Small business owners: what are your 2023 goals?

2023 is well underway!

What New Year objectives do you have in mind for your eCommerce store?

We’ve spoken about how we can help you with your personal goals for the new year, but it’s not too late to set yourself goals for your small business too.

Perhaps you struggled with prioritising tasks on your to-do list, or you wanted to focus on your branding but didn’t know where to start. Either way, if you need some ideas on how to improve your business this year, consider our options below for 2023.

5 Business New Year Goals

1. Refresh your website

Can’t remember the last time you updated your website?

January is a great time to start. Whether it’s reviewing your shipping policy or updating your SEO strategy, there are many things you can review and update. Depending on the website size, you could perform an audit to identify the key areas for improvement and re-evaluate your priorities.

If you run a Shopify or WooCommerce store, consider enabling live shipping rates to allow your buyers to see accurate delivery costs at checkout. It means your prospective buyers can see the exact delivery cost and timeframes, so you won’t need to worry about charging too much or too little for shipping.

2. Reduce manual processes

Many people aim to be more organised at the start of the new year. Of course, this begins with time management. One of the ways is by reducing time spent on manual processes. For example, do you spend hours quoting different prices for shipping across different courier websites?

Save yourself time and import or upload all your eCommerce orders in one place using our Shipping Manager. You can then manage your orders in one simple dashboard, choose a service and pay using your preferred method. With all your extra time, you can focus on growing your business and leave the shipping to us.

3. Boost your brand presence

A strong brand identity is very important, especially if you’re an online store. With so many stores competing for the same customers, your brand must be consistent and memorable throughout all marketing, particularly post-purchase.

Our free Branded Tracking portal can be personalised with your company name, logo, colour palette and promotional banner- complete with a unique subdomain. Our step-by-step takes you through the process of setting up the portal in minutes.

As well as post-purchase branding, your store must be active across social media channels and email communication, so your clients know you are accessible. So, ensure your company is active across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and perhaps even TikTok!

4. Review and optimise your shipping strategy

It’s good practice to review your shipping strategy every few months to ensure you’re meeting your customer’s delivery expectations. One way is to switch from relying on just one supplier to a multicarrier solution.

There are many benefits to sending your parcels with a multicarrier shipping solution. You have the ability to trial new services, offer a choice of standard, express and timed delivery options and have access to discounted shipping rates as a result of long-standing partnerships.

Plus, if one courier experiences any unexpected issues or high demand, you can quickly and easily switch to another courier, minimising any disruption to your supply chain.

5. Focus on sustainability

Businesses of all sizes can do their bit to help the environment. This year, why not look into switching to eco-friendly packaging materials or choosing a courier that looks at improving its carbon footprint, such as DPD.

Another suggestion is to activate Smart Boxing in your Interparcel account. Smart Boxing helps you to package shipments into as few boxes as possible, saving you money and reducing waste. Equally, our new Bulk Shipping feature allows you to book one collection for multiple international orders, meaning fewer unnecessary trips for the courier.

Of course, subscribe to the Interparcel newsletter!

If you want to tick off one objective to help get you started – subscribe to our newsletter for helpful business and shipping fulfilment tools and advice. You can add your email address and name to our subscribe list at the bottom of all our blogs. Plus, if you haven’t already, create a free Interparcel account today and make a start on your 2023 goals using our helpful business tools and account features.

• Automatic address correction: no more incorrect addresses
• Multi-channel fulfilment: collate orders from multiple eCommerce platforms into one place
• 'Send Again' and 'Return Parcel' actions: to streamline repeat and return orders
• Branded Tracking: customise their own branded tracking portal and obtain a unique URL
• Unlimited no-cost printing options: print your 6x4 shipping labels and A4 documents directly to your printer
• Customer service: customer support is available seven days a week via telephone, email, live chat and social media

If you want to know more about how we can help your business this year, speak to our parcel experts. Our team are available to contact seven days a week, and we will be happy to help.