Competing in today’s markets is very complicated. It is not enough to try to be the best, the most competitive, the most efficient or the one that offers a greater variety of services. Our product must also reach buyers in the best conditions, and that is where transport companies play a decisive role. If you do not want to fall behind your competition, you better keep an eye on these aspects that your competitors may already be squeezing.
Five things your competition knows about transportation companies
You have to see transportation companies as an investment, not an expense
If for you transportation is only an accounting line at the end of the month, you are giving your competitors a lot of advantage. Quite the contrary, you have to see your logistics as a fundamental part of your value proposition and your customer service, and the transport companies will play a vital role in this.
Reducing the time that elapses from when the order is received until it is delivered, being able to play with just-in-time processes or giving all the facilities when the recipient receives your products can make a difference compared to your competition.
Transport companies are part of the image of your company
Have you ever received a package at home and it came broken or damaged? It is possible that the company that sent you the merchandise was not at fault, but it is inevitable that a part of our anger ends up having an impact on how we perceive said company.
That is why all the efforts you make to find the right transport company for you will be rewarded in the form of a better evaluation of your company by customers. Or are you going to be the famous brand because its merchandise always arrives broken?
The importance of stock-outs
Stock breaks, that is, those moments when we cannot get our company to have merchandise at the point of sale due to our supply problems, is as serious a problem as it sounds.
According to a Harvard Business Review survey, 26% of shoppers who cannot find the brand they are looking for due to an out-of-stock decide to switch to a competing brand. That is to say, after all our efforts in designing, promoting, creating and manufacturing our product, our logistics – and perhaps with the involuntary collaboration of our transport companies – throw our client into the arms of our rivals in the market.
Transport companies are going to be more and more important
Consumers are increasingly in a hurry to receive their purchases. Companies work with shorter time frames and fine-tuned just-in-time processes. Supply chains demand greater visibility and traceability to make sure everything flows correctly, prevent problems and respond to incidents. If the scenario is like this, how can the importance of transport companies not increase?
We invite you to reflect on these points and on others in which the logistical demands are going to be increasingly tough in your market. Are you prepared to face them? Do you work with transport companies that are going to help you with it? Or are you giving your competitors an advantage again?
Transportation costs and complexity are increasing
There are many companies that try to deal, totally or partially, with the transport of their products. This does not have to be something inherently negative. However, the companies that opt for it must be clear about what the future is like.
As we have seen in the previous point, the demand is increasing. Many of the small and medium-sized companies that choose to do their own transport do so with modest means, which perhaps were sufficient a long time ago, but which in the current environment may fall far short given the new needs of customers (traceability, delivery times). delivery, diversity of services).
Also the costs are increasing its complexity. Companies try to reduce stocks, which translates into an increase in the frequency of deliveries and a decrease in their quantities. Therefore, what some companies used to solve by taking their truck full once a week becomes having to make three, four or five trips to carry the same amount of product sold.
In summary, we can see how the transport companies are in the center of the hurricane of the performance of the companies. It’s not just that you shouldn’t give up this land to the competition, it’s that you should use it to gain an advantage.