4 Tips to Help You Choose Distribution Centre Locations
With the tremendous technological progress that we are witnessing, and with the increase and expansion of the size of companies, there is an urgent need for the various management and those in charge of administrative processes to work together in a smooth cooperative manner, which will lead to increased productivity and stimulate work and growth, and the first thing so that everyone in the organization works efficiently, is That every individual understands what his mission is, and the Distribution Centre are of the utmost importance in your business, and choosing them properly is of utmost importance, and in this article on logstiat logistics solutions we will show you 4 tips to help you choose the locations of the distribution centers.
What is meant by distribution center?
A Distribution Centre means an entity specialized in storing, shipping and handling goods, as it is a place through which inventory is managed, distributed, and orders handled in terms of execution, shipping operations and their management.
How is Distribution Centre?
As for the shape of the Distribution Centre, you will find that most distribution centers have a berth to carry goods and products, in addition to a special area for storage, and a department specialized in shipping operations, and through the Distribution Centre, the inventory moves faster, more efficiently and accurately.
How to choose the Distribution Centre Locations?
The most frequently asked question by retailers and merchants in general is “Where can we locate the appropriate distribution site?” There are a number of tips that we have provided you in this regard, and here are 4 tips to help you choose locations of Distribution Centre:
1. Get closer to Where the Demand Is
Most individuals choose their distant Distribution Centre a lot, and often the main reason for this is the low costs of these centers, or perhaps there is cheaper labor, but sometimes this behavior is not correct.
Especially since there are other aspects and costs that you must focus on before choosing the location of your Distribution Centre, and the most important point is that your distribution centers are close to demand.
If you are a producer of a commodity that is used by a large number of people in your area, it is better that you choose the distribution center in that region in which the demand is greatest.
2. Access is the Key
Always try to have your Distribution Centre surrounded by easy and fast places to reach, for example, choosing a distribution center in that area where there is an intersection of two main highways, which will enable your trucks to drive quickly and easily to deliver orders.
And you can find out : What is order management and how logstiat can help you with it
The second most important point to focus on when choosing a location for your Distribution Centre is having good access points, meaning that your Distribution Centre location is close and easy to reach to customers, roads, and other warehouses.
3. Weigh up Transport Costs
When considering the location of your Distribution Centre, you will need to consider the costs associated with the land, labor, and location itself, and weigh them all.
This is because, in general, you will find that internal and external transportation costs as well as labor costs absorb a large proportion that exceeds the proportion of total distribution costs.
4. Don’t Ignore the Ecommerce Factors
E-commerce is greatly increasing its importance and role, especially after the Corona pandemic and the repercussions it imposed, so you should also not ignore the e-commerce factor.
Therefore, the process of delivering products and re-supplying them has become one of the important factors that help you maintain your market share and stay in the market. Any delays in delivery will negatively affect customer satisfaction and thus negatively affect your revenues.
What should I consider when choosing my distribution center?
As a whole, we can summarize for you the most important factors that you should give the most attention when choosing your Distribution Centre, as:
- Access to infrastructure smoothly and quickly.
- The ability to provide the best service through the distribution center that you have chosen.
- Take into account the total cost and try to reduce it as much as possible.
What are e-commerce platforms?
They are software solutions that enable you to obtain the features and capabilities that enable you to create an integrated online store ready to achieve sales to Internet users.
Or let’s say that they are platforms that provide integrated packages of programs that make the online selling process possible, as it provides the ability to display products, the ability to link the store with shipping and payment companies, the ability to manage , track and inventory control … etc.
Top 5 best E-commerce platforms
When it comes to creating a professional online store, choosing the right e-commerce platform means a very important step, and it makes a big difference in your success in the world of e-commerce.
In fact, there are a lot of e-commerce platforms, which differ according to how they work and how to create a store through them.
This makes many feel confused about how to choose the right platform for their specific situation, but in this section we will show you the 5 best e-commerce platforms:
1. WooCommerce platform
The WooCommerce platform is the most famous and important in the world of e-commerce, it is an open source and free platform, and it is dedicated to working with the WordPress content management system, by setting the WooCommerce plugin on the WordPress site.
It is known that WordPress is the most important and most popular platform for making websites, and therefore many prefer to deal with WordPress, and as with WordPress you can create a wonderful website, so this is also by setting this add-on you can create a wonderful online store via WordPress.
2. Shopify platform
The Shopify platform provides an integrated solution to create a professional online store, and it is the most important and most popular platform in the world of e-commerce, and by subscribing to it you will be able to get your store easily and in very simple steps.
The Shopify platform provides three different packages, each with a different price, and therefore each has different features from the other, for example, you will find the first and cheapest package that contains the main features, and the third and most expensive package contains all the advanced features.
3. OpenCart platform
The OpenCart platform is a completely free and open source platform, and it is one of the most important global platforms for creating a professional online store. It is suitable for small and medium-sized stores.
The OpenCart platform is a PHP script that you can download from the official OpenCart website, and it requires some technical expertise to install it on your hosting, and prepare it well.
The OpenCart platform comes with a lot of other features, but it is available in the form of additional plugins, including free and paid ones, and on the official website you will also find a lot of free and paid templates, which you can use any of them as you like.
4. ExpandCart platform
The ExpandCart platform is a wonderful Arabic platform, and it deserves to be placed in the middle of the large platforms that we are talking about today, it is a great option for every Arab who wants to create a professional online store, and it is available in English as well, and it has clients in many countries of the world.
The ExpandCart platform is an integrated e-commerce solution, by subscribing to it, you will find everything you need to build your online store in one place (such as the Shopify platform).
5. The Magneto platform
The Magneto platform is one of the leading platforms in the world, and there are hundreds of thousands of online stores that use it. This platform is an open source platform and has a free and a paid version.
The free version is very suitable for small and medium businesses, while the paid version is intended for large companies, and it has a high price compared to other e-commerce platforms.
This platform contains a huge number and variety of features and options, through which you can customize your store as you want, giving it a unique and bold look.
It is also the platform that is famous and characterized by an unparalleled level of flexibility, as long as you have programming expertise, you can modify the code and adapt it to the way you want.
