#pos handling

[selbyuk]

Have You Heard the One About..

The Edinburgh Fringe festival is in full flight. 

A whole host of acts and exhibitions across the arts from names both internationally renowned and newcomers alike.  Imagine being a “start-up” in that environment!  Terrifying.

However, we all have to start somewhere and it’s always better to be surrounded by people who have honed their craft and are there to offer advice.

When it comes to Handling and Fulfilment we have a vast knowledge and years of experience.

That’s what we pride ourselves on.  As one of our regular clients you would soon discover that one of the team is at the end of the phone to offer clarity, advice or a sense check on your activity. We don’t even have to be working on a promotion with you at the time.  We are in words of a large grocery outlet – “Happy to help”.  It’s not a cliché, we really are, and if you have a sense of humour then we’re even happier.

From POS distribution, Customer Service Handling, Loyalty Schemes, On Pack, Product Sourcing, Direct Mail, Warehousing to name a few, we can help.

Anyway, back to the Fringe…………

“I’m not a fan of the new pound coin ………but then again, I hate all change”!  Ken Cheng 2017

Here’s the list of groaners!

If you would like a fulfilment supplier with a sense of humour and who can “handle” themselves, then just get in touch.

[selbyuk]

The rise (and fall) of the On-Pack Offer

2016 has seen a marked increase in the number of On-Pack offers coming through our doors.  There’s been Try Me Free’s, Money Back Guarantees and Rewards aplenty this year… and more lined up for later!

During a trip to the supermarket these days, it’s easy to see why they’re still very much alive and kicking in our industry.  Let’s face it, you’re hard-pushed to walk down an aisle that doesn’t contain an offer, whether it’s a household cleaner or the old faithful, cereal!  How things have changed over the years, though - wasn’t it in the 90’s that a certain cigarette brand offered a collector scheme? This month has seen announcements that the branding itself can’t legally appear on packets to DETER buyers – a complete flip side of the coin in just 20 years, promoting health warnings rather than the product itself!

Whatever product takes your fancy in those supermarket aisles, chances are whether you buy it or not, you’ll somehow get drawn to that huge POS display which screams OFFER all over it.  Different ways and means of giving something away are practised these days with some premiums, particularly glassware, appearing in displays in store.  Of course, in addition to this there’s the tried and tested method of sending proof of purchase via mail to redeem a product and the web route where this is not as important.

Do you have an On-Pack Offer in mind?  Whether you just need to get the goods there or need somewhere for the applications to go (or both!), the team here at Selby can take care of it for you.  Armed with a directory of well-established and most-importantly, well-trusted contacts in various fields across the Handling and Fulfilment sector of the industry, we’re certainly not shy when it comes to handling offers for our clients.

If you simply just wish to get your communication in store in one piece, we're experts in this – we'' be happy to offer you our advice on aspects such as the best packaging to use too. Just pick up the phone and call us on 0161 339 5132 and we’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse!

Whilst we can of course, get POS materials there in one piece, what happens to display materials once they reach a store is determined usually by, well, the store themselves….. Ooops, this one didn’t go to plan!

[selbyuk]

2015 was one hell of a year…

The New Year has well and truly started – it’d unbelievable that we’re into the second week already. Sometimes it seems like Christmas has gone by in a blur. We had a great year here in 2015 and (forgive the cliché) we really couldn’t have done it without you!

Without sounding too philosophical, it’s always good to reflect.  Looking back can work in different ways, you can either improve on what you’ve done by looking at things in a different way or grow stronger at it, by expanding ideas – here at Selby’s we like to do both.  On the flip side of the coin, forward thinking has proved to be beneficial for a recent On-Pack Offer for a new client, leading to further opportunities in 2016.

It’s hard to pigeon-hole 2015 and say we were busy doing just one job in particular because this was the year when many of our services were used to their full potential.  It’s certainly been a fun year working with lots of major Blue Chip brands who brought out the child in us with their online competitions and offers, which saw us working with Dinosaurs and Robots, no less!  This proved one thing - the demand for premiums certainly hasn’t diminished which is great news for handling houses like us.

2016 doesn’t look like things will slow down (but we like to keep busy), with an expansion on a huge project we’re handling and the potential for another mammoth POS handling job (fingers-crossed!)

