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Use Couriers To Save Money On Your Holidays!

01/06/2022

Whether you’re jetting off to Spain, Germany or Greece, Booking your flights for your summer holidays is always exciting. You probably have plenty of trip ideas in Europe, and many other countries you want to explore. However, when you busy thinking of being of the beach, you may miss out on methods to stop you spending too much money on these trips. We have written this blog to tell you how you can use Couriers To Save Money On Your Holidays!

Pack the Essentials

If you plan ahead and bring all the items you need, you will save money on expensive travel items at the destination. A lot of prices are higher in holiday destinations as they prey on unprepared tourists. While it is a good idea to travel light, you should always bring the essentials with you in your luggage. This will mean you don’t need to go through shops and you can relax and enjoy your holidays.

Travel as light as possible!

While we do advise you to pack everything you need, travelling with heavy bags can be stressful and tiring, this is where ParcelDirect come in! You can ship your luggage in advance and sit back knowing that your luggage will be delivered to you on holidays! This way you only need to travel with what you need for the first day and the rest will arrive when you are settled in.

This also is often cheaper than airline fees for undercarriage. You can pack all the sun cream you need and avoid the limits on liquids at airport security, however, we would advise wrapping the liquids separately just in case there is some leakage in transit. If you plan to do some sporting activities, you can also ship this so you do not need to rent and you can play at your best with your own equipment!

Getting back home!

After you have bathed in the sun and gotten that summer tan, you will need to think about getting your luggage back home! The holiday blues are probably kicking in now and the thought of going back to work is very present, we want to help as much as we can! You can also use couriers to ship your luggage back home and ParcelDirect can collect from loads of holiday destinations, you probably aren’t to fussed about shipping speeds when getting the items home so you can save even more money by using an economy courier for this shipment, leave your luggage at the hotel reception and we will do the rest!

Use ParcelDirect to send your luggage to your hotel or holiday home.

Use our website to get an instant quote, we offer various different couriers for shipping to and from Ireland, to destinations all over the world. You can make a booking to send your luggage and we can also collect your luggage to send it back home at the end of your holiday, a lot of hotel receptions are happy to hold your bags at reception for the couriers. If you are travelling outside of Europe, you will need to consider customs in the country you are traveling to so we always advise to do a little research for these shipments, you can also call our customer support for some advice! Use the below link to get a quote now!

Use Couriers To Save Money On Your Holidays!

New Year, New Move? – Relocation to The UK

02/02/2022

Handy Tips For Moving To The UK

It may be a full year since the departure of the UK from EU, but our team are still aware of lots of issues from shipping our customer’s personal effects between Ireland and the UK.

As you may be aware, there are a number of factors and processes in place by both Customs organisations.  This still leads to confusion and communication issues between Customs departments on both sides.

Some of the issues people still face are:

Transfer of Residence Form (or ToR)

This is a very important piece of information to have for customs clearance. It will mean you can avoid paying high import duties and vat on your personal effects.

Processing delays (due to backlog of shipments)

Please give yourself plenty of time when shipping your personal effects to the UK. There can be long delays in processing and clearing shipments.

A handy tip would be to have a secure location to send your non-essential items to well in advance of your arrival, even if it is not your final address.

You can then take a suitcase or two with you, knowing the rest of your stuff has cleared customs and arrived safely

Duties & Tax Charges

We have had lots of people informing us they have been hit with Taxes & duties on delivery of their personal effects. This is an unfortunate consequence of Brexit. If these are levied incorrectly, you can discuss and appeal this with HMRC. This is why the ToR is very important to avoid these fees on personal effects.

Inconsistent Information

It can be frustrating dealing with busy customs offices and officers, and often receiving inconsistent and conflicting information. This can be time consuming, so would advise you record and note all your conversations to avoid as much of this as possible.

Our advice would always be to make sure you have all your information in place and include it with your shipment.

Need any advice?

Just call us or email us at support@parceldirect.ie and we can help with any questions you might have

November 27 – Small Business Saturday. How to support local businesses.

27/11/2021

Today, November 27 is “Small Business Saturday”. Appreciating this community during tough times is very important. Little initiatives can go far in the recovery of small businesses. So if you want to help your friends’ or familys’ small businesses thrive, follow our tips below.  

Consider shopping small before going to big chains.

