Inbound Marketing Blog

Summer has arrived and the weather is right for a bike ride. Consequently, bicycle retailers are seeing an increase in orders. That’s the good news. However, shipping bicycles poses some unique challenges.

Summer has arrived and the weather is right for a bike ride. Consequently, bicycle retailers are seeing an increase in orders. That’s the good news. However, shipping bicycles poses some unique challenges.

Items that fit into a standard carton are relatively easy to prepare for shipping. First, you place the item in the carton and fill any excess interior space with appropriate padding such as air pillows to prevent shifting of the contents. Then you securely seal the carton with water-activated tape (WAT), which outperforms pressure-sensitive tape. Finally, you label it and it is ready for transport. Odd shaped items that don’t fit well into a standard carton are much more challenging to ship. But like they say, where there’s a will there’s a way!

Billions of dollars’ worth of sporting goods are sold in the U.S. every year. Market and consumer data experts Statista estimate that sales will top $48 billion in 2018. While in-store purchases will account for a sizeable percentage of that volume, much of the merchandise will be bought online and shipped. Getting those items from the distribution point to the consumer safely is critically important to a sporting goods store’s success.

Ten billion dollars. That was the aggregate spending on sporting goods online in 2015. For several years, the sporting goods industry has been one of the top industries involved in online purchases, according to US Department of Commerce. And there’s no sign of that slowing down. That means sporting goods retailers will be shipping a lot of athletic footwear, exercise equipment, licensed sports merchandise and athletic apparel in the years to come.

Winter-weather enthusiasts purchase their sporting equipment through a variety of channels including specialty stores, chain stores and online. Since 2012, online sales of winter sporting equipment has averaged approximately 20% of total sales in the U.S, making ecommerce a vibrant $180 million category. If you are engaged in the online sale and the shipping of snowboards and ski equipment, you know that they require careful attention to make sure they arrive to customers in ready-to-use shape. Read on to learn some best packing practices for ski and snowboard shipments.