In recent years, the popularity of online sales of heating products has increased significantly. There is a growing demand among people to find an easy means of buying firewood, fireplace, stove, and outside fire wood, without wasting time to visit the stores. Online sale of firewood will enable the businessmen to have a larger market and provide their customers with a diversification of the fuels they sell to the homes.
Nonetheless, to have a successful online firewood store, products have to be carefully chosen. Not every kind of wood is popular, and clients are concerned with the amount of heat, the burning duration, the convenience of storage and so on. In order to develop a profitable business, it is necessary to learn the distinctions between the key kinds of wood and sell the most demanded ones.
Popular types of firewood
Online firewood is available in three major categories, which are round hardwood logs, 3-hour fire logs, and softwood bark logs. They both have their peculiarities and audience.
Round Hardwood Logs
Round hardwood logs are hardwood logs that are produced using hardwood types of wood like oak or beech or hickory. These are logs that are dense implying slow and uniform burn and extended heat production.
Advantages are the following:
- long burn time;
- high heat output;
- minimal ash production;
- as befits a fireplace and stove.
The selling of round hardwood logs is particularly applicable in areas with cold winters where their customers treasure the long lasting and regular heat. These records will be packaged in 20-30kg quantities or in bigger quantities to frequent buyers.
3-hour logs of fire
Firewood specifically made in the form of logs or briquettes which offer a stable burn time of about three hours. The users who appreciate the benefits of predictable burning time and do not need to keep on adding more wood find them convenient.
There are several key advantages of 3 hour logs of fire for customers:
- burns as long as 3 hours and add no more wood;
- ease of use;
- lean burning, low soot levels;
- suited to long out of doors work.
Online shops would be the best places to use this form of wood, since the customers would value an already prepared product which would not need any extra work. These logs are easily sold in a pack of 6-12 logs and also in a larger pack to be used by a family.
Softwood bark logs
Softwood Bark logs This is a log of coniferous tree, the majority being pine, spruce, or fir, that has retained its bark. They are easy to carry and can be lit at most and are therefore best suited to spearhead fire and create heat within a short time.
Advantages:
- easy lighting;
- quick heat generation;
- fit to begin fireplaces and campfires;
- affordable price.
The logs that customers should use are the softwood bark logs because they require a short time to start a fire or use the wood in barbecues, bonfire parties and temporary heating.
Alternative Wood Options for Burning
In addition to the listed types, other good products are available in the market:
- Dense, long-burning logs;
- Burning fast, sweet smell;
- slow-burning, fitting the fireplaces;
- Mixed briquettes. Waste made of wood, which is easy to store.
They can be applied as the supplements to the primary product range to provide customers with the possibility of choosing in terms of prices, duration of burning, and fuel type.
How to choose an assortment for an online store
Arranging online sales, the following factors should be taken into consideration:
- Localised tastes of customers. Round hardwood logs are also common in the cold north areas and soft logs are popular among the customers of the southern areas as they can easily be ignited.
- Ease of use. Such products as 3-hour logs of fire are also popular among busy customers who appreciate predictability and the fact that they do not have to add firewood quite often.
- Sales seasonality. The demand is mostly in the fall and the winter months however the softwood logs and small packages can be sold in all seasons.
- Packaging and delivery. It should be able to provide a range of choices: both small packages and big containers to ordinary shoppers, considering the logistics.
This will assist you in planning your sales well and become efficient with your e-commerce project.
Technical and logistical features of sales
In the process of selling wood through the internet, the following technological needs should be kept:
- Logs need to be well dried to reduce moisture content in order to give good combustion;
- The packaging should ensure that the wood is not subjected to rain and moisture during transportation. Packages have to weigh and be of the required size to allow courier services;
- In shipping, the delivery time should be considered so that customers can have fresh and dry firewood.
Breaking such regulations can lead to returns, negative feedback, and taint to the online shop image.
Final thoughts
Internet sales of firewood is an easy and good business. When it comes to a successful store, one should make the right product range, considering the customer preferences and technical properties of the firewood. Basic products that will always be in demand are round hardwood logs, 3-hour fire logs and softwood bark logs.
Although it is possible to use eucalyptus and some other wood species, in such situations, to sell the pieces online, it is better to turn to those species that will not only provide a lot of heat but will also be easy to use and not cost too much. These pieces of advice will help an entrepreneur create a successful and lucrative online wood shop.
