Packers and movers service business is quite a flourishing and rapidly growing service oriented business in India. Primarily due to high demand by consumers for both local and interstate shifting and relocation needs. Can you imagine, thousands of people require local and interstate home relocation services in major cities, every month. They are looking for reliable and cost-effective packers and movers service providers, who can help them with end to end packing and shifting services? There is huge opportunity in starting and running a packers and movers service business in India, and anyone looking to start their own business with minimum initial investment can consider starting packers and movers service business. And if you are the one who is considering to start this business, then read on. As, today in this post, I am going to share all you need to know about starting and growing a packers and movers business successfully in 2019.
Long gone are the days where an individual was born and also died in the same city and same home. Nowadays, most Indians are happy to change their lifestyle and hence are open for home relocation, be it for better job opportunities, or just because they got transferred or purchased a new flat in same or another city. In fact, many of them are not just relocating within India, but also moving abroad, and they need international relocation partners for hassle free shifting and relocation.
So, taking all of these into consideration, the demand for packers and movers services in India have increased immensely. And there is a huge opportunity to start and scale packers and movers service business in India. Since this is a service based business, it does not require heavy investment. But if you can take care of your customers, there is a huge opportunity in packers and movers service business in India.
The business dynamics are good, opportunity is huge, does not require specific technical skill and the business offers good operating margin.
Therefore, if you are planning to start packers and movers service business in India and wondering about where to start and how to setup the business, then here’s the post you can’t afford to miss.
Today in this, I am going to share everything you need to know to start packers and movers service business in India with tips and tricks on how to promote and grow your business quickly and make it profitable. I will also talks about how to plan about the resources you may need, challenges you can face and tips and ideas about how to market and grow your packers and movers business with dedication and hard work.
If you are determined to make a career in the packers and movers service business and looking for tips and ideas to start and grow movers and packers business in India, then trust me, these tips are going to be of great help for you. Try implementing these tips and ideas and I am sure you will definitely succeed in the packers and movers industry as a service provider.
But before we go on and discuss about how to start packers and movers service business in India, let us learn about a few of the essential things like
Overview of packers and movers industry in India
Services offered by movers and packers companies?
Who require packers and movers services?
What is expected from a movers and packers service provider in India?
The importance of Packers and Movers Services
Since you are planning to start packers and movers service business in India, getting some basics right will help you understand whether you are the best fit to start this business in India.
So are you ready?
Let’s start the discussion by getting the basic overview of the packers and movers service industry in India.
Overview of packers and movers industry in India
The Packers and movers industry is a part of logistics and transportation industry in India. Logistics and transport industry is a broad category, but let’s stay focused about the packers and movers industry in this post.
The packers and movers are primarily involved in packing and shipping of goods and articles (primarily domestic household, office supplies etc), both locally within the city or to a different city, state or different country at times.
As the name suggests, the packers and movers service providers offers both packing and moving services to end consumers and businesses. Mostly required by domestic users to relocate their household goods and articles, but sometime they also offer commercial and industrial goods shifting services for companies and corporate.
Being a service based industry, there is hardly any barrier to start packers and movers service business in India. Anyone with a bit of experience in marketing and sound network in the industry can set up a packers and movers business and scale it quickly in India, for there is high demand for such services.
The low investment to setup the business, high demand by consumers and good operating margins makes it the perfect service oriented business to start in India. But as there is no barrier to entry in the industry, there is tough competition in movers and packers industry. In any state capital or metro city in India, you can easily find hundreds of local movers and packers companies.
According to a research firm, the logistics and transportation business is expected to grow at a CAGR of above 10% for next couple of years. As per another leading web directory, they have found surge in volume of packers and movers enquiries as much as 44% and that speaks about the potential of growth in the packers and movers industry in India.
And if you are serious about starting a packers and movers business in India, then these stats should certainly motivate you to get started.
But hold on, there is more to it.
Services offered by movers and packers companies
Broadly speaking, the packers and movers service providers offers end to end packing and shifting services which includes, disassembling and packing of household goods (e.g. furniture, home and kitchen appliances, kitchen items, bedding etc), loading, transportation with insurance, unloading, unpacking and rearranging.
Apart from domestic household shifting services, the movers and packers also offers other related services such as:
In general, the movers and packers offer complete service from packing to transporting and delivery of goods at the destination. But sometime they also offer just packing service for do-it-yourself transportation.
Who require packers and movers services?
Packers and movers services are primarily required by individual customers, corporate houses and businesses.
Individual customers who have got transferred to a new city, or when they have to move to different house (due to tenancy lease expiry or they move from a rented apartment to their own house. Based on their need, they may require local shifting services, intercity service or interstate relocation.
