Outsourcing Garment/Fashion Shipping
The Internet has opened the doors of endless opportunities for entrepreneurs working in any market and business niche. If we particularly talk about the garment/fashion industry, then it has experienced exponential growth in the retail sector due to the Internet and connectivity. It won’t be wrong to say that there now exists a consolidated global garment marketplace where people can shop from all over the world.
There are still some areas and kinks that need to be addressed. For instance, garment manufacturers and aspirant shippers are not able to execute their plans for going international because they are not operationally strong enough and prepared to take on the herculean task of importing goods.
In many cases, garment manufacturers resolve and scale up their business to international markets while managing garment/fashion shipping logistics themselves. But soon, they realize that there is so much loss of opportunity in dealing with apparel shipping from the in-house resources that it is not worth it. What’s the point of scaling up your business to international markets if your revenue continues to lurk around the break-even point?
If you are also one of those garment vendors who can’t settle on whether going overseas is a lucrative prospect or not, then read on. We are going to discuss a way in which you can make your overseas venture worthwhile and fulfill the targets of your business expansion. You can do this by outsourcing your fashion shipping to professionals.
Let’s see how you can benefit from outsourcing your shipping operations rather than dealing with them on your own.
You Don’t Have to Create Your Supply-Chain
For all those small and medium-sized enterprises that want to ship their garments to premium markets like the US, EU, and Australia, the task of creating an overseas supply chain proves to be enough to deter them. Creating an international supply chain is no mean task. Even large multinationals and conglomerates face problems in erecting a thriving global supply chain.
In this context, outsourcing your apparel shipping to professionals seems the right option. By hiring a seasoned global garment/fashion shipping logistics service, you can use their intricate network of supply chains spanning every nook and corner of the world. You get to use their wide distribution system which takes years and decades to acquire its current status. Moreover, their storage facilities and comprehensive freight service make sure you don’t have to worry about your garment/fashion shipping logistics at any point in the supply chain.
You Can Optimally Customize Your Garment/Fashion shipping logistics
We often see that a motivated garment manufacturer begins global shipping of its goods on its own but with very limited options and almost no flexibility. Again, having an elementary shipping service won’t help you in realizing your ambitious dream of capturing the international market. However, this scenario does not take place when a professional is handling your garment/fashion shipping logistics. There you get a lot of room to customize your global apparel shipping as per your manufacturing arrangement and clients’ needs.
Let’s try to understand the importance of garment/fashion shipping logistics customization with the help of an example.
Example 1:
An Egyptian apparel company catering to local retailers decides to scale its business to international markets. It tries to set up its importing mechanism and signs a deal with an ocean carrier to ship its apparel goods to the US. The carrier is supposed to procure the consignment from Alexandria to Houston.
Soon after brokering this deal, the company receives an urgent order to deliver 1,000 jackets from a Texas-based wholesaler within five weeks. The manufacturing capacity of the company allows it to complete the order within two weeks. So, the company has three weeks to deliver the consignment to the buyer in the US. By using its shipping service, there is no way it can deliver the order within time.
The average sea transit time from the Port of Alexandria to the Port of Houston is 32 days. Moreover, the company has to wait two days more for the shipping vessel to leave at its prescribed schedule.
Example 2:
Similarly, the same company gets an order of Hawaii shirts from an LA-based wholesaler. The company gets enough time to deliver the shipment via ocean freight. However, the problem is the carrier will unload the consignment at the Houston port, and from there, the Egyptian company has to transport the consignment to the buyer, who is located over 1,500 miles from the port of destination.
Professional Outsourcing Garment/Fashion shipping logistics to the Rescue
In both the above scenarios, the Egyptian garment company can’t benefit from its contract with the carrier company that involves limited shipping options. It has to bear the brunt of added shipping costs, or worse, call off the order altogether. Here, the diverse shipping options that a global garment and IOR company offers will come in handy.
For the first scenario, the Egyptian manufacturer can use the air shipment services of its partner garment/fashion shipping Logistics Company to deliver the order within time. In the second case, the company doesn’t have to procure its consignment to the Houston port. It can directly book ocean freight to Los Angeles with the garment/fashion shipping logistics service.
Having the option to choose between different means of shipping and ports of destination is one of the most important prospects of outsourcing your apparel shipping to professionals. It will make sure you can cater to all clients while meeting their deadlines and can procure their orders to the closest sea and airports.
You Can Simultaneously Scale Your Business to Multiple International Markets For Garment/Fashion
When garment companies want to scale their businesses to international markets while using their resources, they adopt the strategy of “one at a time.” It is surely a sound scaling-up plan with minimal risks involved. However, its pacing is quite an issue. In many instances, businesses can’t scale up to more than two markets because when they can scale up to new markets, they have already been saturated.
Outsourcing of garment/fashion shipping logistics also allows you to venture into various international markets all at once and without exhausting your in-house expertise and resources. For instance, a Moroccan apparel company has the manufacturing capacity to cater to multiple markets with its cotton garments. It can’t make the most of this competence if it tries to run its import network.
On the other hand, by signing up with a global garment/fashion shipping logistics service, it can ship to all the prized markets of the world without altering anything in its existing business function.
A Corollary
This also shows that by outsourcing its garment/fashion shipping logistics, the Moroccan company can focus on its core competency, i.e., manufacturing of cotton apparel. While handing over all the hassle of overseas shipping to professionals, it can further increase its manufacturing capacity to supply to the large international market shortly.
Similarly, it can focus on improving the quality which is an essential requirement to venture into many international markets. Also, it can work on improving its compliance effectiveness. A manufacturer with high standards of compliance measures always has brighter prospects in the international market.
You Can Never Go Wrong with Garment Packing and Packaging
Every item that has to be shipped via air and ocean shipping needs unique packaging and packing. The same is the case with different apparel items. You can’t just book them in large cardboard boxes or gunny sacks for your overseas destinations. The expertise of a seasoned garment/fashion shipping logistics service will come in handy here. They know that not all garment items can be shipped in the same manner. Therefore, they offer relevant options to their shipping clientele.
For instance, if you are delivering a consignment of delicate knitwear from Bahrain to Singapore via ocean freight, then you need to properly fold and pack them in garment boxes because they will remain in transit for more than two weeks. Similarly, if your apparel shipping from Egypt to South Korea consists of silk gowns, then you can’t just fold and pack them in cartons. The consignment will take no less than 38 days to reach the destination via ocean shipping. By spending more than one month in folded and boxed packaging, there are strong chance the gowns will lose their original fall and creases.
After receiving such consignments, the buyer has to iron and steam the apparel which increases its workload and reduces the profit margin. This inconvenience becomes a reason for high attrition rates for many garment manufacturers selling their goods overseas.
You can get around this problem by using the GOH (Garment on Hanger) shipping services of the professional enterprise where you have outsourced your apparel imports. GOH shipping allows you to procure the apparel while they remain on their hangers.
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