Despite being busy, there’s always room for more – whether your activity is on the large or small side, it will still be treated with the same care and attention as any other.  Please don’t hesitate to give us a shout on the usual number, 0161 339 5132 with any fulfilment requirements you require an extra set of hands with.

In the meantime, everything has a flip side, with the year starting off not so great with the devastating blow that was the loss of one of music’s most influential geniuses, the incomparable David Bowie.  Not only a talented performer and producer, his presence lives on in the music of many of the greats including The Artic Monkeys, The Smiths and The Killers (and this really is to name just a few).

Mr Bowie, we salute you.

[selbyuk]

Back to Black

Once again we find ourselves on Black Friday Eve – is it though?  Of course, most sales started at the beginning of the week, so are we looking at Black Friday week?  Whatever the case, weeks like this are a dream for retailers with a peak in tills ringing prior to the festive period!

This year has proven to be a bit of a shocker with one of the major players, American-owned Asda, backing out.  One of the first retailers to introduce the concept of Black Friday to the UK, Asda have been quoted to say they felt “fatigue” had set in around the event.  Rather than have their stores trashed (sensible) they instead announced there would be £26 million in savings during the festive period. Not surprising considering fights broke out – hang on a minute!  Aren’t us Brits connoisseurs of queuing?!

Joining in the (ahem…) fun, Argos have announced there will be deals every Friday until Christmas, but will still reserve the best ones for Black Friday.  Other major retailers Amazon, eBay and Currys/ PC World have pledged to continue theirs in the traditional American way.

This huge sales event looks set to stay here in the UK which is great news for all involved with Promotional Marketing.  Finding the right price, quality and service for any POS activity, not just that on Black Friday, we know, can be a nightmare – look no further!

Offering competitive courier/postage rates, warehousing and an EXPERIENCED team, Selby’s can ease the headaches caused by co-ordinating and distributing your message.  Simply put, staff turnaround here is second to none – you can be assured that your POS Kit is being packed by someone who’s done it before and distributed via a courier who knows how we like things to be done – proper!  With established long-standing relationships with suppliers too, we can offer competitive packaging solutions to get everything there safely.

What we can’t guarantee is that once the POS goes up, it stays up.  After all, judging from last year’s palaver there’s every chance it may be torn back down again – the things folk will do for a bargain, eh? Stay safe folks!!

[selbyuk]

Everybody loves a bargain, right? Hell, yeah!

… And there will be plenty of those on Friday this week.  Why?  It’s Black Friday, of course!  Black what??!!  We hear (some of) you cry.   Well, to be honest, for years in good old Blighty the Friday of the fourth week in November each year could have been like any other however all this changed in 2010 when online retail giants, Amazon launched their “Black Friday” sale in the UK.  To cut a long story short, Black Friday is the American version of Boxing Day (following on from the Thanksgiving celebrations on Thursday).

With the mild Autumn we’ve had so far, this year is expected to be the biggest yet.  We do things differently here though with Amazon sales starting on Monday this week.  Mustn’t complain.  WE LOVE GRABBING OURSELVES A BARGAIN!

Of course, Black Friday isn’t the only day of the year for sales!  Traditionally, or at least when most of us were little, the “sales” were usually on Boxing Day and in January.  Nowadays there’s always an excuse for a sale throughout most of the year.  Speaking of which, Team Selby can easily accommodate and arrange the pick, pack and despatch of all your POS requirements for when those sales are due.  With discounts available on packaging materials and despatch costs, we don’t need any excuse for a sale here – we offer it as standard!

We’ve seen it all over the years, handling items such as posters, flyers, shelf talkers, wobblers, POS units and dump bins.  With such an extensive back catalogue of fulfilment, we’re sure whatever you have lined up, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.  Give us a call on 0161 339 5132 to discuss your requirements.

As good as sales can be and as happy as we are to grab a bargain, sometimes they bring out the devil in us all, so if you’re venturing out this Friday, be careful out there…

[selbyuk]

Who the ***k is Alice?

Love it or hate it, Halloween (or All Hallow’s Eve) is here this week.  Traditionally marking the end of Harvest and a time for preparation for the coming Winter, the tradition of Halloween is widely believed to be derived from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (Gaelic – meaning “the end of Summer”) – and of course, some believe not!  However you look at Halloween, this freaky time of year provides spooks aplenty.  You don’t need Halloween for all that though!  Believe us, we get spooked here all year round at Selby Marketing!