Consider your smaller grocery stores before going to the big chains. Smaller grocery shops usually offer fresher products from small local suppliers. They also generate more jobs in your community. So remember: whether it is a corner store, an online boutique, always try and support local and small first. – On that note, remember to order takeout or delivery. It is an incredible way to keep local cafes and restaurants in business. Plus, it generates delivery opportunities as well for the people in the community. More job opportunity means a better and safer community. 

Engage with small businesses’ content on social. 

A like or comment goes a long way for small businesses. We spend a lot of time on social media nowadays, so engaging with local small businesses is an effortless fun activity. After all, they are the ones spreading all that interesting information that we love seeing, so give them your support back. 

Visit their websites/blogs to keep traffic up.

One of the easiest ways to support small shops right now is to visit their websites. Small businesses usually have a blog section on their websites, where they share information and knowledge. By visiting their blogs at least once a week you are helping increase their traffic which means their website will be more easily found on searching tools. 

Shop art from local artists.

We are always trying to make our house feel homier. What better way than adding beautiful artwork? Instead of buying a copy of that famous artist painting why not buy an original from a local artist? Purchasing handmade ceramics, home goods, and other things like this from local artists are great ways to support. – And let’s be real, there is nothing cooler than having something exclusive to show your friends and family when they come over. 😉

Share the social love.

Is there a small business that posts interesting things you like to read? Share them on your social media. Let others in the community know. Spreading the word on social is a great way to keep word of mouth going for small businesses. 

Buy a gift card

If you ever feel confused about what to buy when presenting someone on a special occasion, gift cards are a great solution. Offering your friends or family the opportunity of having an exclusive gift made with care by a local shop/ artist is a great opportunity to show how much you care about them and their happiness. 

Send gifts from local shops abroad.

Local shops represent the local lifestyle and taste. So if you are going to send gifts abroad and want them to represent you the best possible way, there is not a better choice than a souvenir from a local shop/artist. And if you want the cheapest price on your shipping, visit www.parceldirect.ie

How To Decrease your Ecommerce Cart Abandonment Rate ?

18/11/2021

Avoiding Shopping cart abandonment means a better conversion rate to your e-commerce. So, to make sure your customers are not going to leave before finishing their purchase, we have prepared a few guidelines you can follow. 

  • Be transparent about all costs.

Give your customers all costs upfront, including any shipping costs, taxes applied, and any other fees they should expect. It will reduce the likelihood that you’ll catch shoppers off guard with an unexpected price increase.

  • Include progress indicators on the checkout page.

A progress indicator helps users understand where they are in the checkout and how much further they have to go. 

A near-completed progress bar can also serve as a visual reinforcement for shoppers to continue with their purchases. Shoppers might be even more motivated to complete their shopping if they’ve seen how much they’ve already invested in your checkout. 

  • Include thumbnails of products throughout the checkout process. 

Including thumbnails of products throughout the checkout process can be a way to reassure customers of their current purchase. 

During an in-person purchase, customers can see and feel the item they are buying — something they can’t do during an online purchase. Product thumbnails will keep these products top of mind during the entire checkout process. 

  • Make navigation between cart and store effortless. 

Customers want to quickly add items to their shopping cart and get back to browsing. The more work you force your customers to do, the less likely they will buy the products in their shopping carts. 

Make it effortless for your customers to drop items into their cart and quickly return to checkout when they’re ready to buy. Another good idea is to make it possible for shoppers to checkout directly from the product page to minimize the number of clicks and page views necessary to complete a transaction.

  • Optimize page load speeds. 

The last thing you want is for a customer to question if their order went through successfully. Having a fast-loading page can satisfy your shoppers’ demand for a speedy checkout experience. Not only will your customers be happier, but they’ll also be more inclined to buy additional products from your website because they wouldn’t have to wait as long. 

When buying online, customers always want to make sure their items are going to arrive in a fast and secure way and with fair prices. Making sure they know that you have an efficient shipping service at your shop, will only re-ensure their trust in your business. – Parcel Direct is the cheapest delivery company in Ireland, we work hard every day to make sure you don’t have to worry about your customer’s deliveries.

Do not forget to create a solid refund and return policy. Return policies are essential for e-commerce since shoppers don’t have the luxury of trying on items or seeing a product in person. Offering customers a good return policy gives shoppers peace of mind when they purchase items from your store. 

Visit www.parceldirect.ie for more tips