Posted in Supply Chain

There’s something special about people gathering around a fire, swapping stories, sharing food and drink. The world seems to stop for an hour or two and everything seems peaceful. This brings back warm memories of childhood campfires by the lake, and it’s also a connection to our distant past where our ancestors gathered around the fire for warmth and for sharing as well.

Today, not everyone lives around a lake or has a lakeside cottage, but you can still get that campfire feeling with your very own fire table on your deck, or with a fire pit in your backyard. One small heads up: S’mores are not recommended for gas fire tables!!

The Fire Table Market is Growing

Canadians have been on a shopping spree for fire tables, fire pits and outdoor heat lamps since the pandemic. The Canadian outdoor furniture market size is estimated at US$1.3bn in 2023 with a compound annual growth of 4.4% through 2027 according to research firm Statista, so there are a lot of sales growth opportunities for retailers and manufacturers alike.

Delivery Challenges Retailers Face When Shipping Fire Tables to their Customers

Customers wants a turnkey solution: they want the retailer to deliver a pre-assembled fire table or fire pit, install it, hook it up to the gas line, test it and voila! A few customers might enjoy the challenge of assembling their fire tables themselves – probably the same customers that will spend a day assembling their BBQ – but for the most part most of us want a plug and play service.

Retailers have indeed been shipping fully assembled and ready to go fire tables; however the delivery business model is less than ideal. Here are some of the challenges retailers face.

One at a Time Deliveries

Service trucks tend not to be too big and can typically handle one or two fully assembled fire tables or fire pits at a time. This means that your installation crew has to keep driving back to your facility to pick up the next order, costing you time, money and gas, not to mention customer delays.

Better Solution: Look for a reliable transportation partner that can pick up multiple orders at your facility and drop ship them to your customers’ locations before your crew shows up. Let your installation crew do what they do best: servicing your customer!

Need 2 Staff to Deliver

Fire tables may not be that heavy, but they are bulky and can be a bit cumbersome, and that means you need 2 people to deliver 1 unit. One staff has to wait while the other performs the installation: wasted time that’s costing you money.

Better Solution: By drop shipping the units through a dependable transportation partner, you only need to dispatch 1 employee to a customer’s location, not 2.

Inventory Space may be Wasted

Unboxing and assembling fire tables at your facility requires quite a bit of space that could be better utilized for other purposes, and having units lying around in a partly finished assembly state may present health hazards to employees.

Better Solution: Let a trustworthy transportation partner offload your assembled inventory for you and deliver directly to your customer’s location. Save your space for more inventory you can sell.

Your Reliable Transportation & Warehousing Partner: High Energy Transport Inc.

Drop shipping is something we do regularly for our clients; it’s made a big difference on their profitability and it can help yours as well.

We have a ton of experience with shipping bulky items like gazebos,hot tubs, and outdoor furniture . Many retailers and wholesalers have trusted us with their customer deliveries for many years – contact us and let’s see what we can do for you.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

Contact Us for a Quote

During the past few years, homeowners have been investing more money in their backyard in order to spend more time enjoying themselves with family and friends.

Outdoor structures such as gazebos, pergolas and sunrooms enhance the beauty and functionality of a backyard, and have become increasingly popular over time. The market has been growing at 4.8% annually to reach an estimated $1.6B by 2023, according to the Freedonia Group.

Shipping these structures to customers creates significant challenges for retailers and wholesalers; keep reading to find out what you can do.

The 800-Pound Gazebo

Depending on their size and materials, gazebos can weigh anywhere from 100 to 1,000 lbs. The same goes for pergolas and sunrooms, although some pergolas are made of heavy duty metal and can weigh up to 2,000 lbs or more. These are not featherweight items that can typically handled by regular couriers, or by regular warehouse staff for that matter.

Pro Tip: Look for a reliable transportation partner that specializes in heavy and cumbersome items. Bonus points if they have warehouse space to accommodate your inventory.

Where do I store my inventory?

These heavy backyard structures take up a lot of space in a warehouse or back office, and that means you may either run out of space sooner or have to spend more time managing your inventory by constantly physically moving other items around as space becomes filled up or freed up. If you try to store too many of these gazebo kits, you may run out of space entirely for your other regular inventory items.

Pro Tip: Some transportation companies also have plenty of warehouse space available, and can manage your inventory for you, saving you cost, time and headaches.

How can I ship on time, every time?

Because of the sheer weight of pergolas, gazebos and sunrooms, and of the large amount of space they take up, getting the orders out the door on time is a significant challenge. We all know that customers these days are accustomed to next day deliveries for just about everything they order, and delivery times are a critical factor in customer satisfaction.

Managing your inventory of outdoor structures yourself may not be the most efficient way of running that part of your business, and it might hurt your Google customer ratings to boot. On top of that, if your staff is not properly trained, they might suffer injuries and be out of work when you need them the most, further handicapping your business.

Pro Tip: Find a transportation partner that not only specializes in bulky and overweight shipments, but that also have a state-of-the-art facility to manage your inventory for you as it transits from your providers to your customers.

Your Reliable Transportation & Warehousing Partner: High Energy Transport Inc.

We’ve built our business over the years by handling large, bulky, oversized and overweight items such as gazebos, pergolas and sunrooms, that other transportation companies simply can’t handle.

We’ve been shipping items like hot tubs, outdoor furniture and sheds for retailers and wholesalers across the GTA for many years – and now we can ship across Canada too! We have warehouses in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and in Cornwall, and are able to handle shipments to and from the Port of Montreal for our clients.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

Contact Us for a Quote

Relaxing in a hot tub is becoming increasingly popular with Canadian homeowners. According to a report by Business Wire, the Canadian hot tub market is growing and is expected to reach USD 84 million by 2025.

