The Activ8 team are proud to introduce our new content series, 8 Minutes with Activ8. In this series, we’ll be speaking with industry experts about important topics for business owners who operate and sell online – all in 8 minutes or less. 

In our first episode, Activ8 Founder and CEO Stuart Conroy discusses the importance of risk-mitigated warehousing and fulfilment solutions. While logistics might not be the most exciting part of running a business, it’s often one of the most important factors in customer satisfaction and overall success, so it can’t be overlooked.  

Here are the top takeaways for online sellers. 

Founder/CEOs need to take a step back from the day-to-day operations of their business.  

Particularly for start-ups and scale-ups, founders and CEOs tend to find themselves bogged down in the minutia of their business operations. Ideally, a CEO should know that their operations are being managed competently, but should spend more of their time and resources focusing on the bigger, more strategic considerations of the business. 

One common issue businesses face is that operations are siloed from sales and marketing. 

When businesses are driven by sales goals – as they so often are – operations and logistics often take a backseat to sales and marketing. However, taking a more holistic approach and prioritising synergy will streamline your business, ultimately allowing you to reach your sales goals without jeopardising customer satisfaction.  

Warehousing has always played a secondary role to sales and marketing, but particularly in the age of Covid, operations and stock management have come into the spotlight. No one knows when the next industry-changing event will happen, so it’s crucial to have a solid operations plan in place. 

FBA/FBM/SFP require different approaches.   

Fulfilled by Amazon, Fulfilled by Merchant and Seller Fulfilled Prime each have their distinct pros and cons, but they all require the right technology and people to manage it. The Activ8 team have access to a range of different technologies so that sellers can get the benefits of a centralised warehousing and fulfilment solution without having to invest the capital to put their own infrastructure in place.  

Transparency is key – for sellers and customers alike.    

In this industry, the biggest component to customer service comes down to effective fulfilment and tracking. As such, it’s increasingly important to forecast sales, predict potential changes in buyer behaviour and mitigate risk. Having a solid stock management system and future-proofing policy to manage cash flow and stock is necessary to keep your customers happy.   

Brexit is coming. It’s time to prepare for it.   

No one knows exactly how Brexit will impact online sellers, but we do know that there are ways to manage the risk of Brexit restrictions for businesses operating in the UK. For example, looking into domestic storage and fulfilment centres, partnering with tax advisors and developing working relationships with warehousing and fulfilment providers globally will ensure you’re prepared to maintain multi-channel operations without interruption.  

Experience over everything. 

With 20 years in the industry, Stu has just about seen it all. From warehouse fires and postal strikes to natural disasters and a global pandemic, one thing has become clear: it pays to mitigate risk. The more a business can focus on a diverse, multi-platform selling and fulfilment strategy, the better! A risk-averse solution is much like auto insurance – hopefully you’ll never need it, but when things go wrong, you’ll be glad you have it.

Still have questions about warehousing & fulfilment? Get in touch!