If you are already a manager these tips may bring more focus onto your daily routines. Take each point at a time and list your current knowledge and level of participation. You can then measure what you have already in place in your working environment and where you will need to brush up. Interested in moving into management, perhaps you are an experienced assistant or maybe at a supervisory level, again, read through the list and compare your...more
Efficiency conscious Buytrago, the leading Spanish express delivery and transport services provider, has equipped its Madrid distribution centre with Vitronics camera-based VIPAC identification system. It allows the site to sort parcels for dispatch automatically at high speed, and deliver them to customers on time.Buytrago employs over 1600 workers and offers a wide range of services, including next day delivery, temperature controlled delivery...more
Reverse logistics refers to the management of product returns. Just like dealing with unsatisfied customers and counting stock, it is part and parcel of the online retail business.Online shoppers return goods for a variety of reasons. Products may be broken or damaged, not as expected, or of insufficient quality. Orders may arrive late, incorrect, or incomplete. Sometimes customers order the wrong product or just decide they do not want it.Although returns account for a large proportion of online sales in many industries, companies fearing bad publicity are reluctant to talk about them. As a result, reverse logistics gets little discussion. However, it can have enormous implications to the smooth and efficient running of a business.Key components of reverse logisticsThere are a number of key components to effective reverse logistics. To keep customers happy, online stores (known as e-retailers) must have a good returns policy in place, and ship exchange items/issue credit notes or refunds quickly and efficiently. According to research, eighty-nine percent of online buyers say return policies influence their decision to shop with an e-retailer.It is also important to minimise the...more
Toll roads, bridges and tunnels, which motorists must pay a fee to use, bypass busy areas to ease traffic congestion, generate funds for road upkeep and repair, and often provide substantial revenues for governments and private companies. Highly beneficial in the main, toll roads present a unique set of problems associated with the collection of...more
Automation is a key issue in modern logistics management. It is vital to the successful running of a busy warehouse or depot, and instrumental in ensuring speed, efficiency and productivity. Parcel sorting, incoming and outgoing inspection, identification and optimising transport capacities, are all essential processes that must operate smoothly...more
Author: Gen WrightThe hardest part of setting up a business is that business' earliest phase. Tossing a completely unknown name into a sea of information-saturated minds is a surefire guarantee to anonymity. Yet, methods have to be devised to keep that name alive in people's minds. If these methods are limited to advertising, the company will probably be seen as a spammer. This is where PR comes in - establishing credibility and building a reputation, so that customers get to know about the company from honest, credible sources. In this piece, I shall outline five ways to earn credibility in the eyes of complete strangers: First, publicity campaigns. Before the formal launch of your business, you need to build up some buzz around it. Spread information on the Internet, submit pieces related to your industry to the local papers, and get people talking on topics related to your business. This generates a demand for your product, just before it hits the market. Obviously, the economic climate should also be taken into account before choosing your launch date - launching a line of winterwear in May is not a clever move, to give you a simple example. Secondly, press releases. Press...more
Closet organizers have come a long way in recently years. There's more to them nowadays than just a shelf above a horizontal pole. Concepts in closet organization have gone from simple home improvement to statements regarding lifestyle. And with...more
More and more people are using e-mail marketing in their business as a way to instantly contact hundreds if not thousands of prospects. However, few people fail to realize that there is a lot more to e-mail marketing than that.E-mail marketing is no...more
Author: Patrick Fitz-gibbonYou know your business; that is why you ventured into your field in the first place, but do you “know business”? Many small business owners know their respective fields but lack specialized knowledge about good business...more
Website traffic is a resource to your online business. When I say a resource, I mean you must do something to get it, build it or drive it. Website visitors do not land on your page by accident.Online business is not like a brick-and-mortal shop that...more
Author: Patrick Fitz-gibbonAssessing current performance is an excellent piece of business advice because it is an integral part of running your small business. While this business advice can be taken qualitatively, or by looking an the various...more
Author: Patrick Fitz-gibbonLean is an approach to developing a more efficient way of doing things, basically using less to do more, which can be a small business help. Six-Sigma is a concept of “lean” production that was developed for small...more