Business News

Fri May 17

Essential Tips for Successfully Shipping Products to Indonesia

Written by Toby Edwards

As an Australian business owner who has their sights set on expanding operations this year, it makes sense to look into the potential for tapping into the Indonesian market. With a vibrant economy, savvy shoppers, and a relatively untapped market, there is a good chance that extending your sales to Indonesia could be the boost that your company needs.

To help you do it right, read on for the essential tips for successfully shipping products to Indonesia.

1. Research practical matters

As Indonesia is an island archipelago, in order to deliver products across the country, your goods will need to travel by ocean or air freight passage. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you take your time researching the current air and ocean shipping routes so that you know your options.

It is certainly possible to obtain freight forwarding services to Indonesia from almost every area of the world; but, currently, the busiest ocean routes come from other Asian countries, mainly China.

Furthermore, don't overlook the importance of becoming acquainted with some of the shipping and customs criteria for Indonesian imports. By knowing and understanding the requirements from the get-go, you can save yourself from wasting precious time and energy later on in the process.

For example, before being allowed to export goods to Indonesia, you must be enrolled as an importer and have an NIK or customs identification number. Also, you must have an API that functions as a license to import. This is essential for exporting to Indonesia.

2. Ensure that your products aren't restricted.

Along with the complicated registration and licensing procedures, the government of Indonesia also has a substantial number of restrictions and regulations on imports such as electronic products, cosmetics, food products, textiles, toys, and household appliances.

For some business owners, learning about these restrictions can be shocking and disheartening, particularly if they aren't used to this level of limitation. However, the reality is that if you can overcome the restrictions and learn to sail through the intricacies of Indonesian imports and exports, then you are in an excellent position to enjoy a market in which competitors are fewer than elsewhere.

3. Provide your customers with an enjoyable experience.

Keep in mind that Indonesia is undoubtedly an emerging e-commerce market with plenty of room for growth, which means that now is a fantastic time to start shipping to Indonesia as their volume of imports is going to continue increasing considerably over time.

For this reason, if you choose to start expanding your business to the Indonesian market, you want to be building an excellent brand reputation from day one. This means having efficient shipping processes and backup plans that work for both your business and your customers.

Moreover, to provide your customers with an enjoyable experience and to manage their expectations, you need to be transparent with them concerning the costs, delivery options, insurance, and your delivery and returns policies so that you don't ruin your brand image before you get started with your global expansion.

4. Work with professionals.

As customs in Indonesia can get complicated, it is highly suggested that you opt to work with a knowledgeable freight forwarder in Australia that can deal with customs on your behalf. If you are committed to providing your customers with the best shopping experience possible, then you want to be utilising the support of those who are already familiar with export and import logistics in Indonesia.

Armed with their professional knowledge, you are a lot less likely to have issues arise and, if they do, you can be assured that they will know how to resolve them quickly.

Have you ever considered starting to ship your products to Indonesia? How about elsewhere in the world? If so, what are your primary concerns about expanding in this way? Do you foresee any challenges with which you will need to deal with?

Let us know your thoughts and any questions you may have in the comments below!

AUTHOR BIO

Toby Edwards is the CEO of Shipa Freight and is based in Dubai. Shipa Freight is a new online platform powered by Agility that makes it easy to get air and ocean freight quotes, book, pay and track shipments online. Shipa Freight empowers small and medium-size businesses, taking the complexity out of International Freight Forwarding, making it easy to manage legal, regulatory and compliance issues, and offering convenient ways to pay to move their goods.

Thu May 16

Awesome Design Ideas for Small Home Offices

Written by Diana Smith

Have you been feeling down lately or as if you’re stuck in a rut? Perhaps every day looks the same and you’re having a bit of a Groundhog Day period in life. This doesn’t mean you need to turn your whole life around, but you probably do need some kind of change. Some people change their hair, go on vacation or start a new hobby while others redecorate. If you’re more attracted to the latter suggestion, you’re at the right place. How about changing the interior of your home office or creating one? It has probably been a while since you’ve done it, if you’ve ever even done it. You’ll soon realize this is exactly what you need and we’re here to pitch in with a few ideas.

Office zone

Some people find it difficult to separate their work and personal life. This is why it’s important to have a designated area where you work as opposed to the place where you relax. Naturally, not all of us have a separate room for our home office. Although it would be ideal, we can’t always make those arrangements. However, what we can do is create an office zone anywhere in the house and try to utilize the space the best way possible. Regardless of how small a space it may be, it’s important for us to have a physically isolated place for working which will make us more productive.

Storage units

Considering the fact that you may not have an isolated office, it would be wise to find a way to hide your creative chaos. Some things are simply not aesthetically pleasing, but you still need to keep them. This is why you need as many storage units you can get, and a way to achieve this without taking up too much space is by putting up a bunch of wall shelves and using folders, dividers and similar handy stuff. You can find a great selection of these on winc.com.au. Shelves are a great touch when it comes to design since you can paint them and shape them anyway you like. Not to mention how useful they are. Put some mementos or anything nice or cute in a visible spot and the rest can go into storage boxes on the shelves. They look both stylish and tidy.

Hideaway

On the other hand, if you’re an extremely messy type or you’re very short on space in your home, you can use some atypical ideas for creating your office zone. It can be an old closet remodeled as an office. You can have one of those tables that fold and a chair you pull out of the closet. If you don’t have an extra closet, try to use the space under the stairs and feel a Harry Potter vibe. Anything goes, you just need to liberate your creative self and find the right spot. It can also be a mobile office just under a window in your living room. You can have a fold-down table under the window and a plant covering it when it’s not being used.

Gadgets

While we’re on the subject of practicality and small home offices, this is a great chance to use all those multifunctional gadgets you always wanted, but never really had a good reason to get them. Now is your chance to justify your enthusiasm for these silly little things. So, go ahead and get those desk organizers with a bunch of handy compartments or a USB coffee warmer that will keep your coffee hot while you brainstorm on an important task. Adding a Happy Day Calendar, a few funny posters and some boxes marked Crap and More Crap will definitely give your home office a joyous note.

Once you set your office space up, you’ll be free to organize and decorate it any way you like. So, go ahead and make it a place you’ll enjoy spending time in, as well as be able to actually work in. Any style adjustments are allowed as long as they keep the functionality of the place, since we all know that is its primary purpose. After you’re done designing your home office, everyone will just love the idea and you may even become a trendsetter for your friends and family.