SMEs are constantly looking for the little advances that will give them an edge in growing and competing with larger companies in crowded industries. For this reason, cloud technology is one of the best advances to come to shipping to empower small businesses, especially in those selling physical goods which require shipping. The following are four ways that cloud technology benefits small businesses in the area of shipping.
Expanding on Previous Technology
Shipping technology made many advances in the past twenty years that have been incorporated into cloud-based shipping management systems. These include online ordering for pick-up, package tracking, and online quotes for shipping arrangements. A recent expansion of previous technology is an international shipping company from Dubai that partnered with PayPal to create an integrated online payments processor and shipping service.
Access LTL & Courier Rates From Any Device
One of the premier advantages in cloud-based services is their universal access. Using your username and password, you can manage your business's shipping needs from the office, from home, or even from a client's office in order to give them a custom-shipping price before they sign an order.
Integrate with Cloud-Based E-Commerce Engines
E-commerce is increasingly driven by cloud-based management and software systems. An integrated shipping service provides a seamless transition for scaling your business using your website and cloud-based local commerce management systems. Rather than needing to install expensive servers, additional hardware and software at each location, utilize a cloud-based system to quickly scale your warehouses or smaller retail locations.
Automated Inventory Management Systems
Inventory management is an essential part of shipping processes, as Lululemon recently learned through fixing poor inventory management through their shipping system. Cloud-based shipping systems work great with creating affordable automated inventory systems. Rather than taking the energy and effort to manage each piece of inventory, print off shipping labels and create packaging systems, a good cloud system will integrate shipping, ordering, and inventory management so that as much of the process is automated as is possible for your industry and customer needs.
These are just some of the benefits of managing your shipping solutions via the cloud. For more information about shipping, cloud-based technology services, and integrating your inventory and shipping, you can contact us today, or book a demo of our platform to see if eShipper is right for your business.