Some of the corporate houses help their employee in relocating and in such cases they coordinate the move for their employees.
Different types of businesses also require moving services to relocate their office within the city or to a different state.
As an aspiring movers and packers business owner, you have to be smart enough to deal with all types of customers. Even if more than 70% of the service requests are going to come from the end users, so you should be prepared to deal with all types of customers, including small and big business and corporate houses.
What is expected from the movers and packers service providers in India?
As a movers and packers service provider, you are expected to deal with various stakeholders. First and foremost being your customers, then your staff and supervisors, transporters and obviously your partners in other cities.
Since the major part of your business will be coming from the individual customers, you have to deal with their expectations. Here’s what is expected from you as a packers and movers service provider in India.
Overall quality of service: Needless to say this. As a potential movers and packers company owner, you will be offering services to the individual and corporate customers and when you are in the service business, you can’t afford to go wrong in the service quality. You are expected to offer great quality services from end to end e.g. quality of packing materials, packing, process of loading, unloading and so on, everything have to be exceptionally good.
Safety of goods: The idea of using packers and movers service is pretty simple. As a user, I want my goods to be packed and delivered timely and in safe and sound condition without any damage, theft or misplacement. This goes without saying that you have to ensure safety for an individual and corporate customers.
Punctuality: relocating to a new home is a complicated process and that’s why they hire a professional movers and packers service provider. You have to be professional in any business, but especially so in service business, where you don’t have the monopoly.
Commitment to deliver on time: Needless to say, everyone wants to get their goods within the committed delivery timeline. For end customers, it is important because they have everything with you, so they can’t start their life in the new house unless you deliver their household goods. For industrial and commercial shifting, their productivity and commitment is at stake, so you have to meet the delivery timeline.
Prompt and clear communication: No one likes hidden agendas and hence a clear cut communication can help you win customers. As a movers and packers business owner, you have to train yourself and your team to communicate everything clearly and promptly.
Value your words: This is important for any business owner, including the packers and movers business owners. You should value your commitment and words. You can’t end up quoting less for a task and then change your quote in between. Whatever you have committed, should be fulfilled to best of your abilities.
I am sure you have a clear cut understanding now about the packers and movers industry, what services do they offer, what is expected of you as a packers and movers service business owner.
Having discussed all the essential things worth knowing about the moving service business in India, let’s discuss about how to start the packers and movers service business in India and how to market it for 10X growth.
How to start packers and movers service business in India
In order to start and run a business successfully, you need to be passionate about your business, especially the product or service that you are going to offer to the potential customers. And, as far as the packers and movers service business in a country like India is concerned, you have to be specially focused on customer support, pricing and overall service quality.
Starting a business in packers and movers service industry is not a big a deal, but sustaining and scaling the business is not so easy. There’s hell lot of competition from all types of companies, big and small. But if you are passionate about helping people relocate and want to start your own packers and movers service business, then here’s the ultimate guide you may ever need to refer.
In order to setup packers and movers business, the first thing that you have to do is to form a company. No one likes to deal with an individual, so having a separate entity is a must to start and run any business. Apart from forming a company and business registration, there are many other legal formalities that have to be in place before you start operation.
I am sharing the step by step guide and procedure that should help you to start packers and movers service business in India easily.
Are you sure you want to become a packers and movers business owner?
Starting and growing a business take lots of hard work and efforts. If you want to start the business just because it appears a lucrative career option, then give it a serious thought. It takes a lot to run and grow a business. Business is not meant for anyone and everyone.
You need to have a different mindset to run and grow a business. You have to be intensively involved in your business in order to let it grow. So, for that, for a startup, you need to get yourself updated with the challenges and opportunity.
Make a simple and straight business plan. Do some researches about the packers and movers industry, find out the operating costs, and try to understand the market. Make some operational and financial projections based on your research. Since we are talking about starting the packers and movers service business, you should figure out some of these;
From where are you going to buy packing materials?
Who will be your transport partner?
What the cost of packing for average 2/3bhk of goods?
How much would be the transportation cost?
What would be the labor charges?
What’s the minimum amount that you have to charge to break even?
What are the recurring costs to run the business?
How many staff will be required initially for 6 months?
How many permanent staff will be required initially?
Try and find answer to some of these vital questions. Meet some of the business owners from the industry, take input and advise from them. Learn about their challenges, figure out if there is any scope of improvement in the existing model.
When you do some research and get answer to some of these questions, you will be able to take the final decision, whether starting a packers and movers business will work for you or now?
