![10 Ways On-Demand Manufacturing Can Help Retailers Streamline Their Operations]()
![On-demand manufacturing | Shopify Retail blog]()
Today, we live in an increasingly on-demand world. We watch TV shows and movies on-demand through various streaming services, we rent a car through Zipcar, and we hail a taxi (or Lyft) on-demand.
With these changes, many companies aspire to become the on-demand version of the product or service they’re bringing to the market (groceries delivered on-demand, anyone?). A similar transformation is happening in the manufacturing industry.
With the rise of technology and a shift in the way new products are introduced to the market, crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter can help connect retailers with buyers — opening the door for new ideas to come to life without the need for a major upfront investment. This new approach to launching and selling products has ignited the need for better and faster production alternatives for retail businesses. One such option is on-demand manufacturing.
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![6 Benefits Of Outsourcing Your Order Fulfillment]()
![Benefits of order fulfillment providers | Shopify Retail blog]()
Part of running a business is learning how to delegate. Because let’s be honest: We can’t do it all — even if we try.
Letting go of certain tasks is important. It frees up your valuable time and allows you to focus on building your retail business. It may be hard to trust other people to work on your "baby" with the same passion as you. Or, you may have budget constraints. However, if you can afford to, there are certain tasks that are easier to let go of — and one of those is order fulfillment.
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![8 Successful Examples of Pop-In Stores (And What You Can Learn From Them)]()
![Eyeglasses on display | Shopify Retail blog]()
For merchants who sell only online, the idea of selling in-person can be overwhelming. Successfully selling online requires merchants to learn a variety of new skills, but the potential benefits usually far outweigh the downsides.
Getting offline and physically in front of your customers is one strategy to help increase brand awareness, interact with people to gauge their interest in your product, and hopefully make a few sales.
There are also ways to sell offline that are relatively inexpensive. For example, you can create a mini pop-up shop in an existing brick-and-mortar store. Also known as a "pop-in," this form of offline selling means you don't have to worry about renting a storefront for an extended period of time, furnishing it, and building up foot traffic.
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![How to Create an Inventory Management System That Scales as You Grow]()
![Scalable inventory management system | Shopify Retail blog]()
The day-to-day of inventory management and planning can be different for each retailer. But the components you need to build a scalable inventory management system are generally the same. Part of an inventory management system is tracking what comes into your warehouse or store, as well as what leaves through online or in-store sales. We'll look at five components to consider which can make inventory management and planning easier for your retail business.
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![How To Find The Right Digital Marketing Agency For Your Retail Business]()
![Digital marketing for retail | Shopify Retail blog]()
Hiring a digital marketing expert can make a retailer's job easier and provide a great return on your investment. An agency or freelancer can help a retailer with a range of services, from redesigning a complicated ecommerce site to running a national campaign.
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![How to Outsource Your Order Fulfillment]()
![Order fulfillment services | Shopify Retail blog]()
Starting a small, product-based business involves a lot of heavy lifting (literally) — and in the beginning, you might be doing it all yourself.
As you scale, order fulfillment can become a huge undertaking that can eat up much of your time. Today, there are many options for outsourcing your order fulfillment so you can free up your schedule and focus on growing your business.
To help you decide whether fulfillment services is the right move for your retail business, we’ll take a look at how to outsource this time-consuming task, the benefits of fulfillment services, and how to calculate the potential costs.
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![Open-To-Buy Plans: How to Use This Formula to Better Manage Retail Inventory]()
![Open-to-buy plan for inventory management | Shopify Retail blog]()
Having a solid handle on your inventory is the best way to guarantee you’ll always have enough stock on hand to meet demand. Having excess inventory or the wrong product can slow your cash flow and reduce profits if you’re forced to mark items down. But under buying a product can result in missed sales opportunities, hurt your profit, and damage the customer experience. But creating an open-to-buy (OTB) plan can help retailers selling multiple brands — as well as direct-to-consumer brands — decide how much inventory to buy or manufacture while keeping cash flow positive.
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