Regardless of the size of the eCommerce business, every online seller needs to have a reliable and trustworthy delivery partner for ecommerce to streamline customer orders. But how would a shipping company perform tasks perfectly? Every online seller has to depend on an efulfilment service that can assist with the requirements of customers. Further, the customers demand same day and next day shipping and hence having a professional shipping partner to manage orders and schedule deliveries assume great significance.
Now, business owners are aware that the choices on eCommerce fulfilment methods influence the smooth sailing of the business. It is evident that with same day shipping and next day shipping getting more popular, customers want their products delivered at their doorstep as soon as possible after they leave the checkout page.
Also, they prefer to track the status of orders in real-time while the products are in transit. In any case, a business cannot inform their customers regarding the timely or delayed delivery, the chances of repeat business with the customers become very low, particularly, the first-time customers and sometimes, your loyal customers as well. Yes, it does cost a lot for your online business.
Hence, selecting an ideal delivery partner for ecommerce makes way for more growth opportunities in online business. As an eCommerce business owner, your only aim is to keep customers satisfied, all categories of customers because you earned them so hard and, hence you don’t want to lose them on account of the choice you made for shipping their orders.
In essence, eCommerce fulfilment and shipping influence the success of an online business. The one single solution is to get the help of a shipping service provider that helps customers visit the store again and again. Apart from arranging for ecommerce warehousing, eFulfilment services and shipping in general, the delivery partner for ecommerce has to undertake many functions. It would happen when businesses’ shipping partner provides live tracking, prompt delivery, alerts and notifications during delayed deliveries, hassle-free returns and all other factors which customers consider quintessential while they shop online.
How to Choose a Shipping Partners for Ecommerce Orders?
Several elements come into play when deciding on a shipping carrier for meeting order deliveries. A few of the most significant among them are as below:
1. Based on Locations
Before selecting a delivery partner for ecommerce, ensure that it provides access to all areas where the online seller wants to ship. Suppose the business caters to people across everywhere the globe, check if it meets international delivery needs. Also, verify the rates for international and national deliveries.
As an online seller, you may come across situations where you find a carrier affordable for nationwide deliveries while the same is not economical for international deliveries. Under such instances, check if a substantial part of order delivery happens within the country. Then, it is advisable to go with the shipping carrier that offers low-cost shipping for domestic deliveries as you have comparatively very few international order deliveries to be fulfiled.
2. Time of Delivery
No two customers’ needs and wants are the same. Some may order a single product, and a few would like to order in bulk. In case of multiple orders, the order management software consolidates items that can be delivered together for customer’s convenience or separately for affordability.
If a particular customer likes affordability over convenience, based on each customer’s reaction, provide them with either of the two options. Additionally, stores can allow if they decide to ship products to multiple addresses or check if they require multiple individual purchases. Therefore, the logistic partner for ecommerce must always be ready to incorporate all these needs based on the choices made by the seller’s customers.
3. Packaging Practices
As you know, logistics in e commerce encompasses many functions for preparing the successful execution of order delivery. Packaging is another area where businesses have to consider. It is in the best interest of sellers to consider sustainable packaging. Ensure that the packaging material is recyclable, convenient in handling and fits perfectly in terms of the product it holds.
Most of the shipping services provide barcoded labels to handle shipments easily. When a business decides to create shipping labels, it is better to make printed labels instead of hand-written ones. Such shipping labels help look professional on the packages and save sellers from hours of labour, time and unwanted stress. Besides, it is easy to print multiple label types to help products reach the end-users.
4. Ideal Rates Based on Volume Levels
Most of the shipping service providers offer price rates based on the volume of the shipment. Hence, before you select, carefully examine the pricing strategies concerning the quantity or number of orders.
Suppose you are a startup and decides to grow your business within a couple of years; do you need to pay more for the shipping service provider that doesn’t satisfy your existing order quantity requirements? Check if the delivery partner for ecommerce caters to your order volume level or choose one that provides for all business sizes. Avail of their service for keeping your shipping costs under control, irrespective of the growth of your business.
5. Delivery Experience Management
The service deals with the management of orders and delivery that brings maximum satisfaction for customers. Delivery experience management applications take into account the customer expectations, providing necessary corrective actions in case of deviations and communicating incessantly to ensure that everything is in order.
For instance, a delivery partner for ecommerce should offer customers the same day, next day service, scheduled delivery, home delivery, picking orders from a store nearby, tracking on the go, alerts and notifications concerning order deliveries, receiving customer feedback delivery and top of all, personalised customer delivery experience. Because of the endless benefits of delivery experience management software, online sellers can offer a top-notch personalised customer experience for all their customers in no time!
Final Thoughts
Before making the big decision of selecting an appropriate delivery partner for ecommerce, evaluate all of the instances to keep your shipping costs low and operations smooth. You might think that no shipping company can satisfy all these requirements in one go. But it certainly does! And your search ends here.
At Ianis Cargo, we cater to all categories of businesses- small, medium and large, and individual customers. We operate with several fleets for accommodating your transportation needs- express transport, LTL, FTL, air shipping. Our sophisticated shipping calculator gives accurate rates, and there is no burden of hidden costs as we operate without any intermediaries. Besides, we provide rate comparisons, real-time tracking, electronic proof of delivery and many more to take the stress out of shipping.