The idea is to get yourself very much updated regarding the whole business of packers and movers before you jump into starting a business in this field. After all, when you invest your money into something, you surely want to make profit from it and for that, proper planning and industry knowledge is important.
If you are ready and sure to start packers and movers service business, then the next step is to identify the service area and types of services you will be offering.
Choose the service areas and number of services
Since you have finally decided to start the packers and movers service business in India, it’s the right time to take a call on the service area and number of services you will offer. As you know, most of the customers are moving from a major city to another major city, so one thing is sure that you have to operate from a major city like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad etc. These are the major hubs where you can easily find customers.
Choosing right place to operate from can literally make or break your packers and movers business. Your business model must be as per your business size and your ability to invest. For that, the most important deciding factors are the service area and targeted audience. After making all these investment, if you won’t get customers to serve, then it’s going to be a huge setback. So think strategically.
From the very beginning, you have to decide which city and area will be your area of operation. Decide whether you want to do packers and movers business locally, within the state, interstate or on an international level. You also need to decide whether you will offer your audience single service or will give them multiple services. Think very practically, logically and with a business mind before coming to any conclusion as many other things actually rest on this decision.
Expert tip:
Movers and packers in India offers a number of services as discussed above, but since you starting up the business, you may like to avoid offering all those services and may be focus on the local shifting service within the city? This way, you get to know the market; you can train your team accordingly and win customers trust. As you and your team get experienced in handling customer’s requirements, you can easily introduce other services and expand your service area and network.
Investment required to start packers and movers service business in India
One of the best things about starting a service oriented business is that you don’t have to invest lots of money. Apart from the basic business setup cost, you don’t have to invest plenty of money, so finances should not be an issue.
But still you have to think of finances because there are a few basic initial business setup cost that can’t be ignored such as;
Place of business – you have to have a small office setup, need not to be in a commercial complex, but still you need a small office space. If you plan to rent out a space, then you have to think of the rental cost. Depending on location and square feet area, you can expect the monthly rental to be anywhere between INR 3000.00 per months to 10000.00 for the office space.
Basic office Setup – you have to arrange for a few of the basic things like a work desk, owners chairs, visitors chair, office stationeries, bill book, quotation book, visiting cards, voucher etc. Conservative estimates could be around INR 25000.00 to 30000.00 (one office Chair: 5K +Visitors Chairs 8K, Table 5K, Stationeries 4-6K)
Registration costs – every business requires some legal registration and costs are involved in that. You have to obtain shop and establishment license, have to get PAN card and so on. So think of these costs as well and you can easily estimate it to be under 5K, unless you want to setup as a private limited company.
Tools and equipments – Although the business of packers and movers is service based, you have to invest in tools, equipments, packing materials, packing tapes etc. The tools and equipments are going to be of great use for your team, so visit the store and order the most essential ones.
Miscellaneous expenses – Apart from the recurring costs mentioned above, if you want to start packers and movers service business, you have to recruit a staff, have to get a website, marketing and promotion, Telephone connections, broadband, computer, printer etc.
While researching, you need to get updated regarding the investments required and accordingly prepare yourself to fund the business. Make proper financial plan and chalk out the entire plan carefully because what we have discussed are the bare minimum bit. We have not considered the salary of staff, day to day operation cost etc, because you can easily estimate these costs based on number of staff you plan to hire initially, when starting the packers and movers service business.
Process and formalities of business registration
Whether you want sell a product or you want to sell services, depending on the nature of business, you have to register a business as an entity. Needless to say, if you want to start packers and movers service business in India, you have to do a few registrations.
Listed below are a few of the basic registration that have to be done, in order to start packers and movers service business in India;
Company formation: You can register your business entity as a partnership, proprietorship, Limited Liability Company or a private limited company. You can even consider one man company as well. You may like to refer the website of Ministry of Corporate Affairs – Government of India to know about various forms of company registration.
Normal partnership and proprietorship firm can be registered easily. But if you opt for other form of company then you have to obtain DIN (Directors Identification Number, have to obtain DSC (Digital Signature certificate) and fill up the forms with all KYC.
Just make sure to name your company wisely, and don’t forget to check the availability of a .com domain name. A Good name is easy to pronounce and remember, short and sweet, keep that in mind.
Shop and establishment license: the shop and establishment license which is granted by the respective municipality is a must to operate any business in India. Even before you apply for the bank account, you have to get the trade license from the municipality office. The process is quite simple and it can be obtained within a couple of week. You have to fill up the forms and submit respective KYC documents to the municipal office. They will do a survey of the premises or the place of business, fix the tax and issue the license. Some of the municipalities accept online application as well, so you can check the website of your municipality and act accordingly.
