mDesign’s first sale with Amazon was in 2015. Today, they’re one of the UK’s top Amazon sellers of home décor and home goods. A company growing 100% year on year, their continued success has relied on three things: speed, speed and more speed. Here’s how they optimised their freight transportation to set them up for long-term success.

For mDesign, keeping inventory full to meet increasing demand has been one of the biggest challenges — creating the need for not just efficiency but velocity at every step. Whether producing more goods, meeting the growth forecast, or getting products delivered and received at Amazon, the whole process had to be as seamless as possible. To get it right and get it fast, orders have to be at the dock when the truck arrives, all the paperwork has to be in place with vendors and metrics have to be tracked.

The risk of load rejections are highest if appointments are not properly scheduled or drivers do not arrive on time. With other carriers, mDesign struggled with trucks not showing up or loads being rejected, and fixing those mistakes can be time consuming. If drivers improperly book or miss their appointment window, they may get turned away or have to wait until the next day. This results in shipment delays, creating a scenario in which they might be out of stock and possibly miss orders.

mDesign started as a seller with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), a service that provides last mile delivery, returns, and customer service. They learned Amazon could help them streamline their logistics with freight shipping and turned to Amazon Freight to help.

Since using Amazon Freight, mDesign had 100% of their shipments accepted, with zero turned around due to a missed window or overbooked distribution centre. The ease of booking has saved them hours of clerk time, allowing them to reinvest clerk hours into data analysis, improving business while saving money.

When pursuing freight optimisation, the first step is to focus on how you are procuring your freight. Review all available modes of road transport, ocean or air travel, along with the specific storage facilities within the fulfilment process. Adequate planning will take into account how to reduce costs and optimise at each step of the supply chain, so as to determine where more profit can be maximised. To prevent the knock-on effects of breakdown or the failure of any part of your logistics, it’s vital that you have a contingency plan in place to rely on.

In the modern trucking industry landscape, freight can be managed through software. Shippers and carriers can carry out logistics using automated systems to consolidate freight shipping. For instance, smart tracking increases the level of control you have over your loads in transit, providing transparency through analytics and reporting. Automation also helps to improve energy efficiency, reducing costs and overall fuel consumption by using algorithms to route and schedule shipments.

Freight software management typically comes with mobile extension apps that let you track carrier vehicles through GPS and log delivery statuses in real time. In addition, some mobile apps provide data on fuel efficiency and transit time for each delivery route taken — allowing you to leverage the software with forensic insights into your freight logistics.

Road transport networks can be highly complex, and full truckloads (FTL), less-than-truckloads (LTL) and last-mile carriers regularly need to work together to keep things moving efficiently. One way to ensure this is through planning driver routes in order to eliminate wasted time, as well as retention, as drivers who feel safe and familiar with their route are more likely to keep working with you. Multiple routing options also allows you to analyse your chosen routes and assess risks — as well as find opportunities to improve cost-effectiveness and reach new markets.

Improved training also helps carriers feel more comfortable and confident on the designated routes. When they know how to properly use software technology to boost efficiency, they have an improved understanding of how they can do their jobs smoothly and efficiently, setting both carrier and shipper up for better collaboration in the long-term.

For Amazon Freight, long-distance freight transportation is just part of the package. We can carry out your haulage needs smoothly and on time, using our internal freight brokerage system to find the right heavy goods carrier either for inland domestic shipping or cross-country (EU only). If you’re a road haulage carrier, join our network through Amazon Freight Partner. If you’re a vendor looking to move large units of cargo, get in touch with us today to find out about our competitive rates and how we can further support your business logistics.

Amazon’s network optimisation creates unique opportunities for shippers that others can’t offer. If you’re considering joining a freight forwarder network to get reliable truck supply and quality carriers, sign up online today.