Whichever side of the debate you happen to be on, there’s little doubt the Brexit is currently causing a large amount of turmoil for businesses. A lack of clear plan or reliable information means that you might be put off starting your business if you’re worried about shipping in Europe post-Brexit.
But don’t panic! Your business is still a perfectly viable option, and you can make sure that your customers throughout Europe can still get their hands on your quality merchandise. How? By investing in the assistance of a professional fulfilment company with a European base – like https://www.printful.com.
Total peace of mind
One of many issues surrounding Brexit is how businesses from the UK are going to ship their products to Europe, and vice versa. With little in the way of clear direction about what shipping tariffs, tolls, and costs are going to look like, businesses need to start thinking about ways they can avoid this dilemma. And there is such a way.
Using a fulfilment company allows you to bypass the Brexit uncertainty. How? The fulfilment centre operates like your local warehouse and shipping partner abroad. They are perfectly capable of handling all aspects of the picking, packing, and shipping of your orders. So even if you’re based in Britain, your European customers will have their products shipped from within Europe.
This means that you don’t have to worry about excessive charges or potential delays in shipping. A fledgling business needs to make sure it cultivates a loyal customer base by providing reliable shipping – the Brexit uncertainty is a potential hurdle to this. However, when you work with a fulfilment company, it’s a hurdle you can easily clear.
How fulfilment companies work
A fulfilment company usually takes care of stock, picking, packing and logistics. This means you can deliver your stock to the fulfilment company (eg. from China or pre-Brexit) without crossing UK borders. You can link your ecommerce platform to the fulfilment center, so they can handle the order process. Companies like Printful offer an even better solution: they provide print on demand products. This means that you don´t have to buy stock and your order is being created and sent out after you receive an order from your European client. This means your website essentially becomes a store front, while the print-on-demand partner is the warehouse and shipping department.
So, when a customer makes a purchase through your website, it comes through to your fulfilment partner. They will then pick the item, or print it, and pack it. Packing will done fully to your branding specifications, further promoting your business with every sale you make. The package will then be shipped out to the customer – you’ll be notified every step of the way.
The joy of many fulfilment companies, is that you don’t really need much in the way of starting capital. You don’t need to invest a lot of money in stock, you only pay Printful for their service as a proportion of sales that you make.
Start your business today
If you’re thinking of starting your business but you’re worried about Brexit uncertainty, partnering with European fulfilment companies is what might be the perfect solution. More information about how to prepare your business can be found: https://www.gov.uk/business-uk-leaving-eu