Merch fulfilment for influencers and content creators
Are you a PR company working with influencers and content creators on merch distribution? You might want to consider outsourcing fulfilment. Here's why.
Influencer marketing is nothing new – depending on who you ask, it could be as old as Roman gladiators.
However, our current ecosystem of influencers and content creators with merch to sell is a relatively recent arrival in the eCommerce sphere – and like all online retail, it relies on people behind the scenes picking, packing and dispatching orders.
Increasingly, PR companies that manage influencer clients are turning to fulfilment partners to handle warehousing and delivery. Why? Well, you just need to consider what a PR person does all day.
It's the content creator whose name is up in lights – but behind every great influencer is a huge amount of graft. PR companies are there to coordinate their client's public image and ensure they reach as big an audience as possible.
If this is your job, do you really want to add "pack merch and take it to the Post Office" to your daily to-do list? Or do you want someone else to take care of this while you get on with what you do best?
Working with a reputable fulfilment partner means more time for out-of-the-box thinking. It helps you manage your client's brand. It allows for quick and easy scalability as that brand grows. And it can help turn your clients' viewers and followers into loyal customers.
How? Let's take a look.
1. Taking care of business
When you first start out in PR, any merch fulfilment will probably take place at home. Like the freelancer whose office is whichever coffee shop will have them, a PR person's warehouse will most likely be their spare room or broom cupboard.
Everybody starts somewhere – just think of Alan Sugar selling radio aerials from the back of his £50 van or Ralph Lauren working in the tie factory. But growth is the point – and soon enough you'll find yourself running out of room and patience.
After all, if you're about to start a video call that could bag your client a product placement opportunity, you don't want to do so surrounded by boxes, bubble wrap and tape.
Let's be real. Very few people would say they got into the world of business to take daily trips to the Post Office. Working with a fulfilment partner means you can forget about that and focus on what you're good at.
They'll take care of picking and packing, warehousing, inventory management and returns – all essential cogs in the merch fulfilment machine.
They'll furnish you with a state-of-the-art warehouse management system – one that automates notifications about stock levels. In practice, this means you never have to turn down an order or sadly inform someone that their order can't be fulfilled.
Not only that, you can harvest fulfilment data for actionable insights – a process that can play a huge part in any product launch.
Worried about the technical side of things? A good fulfilment partner will be able to integrate your existing eCommerce store with their system – so you won't need to rip it up and start again.
2. Building your clients' brands
Branding, branding, branding. It's the million-dollar word on every PR person's lips. How do you build your clients' brands so they gather as many followers as possible – and make those followers stick around for more?
Delivery can be part of the brand. Just think of the parcels you get from online retailers – as well as prominently featuring their logo, they'll often include marketing inserts to keep customers keen.
A good fulfilment partner isn't just a warehouse worker and trusty postie rolled into one. It's also your partner in branding.
It can do custom kitting, print out flyers and custom inserts and make sure each delivery is labelled as per your requirements.
And it will provide boxes that are tough as well as beautiful – ones that will never leave your customers opening boxes full of damaged goods.
3. Scaling with ease
Let's say you've started working with a fulfilment company that provides warehousing. You're getting your money's worth and all seems rosy – when suddenly your requirements change.
If your partner can't scale up to meet increased demand, it's time to ditch and switch. Growth is the point. As you get bigger, you need more space – and you need that request for more space to be met without any faff.
That's why you should always work with a fulfilment partner that allows you to scale up (or down) with just a few clicks.
4. Improving customer satisfaction
Your client is doing the legwork, bringing custom to corporate sponsors. You're behind the scenes, pulling strings to seal new deals. Is the fulfilment side of things really so important?
You won't be surprised to hear that our answer is a resounding "yes". Speedy, painless fulfilment is crucial to customer satisfaction.
Take returns. Let's say somebody buys some of your content creator's merch and, for whatever reason, isn't happy. Should that mean you lose them as a customer? Absolutely not!
A good returns policy can build brand loyalty, demonstrating that you're a company that values your customers' time.
A good fulfilment partner will make the returns process painless for everyone. They'll inspect the goods that have been returned and deal with them according to your company code.
The alternative? Gloomy online reviews, lost custom and an aching sense of regret.
How Stowsafe Fulfilment can help
Here at Stowsafe Fulfilment, we're committed to handling
eCommerce fulfilment so that you can focus on what you do best – building your clients' brands and creating new merch opportunities.
Our state-of-the-art warehouse management software allows you to integrate your existing eCommerce solution with ease.
Working with us, you're always in the driving seat. Our mission is to reflect your brand identity in your packaging and make sure your customers are happy with their fulfilment journey.
Interested in getting a scalable, dedicated area in our 24,500-square-foot fulfilment warehouse? Please don't hesitate to
get in touch – we promise we'll deliver.