Why?  Built in 1850, our premises have a lot of history behind them!  Affectionately known as “Alice”, our resident ghoul has been known to whisper in the in ears of unsuspecting staff and at times, late night workers have been called by their names.  There is the occasional object thrown at bemused staff in our fulfilment area and the latest incident experienced was “shuffling of feet” outside of Julie Selby’s office when she was the only person in the building – she left for home straight after vowing never to stay back late on her own again!

Despite these spooky shenanigans, for the most part, Alice just leaves us to get on with things.  Guess she likes having us around so tries not to do anything too frightening!  She spends most of her time in the lower level of the building in our Warehouse anyway, which makes the office staff happy!

Don’t be put off!  Staff here happily get on with their Direct Mail, POS Distribution, Order Processing and everything else without so much of a hiccup… the occasional scream or obscenity, if surprised, but that’s about it – in fact, the adrenaline buzz makes them work faster if anything!!

Give us a freakin’ call on 0161 339 5132 to help with anything Handling & Fulfilment.  Promise we’ll be frighteningly good!

[selbyuk]

Geek or Unique?

This year’s Apple Conference didn’t disappoint, giving exciting news for Gadget Junkies and Geeks worldwide.  The eagerly anticipated (well, it was bound to happen anyway with all those rumours), highly speculated Apple Watch was unveiled to the World and a rather gleeful crowd!  Our geeks here, were in a spin, that’s for sure and news of this hot gadget was the topic of conversation the morning after.  Let’s not forget that the new iPhone 6 was also unveiled albeit this was somewhat over-shadowed by the new gadget on the block.

“And? What of it…?” would be the cry of those of you out there who might get out a bit more.  Well, it’s quite big news actually and especially marks the start of some prolific changes in the Marketing industry.  This is BIG news for the consumer too though – not least because the little gadget they’re wearing collects information about them.  In addition to this, there’s the connection to the iBeacon network which is designed to push out marketing messages to the wearer based on them being in the right place at the right time… or wrong time depending on your personal privacy policy.  Scary stuff if you’re a wearer… or if your occupation is Street Canvasser!

In such a digital age is there a future for Direct Mail and for that matter, activities such as On Pack Offers and POS?  Of course there is.  The Promotional Marketing arena is huge and new technology such as this should be embraced and seen as an opportunity rather than a threat.  In addition to this, the High Street just might have the boost it needs and the consumer might get their bargain of the day.  Win, win, win situation, perhaps?

Don’t panic!  There’s room for everybody.  As well as new opportunities for promotional fulfilment companies, the fact remains that not everything can be automated and consumers still seem to quite like participating in one scheme or another.  Our verdict?  Geek AND Unique!

There’s a secret one in all of us but here’s a question – ever considered yourself a Geek or are you actually a Nerd?  The below might help you decide which… 

[selbyuk]

Growing and fighting strong

2014 has seen the marked growth in the economy we've been promised for some years now following what has been a long, ruthless recession which has taken many big players in its path.

As an SME there's been a lot to lose and the emphasis of "getting it right" has never been as strong. Put it this way, get it wrong and there will always be another Handling House waiting in the wings ready to swoop in! Competition is fierce to say the least.

Getting it right is the reason we're still here. It's not been easy and we've had to make some tough decisions however we've got a strong team here which always helps!

Speaking of growth, the week ahead certainly looks to be a busy one. An On-Pack offer started last week for a drinks manufacturer for which we'll be sure to receive some children's drawings - can't wait. In addition to this, we'll be working our POS Distribution skills on another job whilst assembling 10,000 Goody Bags branded for a high-profile fashion retailer.

Meanwhile, a sporting competition we've been handling for many years now, is in full swing in anticipation of the closing date at the end of this month. The finalists will get an all-expenses paid trip to an exclusive resort in Portugal to battle it out for first place amongst other generous prizes - really exciting!

It goes without saying, we're going to be chasing our tails this week, but hey, we wouldn't have it any other way. As we live, breathe and love all things Promotional Fulfilment, despite how busy we may be, we'll always be happy to find room to accommodate those last minute requests.

Keep us chasing our tails by calling 0161 339 5132. We promise we're much better at it than this little fella!