Supply chains for objects like fine art, furniture and design, and oversized objects are often fragmented and painfully inefficient. Many businesses that sell and distribute unique commodities lack the resources needed to create a streamlined fulfillment process.
Overnight shipping is not always possible with every type of good. Given the robust consumer demand for buying traditional goods online, sellers have been remarkably slow to tackle fine art logistics leaving a gap in the delivery of unique and variable items.
While commerce for traditional products is buzzing, supply chains for variable, high-value items are missing one-click solutions for packing, shipping, and fulfillment.
If sellers, shippers, and carriers want to capitalize on the gap in the fulfillment of variable products, they need to consider the following adjustments in logistics operations.
How to provide the best in fine art logistics
Automated shipment tracking
Many supply chains tend to be fragmented, with various providers servicing the first-mile, mid-fulfillment, and last-mile components. Modern merchants and retail marketplaces have largely led the evolution of customer expectations. Consumers can now track packages online with a single confirmation number, and they’re unhappy when they’re not provided updated transparency.
Expert packing
Large, valuable, and unique products can require specific types of vehicles for safe transport, like air-ride or climate-controlled trucks. In some cases, these commodities must be kept at a cool temperature. Or, due to fragility, the goods must travel via truck with extra shock absorption.
End-to-end fulfillment isn’t easy to come by for sellers of unique and highly variable products. The market is ripe for a technology solution allowing companies to have centralized support from shipment quoting to customer tracking and delivery.
Specialized installation and artwork shipping companies
Non-conveyable goods often require special installation by trained technicians. This may be because they require complex assembly or are too large or heavy for consumers to unpack on their own. Trained technicians provide carriers with a competitive advantage because they’re equipped to move and assemble rare, high-value products.
Shipping and documentation
Documentation, management, and billing within specialty logistics are often inefficient. Common carriers have fully automated these, but specialized providers have been slow to follow. These traditional operating systems are not only underoptimized but can leave staff underutilized as well.
Investing in solutions for managing documents, streamlining customs documentation, automating payments, and even white labeling your shipping can provide significant returns for companies that sell and move unique objects.
Pick your niche and keep your operations agile
Servicing this growing market doesn’t mean you have to be a big operation. These commodities often require highly specialized services. Find a niche, do it well, and own it—being small and agile can be a big win in this environment.
Many art logistics vendors are in a perfect position to capitalize on the market for shipping specialized items. The key is to strike while the market is moving.
How Arta is re-imagining fine art logistics
Arta was created specifically for highly variable, high-value inventory and is the only integrated platform able to automate the entire post-purchase experience. Easy to use for smaller businesses with a handful of transactions a month, yet customizable for large enterprises with hundreds of transactions a week. Arta's coverage and extensive carrier network help you centralize processes so you can grow your business.
Reach out to learn more about how Arta can help you streamline your fine art logistics through instant quotes, automated tracking, post-sale communication, and more.