PAN card: Once the basic registration of your packers and movers service firm is in place, you can apply for a Permanent Account Number or PAN. PAN car is essential and irrespective of the type of company you are registering, you have to obtain a PAN to file income tax.
Current account-Having a current account is essential because you customer may like to pay you through cheque and no one would issue a check on your name. They would prefer to make payment in the name of your company and for that you got to have a current account. Opening a current account for your business is not a big deal today, you can contact any private or government back and they will assist you in opening the current account. I personally prefer to open the account in a private bank for ease of receiving payments. But you have an account in any bank of your choice.
Goods and Service Tax – GST registration is also required to start packers and movers service business. GSTIN can be obtained from the GST portal. GST registration becomes necessary after a certain turn over, so you can apply for the GSTIN.
Setup a website and social presence – We are living in a digital economy today. Not having a website and presence on major social network as in facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and instagram may not be the best idea for your business. No one likes to try the newbie, especially those who don’t even have a website in today’s time. So get a nice and functional website in place. Create profile on various social platforms you and start promoting your business softly.
Branding – Since you want to start packers and movers service business in India, let me tell you that perception of a brand can be of great help. Hire a good design consultant to design your logo, brochure etc and get some custom made T-shirts ordered for your team member. It may sound like a costly affair, but trust me it’s not and it will help you win customers too. Imagine when you visit a customer for the first time, your competitors coming in normal dress and you meeting them wearing a nice T-shirt and cap with your brand name on it? It will help you, trust me on this. But you can easily skip this step for initial days if there are budget constraints, after all people works with people.
Trade mark – Although not necessary in the beginning, you can opt for trade mark registration to protect your brand. Every business start small and then they grow with hard work. Protecting your brand name should be in your mind.
Staffing and training for movers business
In order to start and grow a professional packers and movers service business in India, you got to have very professional and strong core team. In other words, the stronger and efficient your core team is, the more prosperous will be your business and hence you have to be very careful in choosing and training your core team. You can also hire some already experienced and professionally skilled employees and train the other employees well.
While I say that employee training is important, I literally mean each and every word of it. Training does not mean that the workers have to only do the packing and moving work efficiently and on time. I mean that technical skills are really very important but they must also be very well behaved, well mannered, and friendly and must try to value the emotions of the customers.
For example, you may come across aged customers’ relocating from one home to another. It is very obvious that they will have quite alot memories attached to their old place. There will be many things that will be too much close to them. So, in that circumstance, your team must understand the sentimental value and accordingly give due respect to those items.
Behavior is very important and besides performing the task efficiently, your team and you must be good in these skills as well in order to win the hearts of your customers. Satisfy your clients in a way that they refer your company name to other customers as well. This is actually one of the few basic keys that will help you to grow your packers and movers service business and make a good reputation in this field.
So don’t hesitate to even hire external trainer who can train your core team and make them believe in the core values of your company. They should know the importance of transparency, prompt communication and eagerness to help the customers who hire your firm for relocation.
Thoughtful pricing for movers packers service business
As I said, the packers and movers service business in India very competitive and so are the consumers. A normal customer usually speaks to at least two tree different companies before they hire a movers and packers company. They like to check prices, process, delivery time, promptness etc and of these, rates and charges of movers and packers can be the most influential parameters for them to choose a service provider.
So thoughtful pricing strategy is important, I am not saying to charge less, but don’t overcharge either. The pricing have to be based on the operational cost plus some operating margin. Competitive pricing structure is important and you must know how to get it right. Remember that you have to offer your clients with customized solutions, so price your services in such a way that you don’t have to compromise with the quality and still be able to make some profit.
In the business of packers and movers, pricing depends on various aspects like the distance, hours, number of items, weight, floor, distance to parking etc. Therefore, while you are calculating the prices, consider your expenses that you have to cover before you can make a profit from it.
The expenses mainly include employee wages, packing materials, insurance expenses, transportation cost, toll fees etc. Do consider all these before you make a pricing structure. And never keep hidden fees, the best strategy on pricing is to justify the cost in such a way that your potential customer can believe and trust you.
Time to promote and start operation
The operational part is very important in order to get success in business and hence, before you accept any work of your customers, you have to very sure that you, your team and your entire company is well prepared to start the operation. Just cross check everything, do some mock client calls, check your teammates and if everything is in place, you are good to get in operation mode.
In order to start and grow the packers and movers business in India, you have to do proper marketing and promotion of your business.
In recent times, most of the customers search for the movers and packers service providers online and so you must have a user-friendly company website so that it attracts maximum customers.
