It has never been said that logistics is easy. There are challenges and decisions to be made every day. Do you bring in new products? Hire help? How can you improve your ecommerce shipping? There are constant decisions to be made.
To set your brand up for success, let’s look at some steps any brand can take to ship smarter and make ecommerce shipping a little less daunting.
The right carrier is key
It is so important to choose the right last mile carriers for your ecommerce shipping. Everything ranging from what you ship, where you are shipping to, and how much you ship at a time, will factor into which carrier is the best fit for you.
Further, it is important to note how using trusted carriers can have an impact on how your shoppers perceive your business. 82% of consumers favour brands that they recognize, and in partnering with carriers that your customers know and trust, that brand recognition easily translates to a stronger sense of trust in your business.
Tracking equals trust for you and your shoppers
Shoppers like to feel in control during and even after their purchase. Offering tracking information is practically a must these days, so much so that 62% of consumers consider it essential.
Offering end-to-end tracking provides your shoppers with up-to-date information about their package’s whereabouts, it also offers you the ability to provide a more holistic customer experience. Access to real-time updates on your business’ end allows you to be proactive in reaching out to your shoppers if there are shipping delays or other delivery exceptions. This open communication and visibility into the order status show that you care about your shoppers beyond just the point of sale.
Faster shipping may equal more shoppers
Shoppers want fast shipping, period. It has become so important, in fact, that 41% of consumers are willing to pay extra for faster delivery. While many ecommerce shipping providers will offer expedited services at various price points, the equation becomes more difficult the broader your customer base becomes.
Having the ability to consider rates from several different carriers is essential in today’s ecommerce environment. It not only provides choice to your shopper at checkout, but it also gives them numerous options at different price points for them to select from.
Prepare the proper packaging
While it is true that weight is a factor when calculating shipping costs, it is not the only one. No matter the carrier, package dimensions will always factor into their pricing. It can often cost less to ship a smaller, heavier package, even compared to a large, lightweight item.
There are cost benefits to using proper packaging that go beyond your shipping rate, too. For instance, packing your orders into a smaller space means you will require less packing material. This not only cuts material costs, but it also helps prevent damage to your shipment while in transit.
In addition, using less packaging is an eco-conscious decision. Wasteful packaging is gradually becoming a greater concern among consumers, and in reducing potential waste when you ship, you are showing your shoppers that you share and value those concerns.
Keep your ecommerce shipping rates competitive
Good shipping rates are great, but free shipping is even better.
Offering free shipping, typically above a particular order threshold, is a nearly foolproof way to not only increase sales but save on shipping yourself. A study by Red Door showed that brands that offered a free shipping incentive saw an increase in orders by 90%, and an increase in Average Order Value (AOV) by 7.32%.
What does that mean? Not only will your customers buy more, but they will buy more in a single order, rather than multiple orders over time. That means fewer individual packages, and fewer individual shipping charges. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!
Ecommerce fulfillment can bring it all together
If you’re unfamiliar with ecommerce fulfillment, at the core of it you can scale your business up without the fear of increasing your overhead.
The service has become so popular that 90% of Fortune 500 companies use some type of 3PL fulfillment!
Fulfillment extends beyond simply offering warehouse space. Your shopper’s orders are also picked and packed by highly trained warehouse staff and shipped out directly from the warehouse to your customers.
Streamlining your order fulfillment process with an eeommerce fulfillment service means that you are able to ship more, ship faster, and ultimately save on shipping.
Are you ready to optimize your ecommerce shipping?
There was a lot covered above. Let’s take a moment and touch back on the key points:
- Choose the right last mile carrier for your ecommerce shipments.
- Shoppers expect tracking, and providing it offers peace of mind and a good shopper experience.
- Offering multiple shipping options to your shoppers can benefit your bottom line.
- Using proper packaging can reduce costs and waste, and help protect order while in transit.
- Competitive ecommerce shipping rates can increase your average order numbers and value.
- Using ecommerce fulfilment can offer all these benefits in one place.
Remember these tips and rest assured that your ecommerce shipping will be the least of your concerns.
