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HE WORLD MOVES AT a breakneck pace these
days, and so do the appetites of consumers, many
of whom have heartily embraced
Willy Wonka
char-
acter Veruca Salt’s anthem: “I want it now!” Of
course, not everything can be delivered instantly,
but promotional products suppliers are keeping up with
demand by offering popular items with quick delivery—often in
three days or sooner.
Whether it’s called Express Ship, Quick Ship or any other of
the myriad terms for this speedy delivery category, suppliers
say just about any type of product can go from warehouse to
client quickly. The caveats? There are a few, says Jim Bull, vice
president of sales for supplier Starline USA (UPIC: STAR0009) in
Grand Island, New York.
“Our three-day service is based on catalog quantities, sub-
ject to inventory, and that no proofs are requested,” says Bull.
“The more common products are ones that lend themselves to
a one-color silk screen or pad imprint, laser engraving, or our
GeoPanel™ or digital laminate panel imprint methods.”
So what does a three-day delivery entail? The clock starts with
order placement, says Bull, and ends with packing and prepara-
tion for shipping. In between, the team at Starline ensures
artwork prep such as preparing screens and plates or laser and
digital files is done with accuracy, as well as decorating.
Items such as vacuum tumblers, flashlights, Bluetooth
speakers, power packs and bags are common selections in the
supplier’s program, Bull says.
What you might not find in such a program—at least in
Starline’s case—are gift sets, blankets, hearing protection and
high-visibility apparel. The reason, Bull says, is that some deco-
ration methods require more production time to ensure a quality
imprint. “These include our TruColor direct digital print,
debossing and embroidery. If there are multiple colors, multi-
ple locations or personalization requested for silk screen, pad
print or laser engraving, these also require additional time.”
Though sometimes moving faster can mean less accurate
results, Bull reveals that the supplier has been able to maintain
a 99-percent accuracy rate for its three-day shipping promise.
“We have been able to negotiate with our main shipping part-
ner better delivery schedules, which allows orders shipping to
areas outside our standard zone to arrive one to two days
sooner,” he says. “This has meant that 89 percent of our orders
do ship ground, reaching their destination within four days of
leaving our facilities.”
T
EXPEDITED SHIPPING HELPS PROMOTIONAL CONSULTANTS
BRING SUCCESS TO CLIENTS QUICKLY.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Need For
Speed
60 •
PPB
• MARCH 2015
By Jen Alexander
GROW