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...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 the correct tolls from users.Toll collection techniquesToll collection techniques fall into two...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 and effectively.Camera-based parcel recognition systems mounted above high-speed conveyors are revolutionising automation in warehouses, depots, and distribution centres. As items travel through, high speed, auto focus cameras capture images of their labels. Sophisticated software analyses these images, extracts customer-specific information, and instructs the sorter to send parcel to a specific destinations.Camera systems achieve excellent read ratesSo what makes camera-based systems special? For over thirty years, lasers have been used to scan packages, but read rates are the key to high-speed parcel sortation and camera technology allows users to achieve previously impossible levels of efficiency.Lasers rely on barcodes, a series of lines or dots printed alongside the human readable information. However, lasers have trouble reading...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...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 the best use of space in mind, it is possible to get all your gear in one place, and keep it handy and...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 different than any other type of marketing, the same type rules apply. It is important to understand that e-mail marketing is just a tool and like any tool you must learn how to use it. Your goal should not be to make the sale, but to get the prospect to request additional information.Most e-mail marketing is doomed from the start, in that over 90% of e-mails sent will never be read. Why is that?1. Poor subject line - screw this up and the rest of your message is irrelevant.Your subject line announces your e-mail and tells the reader if the message is important to them or not. Your subject line should do one thing and one only - get your reader to open the message and read the first sentence. Simply stating "You can make $20,000 in the next 30 days" just wont cut it. In fact, a line like this will increase the chance that it will be considered spam. The more hyped your subject is, the less chance of getting a response. How do you...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
To make your business profitable, you must have two critical things in place. The first is a business model that adds up. In other words, what you offer and how you offer it will generate the amount of money you need, minus all your expenses. Your...more
Author: Patrick Fitz-gibbonFor the small entrepreneur, finding small business tips that actually make a difference can be difficult. Too many sources of advice offer indistinct business tips with even more vague instructions as to how to attain those...more