Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
Launching a successful crowdfunding campaign is a major achievement. However, another challenge awaits: getting the products delivered to those who supported your campaign.
On paper, this may look easy. However, things can go south fast, especially if you have to deliver products to thousands of customers living both in and out of state. Without a reliable fulfillment strategy, even a highly successful campaign can face delays, unexpected costs, and unhappy backers.
Here are tips to help you select the right crowdfunding campaign fulfillment service.
Assess Your Campaign’s Fulfillment Requirements
Before evaluating fulfillment companies, establish exactly what your campaign requires. First, determine your expected order volume. A local crowdfunding campaign supported by 300 backers will have different fulfillment requirements than one with 30,000 backers spread around multiple countries.
Besides order volume, where your backers are located matters. If most customers are domestic, a fulfillment company that doesn’t offer international shipping might be sufficient. However, if many of your backers are international customers, you will need to partner with a crowdfunding campaign fulfillment company that has international shipping expertise.
Look for Experience with Crowdfunding Campaigns
One of the first questions to ask a potential fulfillment partner is whether they have experience handling crowdfunding campaigns.
The reason is that crowdfunding campaign fulfillment can involve unusual order structures and compressed timelines. Standard fulfillment firms may struggle to meet your needs, especially if they don’t offer customized packaging services.
A good crowdfunding campaign fulfillment partner should be able to handle instances where customers change their delivery address and questions about fulfillment delays.
Understand International Shipping and Customs
This applies mostly if your audience includes backers living in other countries. Fulfilling international orders can get challenging pretty quickly, especially when handling delicate products.
When products cross borders, customs authorities may require accurate information about the product, its value, country of origin, and classification. Incorrect or incomplete documentation can result in delays, additional charges, or returns.
A proper crowdfunding campaign fulfillment partner such as Packageman will clearly explain how they handle international shipments and customs documentation. The last thing you want is your backers calling back with claims that they have received their products alongside surprise bills.
Compare Crowdfunding Campaign Fulfillment Costs
Don’t be quick to sign contracts before comparing costs. Now, the goal here isn’t to find the cheapest fulfillment partner. Instead, this process will help you find a crowdfunding campaign fulfillment partner that offers value for your money.
A provider might advertise a low pick-and-pack fee but charge significantly more for storage, packaging, kitting, or international shipments. The right approach is to ask for an itemized quote that lists the service and the fee charged.
A detailed quote will help you compare the total fulfillment cost rather than one isolated fee.
Assess Customer Support
Even with excellent logistics systems, fulfillment problems can happen. But what matters the most is how these issues are handled.
What happens when orders are delayed or arrive damaged? Who will handle complaints from your backers? These are questions you need to ask prospective crowdfunding campaign fulfillment partners before putting pen to paper.
Clear communication is important during this process since hundreds or thousands of backers may be receiving their products simultaneously.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
