The USPS alone delivers just under half a billion pieces of mail every day.
To get your products within striking distance of a local market, you have to ship your freight to warehouses around the globe to ensure local shippers can easily transport your goods. To do that, you need to move freight via land, sea, or air.
Our team prefers air!
Air shipping is a means of logistics that is picking up steam across businesses of all sizes as competition makes this means of moving cheaper. There are several things to keep in mind though before jumping on the air bandwagon.
Below, we break down what you should keep an eye on.
Air Shipping is Fast
The number one thing to note as you consider air shipping is that it’s the fastest mode of moving freight over long-distances. Shipping parcels overseas can take a month to get from continent to continent. By land, weeks, depending on the distance.
Air can move freight just about anywhere within 24-hours, getting your products to their destinations quickly and keeping your consumers serviced more adequately.
Special Restrictions May Apply
Air travel is unique in that it pulls your freight tens of thousands of feet above sea level. That altitude, while impressive, can also create issues for certain products.
For example, certain liquids and chemicals can combust in thin air conditions. Other products may become damaged and unusable due to changes in pressure.
Be mindful of how the sky’s unique conditions may adversely affect your products. That way, you’re not caught off guard if things go wrong. You can explore some common cabin control safeguards companies like vrr.aero put into place online to get a better understanding of product safety in transit.
Supply Chains May Get Busy
A supply chain describes how many hands touch a product while it makes its way to its final destination. The busier supply chains are, the slower things go.
Even though air travel does have a lot of regulatory tape around it that can slow supply chains at certain steps in the workflow, the speed of shipping will almost certainly make your shipping time faster than less busy supply chains that leverage slower forms of transportation.
Still, as you start to foray into air shipping, gain an intimate understanding of who is touching your products during their journey. If possible, make adjustments to reduce touchpoints and make things go faster.
Air Shipping Is Often Worth the Additional Expense
Most entrepreneurs stray away from air shipping because they’re afraid of its price tag. While air shipping can get costly, the speed and lowered chance of lost parcels it offers could be a game-changer that’s well worth the expense
The only way to know if ship by air is a workflow that makes sense for you is to run the numbers and give it a whirl. You may find that there’s no better way for your business to manage its logistical needs!
Check out additional content on our blog if you’re curious to know more about optimizing your shipping workflows and business.
