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Similar to other niche online stores, furniture stores have minor differences that differentiate them from other business models. For instance, unlike consumable products, selling furniture involves higher profit margins. This may be frustrating as a consumer, but opens up wonderful business opportunities for retailers and investors. Especially if you are selling furniture online, the margins can increase even more. While it may look like a herculean task, with efficient ecommerce shipping in India, smart marketing and user-friendly interface, you can easily achieve the same. 

Like every other online business, selling furniture may not fetch you tons of money right in the beginning. However, the rewards in this industry are significantly higher than a lot of others. Moreover, the necessity for furniture is increasing every day. Chairs, tables, couches, desks etc have become a basic necessity in every household. 

These features make it one of the most profitable industry for an online store. However, setting up an online store for furniture entails several steps and the involvement of multiple stakeholders like your suppliers, wholesalers and ecommerce courier services. In this article, we will be focussing on handling one of the most critical aspects of your online furniture store – logistics. 

Shipping and logistics come as the last stages of your online business strategizing. However, it is not one that should be overlooked while you are planning to start your furniture business. Before creating a shipping plan be sure that you have designed an attractive website, put your products in place, got your own domain and you have set a payment process in place. Once you have done all this, you are all set to plan your ecommerce shipping in India. 

Set up a shipping origin address

It is pretty straightforward – you need a place to ship from. This is necessary because your shipping origin will determine your shipping rates and other taxes. This decision depends on the volume and the size of the products that you are planning to sell. You also need to take into account the fact that as your business grows, you will have to expand where you store and ship your products from. 

While there may be multiple options, look for places that can be easily accessed by your ecommerce courier service for pickups and drops. Make sure that you have an inventory handling mechanism in hand that can automate the processes. This will make the process easier and faster. 

Consider your shipping destinations

Where are you shipping to? Regional? National? International? You need to have a clear idea about where you are planning to ship before you start looking for a logistics service provider. This will help you in getting a better idea of the kind of logistics partner that you require. Moreover, depending on multiple courier companies can help you expand your audience reach for your ecommerce shipping in India. In order to do so, the ideal way is to rely on a logistics aggregator platform that can provide you with the services of leading couriers. This way, you can easily compare the services of different shippers and find the most convenient option for your shipping requirements. 

This is a great way to economize on your shipping rates and save time simultaneously. ShipKaro offers you such integrations with leading couriers in India to make your shipping life easier. You can easily get real-time quotes from these ecommerce courier services that will help you keep your costs to a minimum. 

Get quality packaging 

Damages are one of the biggest headaches you may face when distributing furniture. This mainly happens due to poor packaging. Even one small scratch on a delicate piece of furniture can cause a negative effect on both your company image and your supply chain. Moreover, once a piece of furniture is damaged, it cannot re-enter the new product stream and costs more to repair. In order to minimize such damages to furniture in transit, it is recommended to invest in a customized packaging solution that is made of superior quality products for your ecommerce shipping in India. In the long run, this investment will help your company save money and time. 

Increase visibility

This is a challenge faced by most ecommerce companies these days, even more by furniture stores. By investing in efficient visibility technology, you can ensure that everyone involved in your logistics and supply chain, including the end-user, will benefit greatly. The customer can be provided with real-time information about their shipment so they are not left wondering about when their product will arrive. It can also help your ecommerce courier service maintain a transparent relationship with your company and help you forecast and plan for future changes. By having the required logistics technology in place, you can equip your brand with the flexibility that is needed to remain relevant in the industry. 

In conclusion, effectively managing the logistics of an online furniture store can be a challenge for even the most experienced. The key to initiating success is to have an understanding of the distinct features and components of the furniture industry. By taking a closer look at the above-mentioned tips and relying on an efficient partner for your ecommerce shipping in India, you will be one step closer to planning a competent shipping strategy for your brand. ShipKaro can help you achieve that by providing you with the services of multiple couriers in one single space. Moreover, you can automate the whole process and save time and money to focus more on your core business – selling furniture online. 

If you have any questions about how to create a shipping strategy for your furniture business or any helpful advice on the same, share your thoughts in the comments section below!