As a retailer, shipping hot tubs to customers can present a number of challenges, some of which we’ll discuss here and offer some solutions as well.

Hot Tubs are large and heavy

Let’s face it: these are bulky, oversized and overweight items that require specialized handling and transportation. A typical 4-6 person hot tub might weigh 500-1,000 lbs., and larger models can weigh up to 1,500 lbs.

Hot tubs also take up a lot of inventory space in your facility or warehouse, and staff need to be properly trained to avoid injuries.

Pro Tip: consider a reliable transportation partner that specializes in large and bulky items, and that has warehouse space to accommodate your inventory.

Damages and Injuries = loss of revenue & decreased customer satisfaction

Incorrect handling by improperly trained staff may lead to the hot tubs being damaged in the warehouse, when loading on the delivery truck, in transit to the client, or during unloading at the customer site.

Your staff may also be injured in the process and be out of commission for an undefined period of time, affecting both their health and your business operations; and it may also impact both your sales and your bottom line.

Damages also greatly affect customer satisfaction and may introduce unacceptable order delivery delays from the customer’s point of view.

Pro Tip: Find a transportation company with trained staff experienced in handling fragile items for you.

Shipping Costs & Logistics

As mentioned above, hot tubs can weigh up to 1,500 lbs and require a delivery vehicle that is sized appropriately. Maybe your regular local transportation company can’t accommodate your shipments or maybe they can only handle one at a time, increasing your shipping costs and adding delays to deliveries. You can’t afford to waste your time calling around to find a suitable delivery company for different shipments.

Pro Tip: Rely on a transportation partner that can easily accommodate all of your shipments regardless of their size or weight, and that can manage your inventory for you.

Don’t be in Hot Water When Delivering Hot Tubs

It’s clear by now that delivering hot tubs to customers is no easy feat due to their size and weight, the potential for damages and injuries during handling and delivery, and due to logistics and cost challenges.

The key to overcoming these challenges is selecting a reliable transportation company that specializes in oversized or overweight items, that has trained & experienced staff, and that can manage your inventory for you. All of this will make a significant of difference in your business, your profitability and your customer satisfaction levels.

High Energy Transport Inc. Is Your Reliable Transportation Partner

We have a ton of experience handling non-conveyables such as BBQs, wood and lumber, bikes, and delivering them to customers across the country.

We have warehouses in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and in Cornwall, and are able to handle shipments to and from the Port of Montreal for our clients.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

Contact Us for a Quote

Summer is almost here, and that means homeowners wanting to build a new deck in their backyards. Hardware stores that offer delivery services face many unique challenges when it comes to transporting wood and lumber to their customers.

While offering this service can be a great way to boost sales and increase customer satisfaction, it requires careful planning and execution to ensure that the delivery process runs smoothly. In this blog, we will explore some of the challenges that hardware stores may encounter and offer solutions to overcome them.

Wooden Deck Market Size

The wooden deck industry in Canada is estimated at around $250-$300M for 2022, and is forecasted to grow at 2.8% through 2020-2027, according to the firm Market Research Future.

Challenge #1: Damage

One of the biggest challenges when delivering wood and lumber is ensuring that the products are not damaged during transportation. Lumber and wood are heavy and bulky items that require careful handling to prevent breakage or splitting. Even minor damage to the wood can compromise its structural integrity, either rendering it unsuitable for use in construction or unappealing to look at for the customer.

To mitigate this risk, hardware stores must ensure that the wood is properly secured and protected during transportation. This may involve using specialized equipment, such as straps or clamps, to keep the wood in place and prevent it from shifting during transit.

Hint: using a reliable transportation company like High Energy Transport Inc. is a great way to minimize damage risks.

Challenge #2:  Narrow Streets

The streets in many cities are narrow with a constant rush of traffic; there may be cars parked on both sides of the street, or you may need to deliver through tight alleyways where typical delivery trucks don’t quite fit.

If the trucks can’t fit, you can’t deliver, you have to find alternate methods of delivery, and the customer is now very upset. Do you invest in a fleet of smaller vehicles? Or do you try and rely on local couriers that have no real experience with wood or lumber?

Hint: High Energy Transport Inc. has a fleet of delivery trucks of different sizes to best accommodate your shipments, and has the expertise with large and heavy items like lumber and wood.

Challenge #3: Weather

Weather conditions can pose a significant challenge when delivering wood and lumber. Rain, snow, hail and extreme temperatures can all damage wood and compromise its quality or appearance. Bad weather also makes it difficult for delivery trucks to travel safely, further delaying the delivery process and upsetting customers.

Hint: The drivers at High Energy Transport Inc. all have many years of experience driving and delivering in all sorts of weather conditions, and can safely delivery your orders to your customers for you.

Challenge #4: Multiple Trips

As a hardware store, if you choose to deliver your customers’ wood and lumber orders yourself, you have to make multiple trips between your store and your clients to fill all of their orders. That’s a lot of trips back and forth; it takes more time and effort, decreases customer satisfaction and increases your overall delivery costs.

Hint: High Energy Transport Inc. has a centrally-located warehouse in the GTA and can not only pickup many orders at once, but we can actually manage your inventory for you and deliver the orders to your customers on your behalf. Save time, effort and costs while increasing customer satisfaction: it’s a win-win for your business!

Delivering wood and lumber can be challenging

But choosing a reliable partner that can not only move your products but actually manage your supply chain for you, shouldn’t be: High Energy Transport Inc. can help your business save time and money, and improve your operational efficiency as well.

We have a ton of experience handling non-conveyables such as gym equipment, bikes, outdoor furniture, mattresses, sheds and large screen TVs and delivering them to customers all over Toronto and many parts of Ontario.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

Contact Us for a Quote