Having a successful business today requires you to possess an online commerce store, as well as the normal one. With the internet, everyone has been given a chance to enter a global market, if they want to be successful. However, running a business in the last two years has been as challenging as ever due to covid-19 related restrictions worldwide. Even those who have never thought of selling online had to move to the virtual space in order to survive.
Now, entering a global market comes with even more challenges with the competition being huge in every sector. And knowing how consumers today are inpatient, the ratings of the business highly depends on delivering the products sold on time. Therefore, the second important aspect of an eCommerce besides the products sold became the shipping terms and conditions (carriers delivering the goods).
How does the shipping affect your eCommerce success?
No matter how good is what you’re selling, no matter how satisfied your customers will be with your products, the real impression is highly dependent on the shipping service. If you fail to choose the right associate with the right logistics, chances are you will start losing your loyal customers, and the ratings of your business will deteriorate.
It is why choosing to cooperate with a committed shipping company is of great importance for your business. Moreover, as this also adds more costs to you, you will also need to consider finding the most affordable option, a company that can satisfy your expectations both logistics and price-wise. For this to function immaculately, there are a couple of things to consider. Read the rest of the article and find out what you need to consider in order to choose the best shipping method for your eCommerce business.
Start with analyzing your options…
You surely have a couple of carriers in mind when you think about shipping, but in reality, they may not answer your business needs. If you want to find the right one, here are a couple of things to consider:
The type of goods you’re shipping. This is important because of the size and the weight of the goods you will be shipping when sold. For example, if the products are large the costs of shipping will depend on where you are sending (mileage), and how much does it weigh.
On the other hand, for smaller goods shipping companies offer the so-called flat rate. With it, there will be no need for calculating, as the rate you pay them will be fixed.
Does the company have a weight limit or any restrictions? Some do have this, and if the product is too large and overweight (according to their terms and conditions), they will not be able to deliver your goods.
Additional charges. Some even have additional charges for the goods whose weight goes over their noted limit. Take this into consideration, especially if your eCommerce sells different things, of different sizes.
Consider packaging options and location
Location and packaging. Some shipping companies work in multiple countries such as verpakgigant.nl, having very affordable rates. Packaging is also of great importance. For example, if you have fragile products such as those made of glass, this will be one of your primary concerns when it comes to shipping.
What is also smart to do is combine different shipping companies. Why so? Although all the already known ones, like DHL, are great and have proven as a good option, involving local ones is a smart choice because they tend to be cheaper and have more discounts. Lower the shipping rates, more chances people will buy from you.
Another reason is the timing. Combining more than one carrier increases the chances of the package arriving at the desired location on time. Delivery timing, as we once mentioned, will affect the ratings of your business and create loyal customers. So, do detailed research about local carriers and how reliable are they, then make a choice to ensure you have as many options for delivery as possible.
User ratings
Now that you know you should combine; how will you collect information about the reliability of different carriers? Luckily, it’s not such a big deal today, since the internet gives you tons of reviews to read. First, collect information about how many carriers are running on how many locations, then do a background check on how satisfied were the customers whose goods were delivered by them. This will direct you to the best ones, the ones you can truly rely on.
Additionally, this check will also show if there are any extra benefits you will get if choosing to cooperate with a carrier.
Delivery timing
As it was mentioned in the introduction part, consumers have become quite demanding when it comes to time, and without much patience. If they buy from you, they want to know when to expect the package to hit their doorstep. Here is where a variety of shipping methods comes as very important.
You really want to avoid those carriers that have negative reviews about their timing, because as we said, it will affect the loyalty of your customers. For this, see websites that have been on the e-market for years, and how they handle shipping. You’ll notice that most of the state expected delivery dates, estimating how many days will your package be traveling towards the consumer.
Tracking
Tracking is a tool that will take a lot of burden in terms of unnecessary questions about the delivery of your back. It is something you absolutely must provide, and the shipping company you choose to work with has to have. People like to know where their order is, it gives them a sense of control and ease. If you can, plan to make your own custom tracking software for this. It will give a picture of a serious business.
Although it may seem like a lot of work to do, choosing the best shipping method is by far the most important aspect of online businesses. Commit time and energy to making the right choice.
