Small business; a pillar of our economy. Without new products and services launching into the market, customers only access the niche group of our largest corporate counterparts. Small businesses account for [conservatively] over 40% of overall US GDP, while fostering innovation, job growth, and minority entrepreneurship. Despite economic uncertainty, many businesses have been able to reorganize, reinvest, and ultimately make their mark on the other side. Take virtually any sector where small businesses operate; we see widespread onboarding of e-commerce experiences and logistics efficiency.
Industry buzz historically focused on powering the large capital entity, using terms like omni-channel to denote responsiveness within your four walls. The spotlight has shifted, especially in the face of rising inflation, to platforms that collaborate, or in other words, play nicely in the sandbox. With IoT gadgets like tablet credit card terminals, branded shopping cart experiences, web and phone apps, and a myriad of power sources to light the customer path, omni-channel is no longer a luxury exclusive to the enterprise. Local vendors are agile and they create a personal connection; goals that we can now support from point-of-sale to warehouse to door-step, and at a reasonable cost. To put it simply:
"Siloes are best left to the agriculture industry. Scaled efficiency is viable for SMBs."
Let's pull out our class notes for a moment. Moore’s Law states that technological power doubles every few years, and this power is now interwoven with SMB success. That close connection allows us to predict that small business contributions will grow in parallel, not only in US GDP, but in that of most global powers. International commerce is that next level of complexity to be tackled by small businesses, which has significant commercial upside if the customs, duties, taxes, and careful handling across borders can be navigated effectively. Again, we have seen the large cap as beholder of international resources. When an entire department handles only cross-border logistics, we know a critical juncture has been reached. Yet again, agile technology has stepped in, stage left, to break down the siloes and bring efficiency to the masses.
It is because of this that ConnectShip continues to develop new, flexible shipping products. Most recently, we’ve partnered with Passport Shipping to answer the ever-growing need for international shipment tracking and customer visibility.
Passport handles cross-border logistics, increases the visibility that customers have to their shipping costs across borders, and bolsters the customer experience with notifications and data interfaces. Learn more about our integration with Passport Shipping and stay tuned for more from ConnectShip Blogistics.
Ludwig A Dischner III, MA, PMP
Marketing & Commercial Project Analyst
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ConnectShip
Ludwig is an integral piece of the team, communicating logistics solutions to a wide range of audiences and improving ConnectShip's project direction. Ludwig holds a master’s degree in strategic communication and in project management from the University of Oklahoma, after graduating from the University of Tulsa with a bachelor's degree in business marketing. He also maintains his PMP certification.