery, customer experience, and overall quality of service.

We live in an age where efficiency is prioritized. Whether it’s the method by which you transact with your bank, order new shoes, or track a shipment, many processes that were once time-consuming can now be performed at the touch of a button. But as this seamless experience becomes the norm, it is causing a massive shift in what businesses and consumers expect from their partners and service providers. As expectations around efficiency increase, companies are being forced to streamline their operations to meet customer demands. This is particularly true when it comes to fulfilling e-commerce orders.

Effective logistics practice is not necessarily easy, but it is important to business outcomes. It requires much more than the old way of doing things. With this changing landscape, it is not always possible to meet buyer expectations. Here are a few logistics best practices to consider for your business.

Fulfilling B2B e-commerce orders requires an efficient approach to warehouse management. But sometimes this is easier said than done. Nearly every warehouse manager has run into pain points in day-to-day operations. The question is - how can you take active steps to overcome these pain points?