Storage Tips For Online Fashion Sellers

Good storage is more than just keeping your stock safe; it can help you get orders out the door faster and cut down on mistakes. A good storage system can also minimise damage and inventory easier to see and find. One study reveals a 15% productivity loss when physical clutter hampers your progress.

No matter if you are a sole trader using a spare room or running a small warehouse, using some simple storage systems can really help you organise your space better and present a more professional image.

Choose the Right Kind of Space

It’s not always as easy as it sounds. A lot depends on the type of item you sell, your turnover, and special requirements such as climate or dealing with hazardous materials.

At home, a spare room might do the job to start with. As the business grows you’ll need more space in order to stay organised. As well as assessing current needs, it’s a good idea to keep future growth in mind too when you’re looking for alternative storage areas.

Self storage facilities are a good place to start. Security is great and there’s a huge variety of room sizes. Storage in Watford, for instance, is available from single room sizes right up to small warehousing. You’ll find similar across the country.

Design Your Space Around Your Workflow

Arrange your storage to match your order of working. This varies depending on your business, but typically will be something like; receiving or goods-in, unpacking and inspection, storage, picking, packing and finally dispatching.

Map a logical flow so items move in one direction with minimal handling. If there’s space, set up functional zones, such as:

• Goods-in and quality check near the entrance.
• Bulk storage areas for overflow stock.
• Pick-and-pack area with packing supplies close by.
• Returns processing area separate from sellable stock.

Once you have a system in place, try to stick with it and only change something when it’s not working. If you’re constantly tweaking workflow and storage areas, things quickly get confusing.

Use a Clear SKU and Labelling System

A consistent SKU (stock keeping unit) system will help you keep track when you have a substantial inventory. You can even use google sheets or excel, but there are also inventory apps you could explore.

To get started, assign a unique code to every product variant. Use clear, printed labels on shelves, bins and boxes. Include:

• SKU code.
• Short description.
• Quantity per location.

Label your bin edges and shelf fronts rather than the tops of boxes so you can see locations easily. You could use Barcode or QR-code labels to speed up scanning for accuracy and reporting.

Choose Efficient Storage Units and Shelving

Having the right type of storage for your inventory helps speed things along. Rather than having the same boxes or tubs for everything, choose:

• Pick bins, slotted shelving or modular drawer units for small items.
• Wire shelving or bay shelving for medium sized items.
• Pallet racking or industrial shelving rated for weight if you’re storing heavier items.

Use vertical space with tall shelving and add a safe-access step or ladder. Modular systems let you reconfigure your layout when your range changes. You’ll find that most self storage facilities allow you to install freestanding storage systems.

Standardise Your Packing Station

Try to always pack in the same area so the materials you need are always to hand. You may need any or all of the following:

• Packing tape guns and scales.
• A range of box sizes and poly mailers or envelopes.
• Bubble wrap, tissue paper or other protective material.
• Printer for postage labels.
• Waste bin.

If you have more than one packing station, equip them all with the necessary packing materials.

Also, keep an eye on packing material stock levels so you don’t run low.

Use Space Efficient Packing Techniques

Whenever possible, look for the most space-efficient packing materials. You’ll save on space, postage, and keep the work area looking neater.

Ideas include nesting items in boxes so you can pack items together when their shapes allow.

• Collapsible packaging that takes up little shelf room but is quick to reform.
• Lightweight packaging to reduce postage costs.

Always choose the smallest appropriate box or packet, and compress soft goods when it’s safe to do so.

Label Handling Instructions and Fragile Items

As well as putting such labels on boxes so customer and the carrier knows what’s being delivered, it’s a good idea to have labelled boxes available for packers too. Especially if some items need more special treatment than others.

You could mark boxes for fragile items, for items that need a specific orientation, or for items with stacking limits. Colour-codes work well, or alternatively use written labels. These could serve either as a reminder to yourself, or to help staff choose the right packing containers.

Seasonal Planning

If you hold sales, have special items for seasonal peaks such as Christmas or Black Friday, it’s a good idea to plan storage well in advance, especially if you order in extra stock during these times.

Dealing with fluctuating demand is another potential hazard that a business storage unit can help you cope with. It’s usually relatively easy to hire additional overflow space or an extra room to cope with short term peaks. You can plan ahead and arrange additional space well in advance of needing it so you don’t find yourself in a panic.

Investing in good storage can really boost your speed, accuracy and customer satisfaction. This is particularly true for online sellers who’re unlikely to ever have face to face contact with their customers. Good packaging and efficient postage will build a good reputation.

Begin by focusing on a few key areas, such as labelling, optimising your workflow and setting up standard packing stations. As your business grows, you can always tweak and improve things further.

 

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