eCommerce Shipping Strategies
Shipping is a means to give value to your consumers’ purchasing experience and develop trust in ecommerce, since they must pay without physically seeing a store or goods. While you must guarantee that your delivery is cost-effective, your store’s credibility is based on it being timely and secure for the packages.
Let’s take a look at some of the factors to think about while creating a Best eCommerce Shipping Strategies for your online company.
1. Determine the volumetric (dimensional) weight
Before we get into the various ways for lowering your shipping expenses, you must first determine the dimensions (also known as volumetric) weight of your packaged items. Dimensional weight is used by all of the main shipping carriers, including USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL. In addition to being smart business practice when it comes to logistics like product storage, knowing dimensional weight ensures you’re using the appropriate supplier and approach to receive the best rate feasible.
2. Identify the most appropriate packing size
Right-sizing your shipments might help you save a lot of money on shipping. You can also lower the dimensional weight by reducing the package size. Carriers like dimensional weight because it allows them to charge more for larger, lighter goods than for smaller, heavier ones. If you’re transporting a large number of packages to one location, it may be more cost-effective to ship them as freight on a pallet rather than individually. Check to see if you can reuse any boxes or packaging materials you receive.
3. Express Shipping
Time is valuable, Customers who choose this overnight shipping option will receive their order the next business day. Amazon Prime came up with the two-day shipping benchmark. You may not be a behemoth like Amazon or AliExpress, so overnight shipping may not be your cup of tea. However, if you can afford it, numerous courier companies offer varied overnight delivery fees. This not only improves the efficiency of your firm, but it also boosts your trustworthiness.
4. Avoid damage by using adequate shipping materials and packaging.
Your customers will seek a refund if your products break in freight shipment or arrive bent or in poor shape. Customers share negative experiences, so even a minor mishap can have an impact on future sales from this customer and anybody else who reads your evaluations. Fortunately, the majority of damage may be avoided by carefully preparing products for transportation and utilizing the appropriate packaging materials. Bubble wrap or a bubble mailer may be required for a fragile item. When purchasing packing peanuts, bubble wrap, packing paper, and foam, look for discounts, promotions, or bulk offers.
5. Offer Free Shipping
Most online businesses overlook the significance of providing free shipping, which has a huge impact on their sales. 90% of customers say that free shipping is one of the most important elements they consider when making a purchase. Seasons of the year and loyalty program are two other factors to consider before offering free shipping. You might offer free shipping on a regular basis as a value proposition throughout the year as a call-to-action to encourage additional transactions. Consider providing free shipping to loyal customers or collecting information using a lead generator. Make customers sign up for an account, join your email list, or refer a friend before they get free shipping. Using a marketing automation solution, you may target the customer with impending promotions, sales, and new releases. Free delivery, when combined with some of our other suggestions, may be a very beneficial and effective eCommerce Shipping Strategies for your company.
6. Take advantage of shipping flat rates
Flat rate delivery may be a reasonable alternative depending on the size and weight of your purchases. Customers can pay a set charge for shipping based on item size, weight, or total quantity of items. Before you start promoting flat rate shipping on your website, do your research and figure out which flat rate and carrier will work best for your company. Take use of USPS flat rate boxes if you’re selling small, heavy things, for example. To take full use of all available alternatives, you’ll need to research and try various carriers and methods.
7. Support
Clients may have queries about their orders, so connecting them with a representative who is familiar with your shipping process is beneficial. Even if problems arise, providing them with answers and remedies — whether via phone, email, or social media – will entice them to return.
8. Returns
Returns are an important aspect of both retail and ecommerce, and making the procedure as simple as possible will save you money. You’ve got alternatives! You can include a return label in each shipment to make it simple for customers to return the item, or you can send a return address label that they can use to return the item on their own cost. The benefit is that you make things easier for them while not footing the bill. You can also let the consumer choose to return it prepaid, but the cost will be removed from their refund. If you want to keep a favorable relationship with your customer, make things simple for them.
9. Analytics and shipping technology
The shipping procedure has become considerably easier to control thanks to technological advancements. Customers may obtain accurate and timely updates from businesses of all sizes by monitoring shipments at every point of their journey. But that capability isn’t just beneficial to the client; it also protects the company from being held liable for delays, faults, or damage after a product has been dispatched.
CONCLUSION
We’ve gone through everything you need to know to get your business started with effective ecommerce shipping. Focus on developing a cost-effective and customer-centric eCommerce Shipping Strategies experience that will encourage repeat orders and loyalty. Don’t consider shipping to be a cost center for your company. Consider it an extension of your brand and the customer experience you provide. If done correctly, shipping can even become a competitive advantage for your company as it grows and scales.