Thinking of starting a business from home? eCommerce is a popular home business for many entrepreneurs. Why? Because over 191 million people in the United States make online purchases. When you start a business from home, you buy the essentials. Supplies, inventory, more supplies, more inventory. Now, where do you put it all? At some point, a successful home business will outgrow your guest bedroom. It could be difficult to work efficiently if you are knee deep in clutter.
To make products readily accessible for selling, home business owners typically purchase items wholesale. Or make the items by hand such as jewelry and crafts. Either way, most business owners are probably buying products or supplies in bulk. This method ensures that their inventory is always complete. Smaller items might require less storage, but large items will need different accommodations. Read about these three ways that you can effectively store and handle your inventory.
Backyard Shed
You may have considered your garage as a storage place. However, your products could be compromised in that environment. Stick with just storing your cars there. If you have room available in your backyard for a shed, consider purchasing one and placing your overflow inventory in it. Do you live in a neighborhood with a Home Owners’ Association that would prevent this? If not, determine if you have any perishable items that require a climate-controlled shed. Make sure to allow space for walking around inside of it. This will help you to keep items organized and within reach. Shelves and racks are great additions.
Warehouse Storage
If your inventory mainly consists of oversized items, such as furniture, appliances, or similar, you could check out warehouse rental. An entire warehouse may not be in your budget; however a portion of it could be. You should factor in the distribution set-up if all of your inventory will be housed there. When beginning the storage process of stacking boxes and pallets for your products, the use of a forklift would be ideal. You could rent one for an affordable price. A forklift would aid in moving and storing seasonal or slow-moving inventory. You could cut costs by utilizing the equipment rather than hiring workers to move your large merchandise.
Dropshipping
Are you familiar with the term dropshipping? The process is simple. First, you send your products to a third party to store them for you. Then, when a customer makes a purchase from you, the third party fulfills it and ships it for you. This eliminates your need for storage space. Crunch the numbers to see which dropshipping service still affords you a maximum profit. Some entrepreneurs do all of their business with this model. For instance, Amazon operates as a fulfillment center for many independent sellers. This keeps inventory management consistent, shipping and delivery parameters timely, and customer satisfaction high.
Regardless of which storage option you choose, make sure that you can fill orders for your customers quickly. Consumers put their trust in you when they make a purchase. Satisfy their demands and you could reap the benefits of repeat business.
