4 Reasons Why Should Not Rush Your Q4 Orders: By Chinaimportal.com

That said, things can go terribly wrong at this time of the year too.

In this article written by Chinaimportal.com, our content contributor, you will learn what every importer must know to avoid delays and quality issues in the run-up to Q4.

1. It’s too late to start your marketing campaign in November

Let’s assume you’re almost ready to go and get your product manufactured and shipped right in time for the Christmas shopping season to start. It’s on the edge, and it’s probably stressing you out.

But it shouldn’t stress you out, because it’s too late anyway.

You simply can’t launch a brand new product on Amazon.com in late November, without a single review, and expect orders to come in. The same thing can be said about PPC (Pay Per Click campaigns) which can take weeks, sometimes months, to optimize before you see a positive ROI.

I even get emails from business owners hoping to start sourcing factories and order product samples for a Q4 launch as late as September. It’s the same thing every year.

But it goes without saying that you can’t go from idea to delivered product in a matter of 60 days.

Recommendation: Sit back and let the sampling and production process run its course. The world doesn’t end in January, and there’s another holiday season coming up in 2020. Meanwhile, start reading up about Amazon and Facebook PPC campaigns.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising
• Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords
• Ultimate Guide to Amazon Advertising

2. Place your remaining orders now

Now is the time to place re-orders to stock up. Manufacturers tend to get busy around this time of the year and you need to consider potential delays.

Assuming an average production time of 40 days, plus 30 days on the sea, it’s already on the limit. In some cases, it may even be too late - especially when factoring in the risk of delays.

Recommendations

• Whenever possible, place your Q4 orders no later than July
• You can book a partial air freight shipment if the schedule gets tight
• Offer your supplier a small ‘on-time delivery’ bonus to give them an extra incentive

3. Don’t skip on quality inspections

It’s tempting to cut corners when you absolutely have to get your products shipped as fast as possible. After all, why bother with these time-consuming quality inspections and lab tests when your supplier usually gets it right anyway?

There are a few problems with this reasoning.

All suppliers have quality issues

The question is not if, but when you will encounter quality issues. Other than post-Chinese New Year, the risk of quality issues is at an all-time high as your manufacturer tries to squeeze as many orders through as they can - in a very short time frame. Keep in mind that it’s practically impossible to return a defective shipment to your supplier.

It only takes one bad shipment to get suspended

Amazon is looking at three primary signals, as specified below:

”All sellers should be working toward achieving and maintaining a level of customer service that meets the following seller performance targets:

• Order defect rate: < 1%
• Pre-fulfilment cancel rate: < 2.5%
• Late shipment rate: < 4%

Failure to meet these targets may result in the removal of your selling privileges.”

In other words, one failed shipment may not just result in angry customers, but destroying your business. Don’t take that risk.

It’s only going to cost you one day

Through the Bureau Veritas InSpec platform, you can book affordable quality checks with only 24 hours notice.

4. Don’t relax. The Chinese New Year is just around the corner

Mission accomplished. Products arrived on time and you had an epic December. Time to kick back and pour yourself a well-earned drink.

Not so fast.

The mother of all supply chain disruptions, the Chinese New Year, is just around the corner.

Finish your whiskey and get back to work.

Free Webinar: Importing from Vietnam, India, and Thailand

Looking for a way to avoid the US-China tariffs, or just interested in looking for suppliers outside of China?

In this webinar, I will explain how smaller importers and Amazon sellers can find suppliers in Thailand, Vietnam and India - and the challenges you’ll face.

Get your free spot here: www.chinaimportal.com/webinar-h

About Chinaimportal.com

Chinaimportal.com help E-Commerce companies and Amazon sellers go from idea to delivered product. You can book a free consultation call or visit our office in Hong Kong. In our Knowledge Base, you can read hundreds of free articles on product compliance, manufacturing, quality assurance, and taxes.