Make sure the online website contains all the basic details of the company, services, areas you serve and the contact information. Contacting your team for quotes or with a query should be simple enough. Consider adding the facility for the customers to request for online quotation, free pre move survey etc. If possible, you should have an online live chat support system so that a potential customer can talk to your team in real-time.
Your business must be available on the online directories. Look for the various advertising platforms that are free of cost. You must also go for some of the famous paid advertisements as well like google. Try to create a good brand logo for your company. The vehicles can be used for branding too.
In case you have noticed that most branded and reputed company prefers having a company uniform as it helps create a positive impression on potential customers. So, try to keep in mind all these little things as these marketing strategies actually will help you grow packers and movers service business in India or anywhere for that matter.
How to market and grow packers and movers service business in India?
Sorting out inventory, procuring packing materials and packing every household goods is not a simple task by any standard. And that’s why we turn up to a movers and packers, who are professionally trained and experiencing in packing and relocating all types of household, industrial and commercial goods.
As a movers and packers business owner, you have a very crucial and important role in relocating your customers. And if you are to start packers and movers service business in India, just make sure that you meet the expectation of the customers.
In order to start and grow the packers and movers business in India, you have to do proper marketing and promotion of your business.
In recent times, most of the customers search for the movers and packers service providers online and so you must have a user-friendly company website so that it attracts maximum customers.
Make sure the online website contains all the basic details of the company, services, areas you serve and the contact information. Contacting your team for quotes or with a query should be simple enough. Consider adding the facility for the customers to request for online quotation, free pre move survey etc. If possible, you should have an online live chat support system so that a potential customer can talk to your team in real-time.
Your business must be available on the online directories. Look for the various advertising platforms that are free of cost. You must also go for some of the famous paid advertisements as well like google. Try to create a good brand logo for your company. The vehicles can be used for branding too.
In case you have noticed that most branded and reputed company prefers having a company uniform as it helps create a positive impression on potential customers. So, try to keep in mind all these little things as these marketing strategies actually will help you grow packers and movers service business in India or anywhere for that matter.
Have a great team in place, train them properly about how to behave, how to communicate, how to pack, handle and transport goods safely on time. When you have a team who is committed to deliver hassle free relocation experience, you will win. Be righteous and have the genuine intention of helping your customers and you will automatically succeed.
Implement the important business strategies and wait patiently for people to notice your hard work. Once you win the good will of certain section of people, the name of your company will slowly spread all across India. Have that hope and implement my essential tips to start and grow packers and movers business in India.
You may also like to check this video to learn how to get quality business leads for moving services.
Over to you: are you ready to start the movers and packers business?
As you already know that packers and movers service business is growing rapidly today because people have become sophisticated, and they don’t want to take chances with the safety of their goods while relocating. They have adapted themselves to this kind of flexibility and hence are ready to change their place of living for their betterment and for other reasons. Since, most of them find it hard to carry the whole packing and moving procedure on their own, they prefer hiring packers and movers service providers for all types of relocation needs.
There is huge potential in the packers and movers service business in India, as we grow, the smart city projects start taking shapes, the requirements for efficient and cost-effective packers and movers companies is going to increase rapidly. There is plenty of work for those who are willing to go that extra mile and help their customers relocate conveniently.
If you are passionate about starting your own service business, then starting packers and movers service business can be the best choice. But as you know, there is big opportunity in this sector; there is lots of competition as well this field.
I have already discussed about everything you need to know about starting the packers ad movers service business in India. I am sure you are a well informed person now, and if you are planning to start the packers and movers service business in India, then these tips can come handy for you.
And, last but not the least; don’t forget that hard work and patience are the keys to success in any business including the packers and movers service business.
So go out there, setup the business, continue with your good work with determination and have that patience to scale your business to new heights.
Have you started and grown a packers and movers service business in India? Would you like to share about your experience in setting up and running the business?
What else do you think one should when starting the business in packers and movers industry and what is required to promote and grow the business? Feel free to share your tips and ideas by commenting below.
And finally, I have tried my best to explain everything in detail, but still if you have any question, feel free to talk to us. You can call us on our helpline number 07044123404 and talk to an expert.
I wish you all the best and hope that you fulfill all your dreams.
Long gone are the days where an individual was born and also died in the same city and same home. Nowadays, most Indians are happy to change their lifestyle and hence are open for home relocation, be it for better job opportunities, or just because they got transferred or purchased a new flat in same or another city. In fact, many of them are not just relocating within India, but also moving abroad, and they need international relocation partners for hassle free shifting and relocation.
