5 Tips For E-Commerce Shipping
When it comes to e-commerce, a customer’s goal is to get what they want at the right price and at their door.
Customers may not spend a lot of time thinking about shipping and all that it entails, but smart e-commerce businesses recognize the logistical and financial challenges in optimizing product shipping. In today’s day and age, people expect fast, stress-free shipping that will get them what they need, exactly when they want it. It’s essential for the long-term viability of your business to perfect your shipping policies and procedures.
Let’s look at five tips for creating a cost-effective and successful shipping strategy.
Use Shipping Software
Whether you’re small, in a growth stage, or a maturing firm, strong e-commerce shipping software will help you manage your business. Quality software enables you to track shipping data, costs, and trends while simplifying the creation of shipping labels.
There are so many options – including ShipStation, Pirate Ship, ClickPost, Narvar, Shippo, Happy Returns and EasyShip to name a few. Using a shipping software provider allows you to understand the true cost of shipping different items.
Shipping software also chooses the best carrier, route, and transportation option. Other features can help you stay on budget and track parcels.
Forecast Shipping Costs
Shipping costs are a major part of an e-commerce business. With historical data and market trends, you can predict and incorporate shipping costs in your overall pricing strategy.
Remember to annually review carrier contracts to ensure you receive the best e-commerce rates available in your area. By benchmarking different carriers, you may be able to save costs on very similar services.
Offer Different Shipping Options
Some people will want a product ASAP; in this case, you should offer them a faster shipping option at a higher cost. Shipping via air transportation will best serve this need.
Other customers don’t need a product immediately and will opt for a less speedy and cheaper shipping option. For example, Less than Truckload (LTL) is a very economical freight transport method. Customers only pay for the necessary space to ship a particular load based on its dimensions. Dimensional weight pricing charges shippers the greater of two weights, either the actual weight of the package or the historical weight of one approximately the same size.
Regardless of the shipping method, enable order tracking so your customers know when they will receive your package. Customers are more connected to the buying process when they can track their packages online.
Brand Your Shipping Materials
A strong brand is essential to the success of any business. Take the time to brand your boxes and shipping labels to communicate your company’s e-commerce style.
There are many options out there for including your company’s name and branding on shipped purchases. Customize your shipping tape or have branded shipping boxes created with your logo. After all, the box sitting out front of someone’s house is free advertising for your company.
Consider including personalized touches, such as a thank you note for the purchase or a return label with instructions for often exchanged items.
Choose the Right Packaging Materials
While the outside may be important for branding, it’s important not to ignore the packaging materials inside the box. Choose packaging that will protect your products with minimal environmental impact.
Keiding is the easy choice for eco-friendly, cost-effective packaging material that will keep your products safe and sound throughout the entire shipping process. Our products, which are crafted from recycled paper pulp material, offer the ultimate cushioning, strength and overall durability of any packaging material.
Other packaging options have drawbacks for the environment. Only 9 percent of plastic is recycled, and bubble wrap is both hard to recycle and highly flammable. Polystyrene foam releases pollutants when exposed to light.
There are no damaging effects of molded pulp packaging that’s made from 100 percent recycled paper pulp. With reduced environmental impact and superior protection for products, packaging made from pulp can bring peace of mind. Learn more about how molded pulp compares to popular alternatives here.
Flexible Service for Our Customers
Keiding has a protective packaging solution for almost every e-commerce shipment.
We can form paper fibers into any number of configurations making our product truly customizable. Options include bottle shippers, roll cradles, and custom-molded packaging for various industrial, consumer, and commercial products. To find out more about how Keiding can help with your e-commerce shipping needs, please contact us! We’ll help you create a winning shipping experience that will delight your customers and boost your company’s bottom line.