How can you make sure your perishable goods make it to their destination safely?
If you’re distributing perishable goods, you know that time is of the essence. You need to get your products from Point A to Point B as quickly and efficiently as possible while ensuring they remain fresh and safe to eat. That’s no easy feat!
There are a few things you can do to make sure your perishable goods make it to their destination safely:
Working with shorter distribution cycles
Work with shorter distribution cycles if you can so your products spend less time in transit. What this actually means will vary from business to business, but it could involve stocking up on smaller quantities of perishables so that you don’t have excess inventory sitting around or working with local suppliers instead of ones that are farther away.
Offer same-day or next-day delivery
The food and beverage industry is under pressure to meet consumer demands for same-day or next-day delivery.
To meet this demand, food and beverage distributors must have a distribution system in place that can accommodate quick turnaround times. This means having a real-time system that tracks inventory and routes orders to the closest fulfillment center.
Know where your inventory is in real time
Customers have come to expect a high level of service and responsiveness from their food and beverage distributors. They want to be confident that their orders will be filled promptly and accurately without delays.
You must always have visibility into your inventory levels to meet these expectations. This way, you can avoid over-selling products you don’t have in stock and plan for future customer demand.
Tracking technologies like GPS and RFID can help you track your perishable goods in real-time. RFID tags are small, wireless devices that emit a signal that a special reader can read. This technology can track your products' location as they move through your distribution center or warehouse.
RFID tags can also provide information about the condition of your products, such as whether a food item is fresh or has been sitting on a shelf for too long. This information can be used to ensure that your products are adequately rotated and that they are not being sold past their expiration date.
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