One of the most essential aspects that influences online buyers’ purchasing decisions is fast and/or free delivery. DTC shipping necessitates finding the correct balance between speed and cost to provide a fantastic overall shipping experience.
Optimizing shipping operations, on the other hand, is a lot more difficult.
What are the advantages of using a shipping service provider? Why should ecommerce firms care about how quickly their goods reach their customers?
Is it critical to your business to have a good shipping experience? Here are some facts:
- The majority of consumers (76%) see quick delivery as an important online shopping criteria, up from 2020’s 63% and a 16 percent increase compared to 2020.
- Poor delivery resulted in 64 percent of customers not wanting to try a new shop, and 54 percent switching shops.
With online retail giants like Amazon and Walmart Marketplace offering 2-day delivery as the standard, it’s critical for all internet businesses to compete on speed.
Here are some key reasons why you should put shipping in the top of your ecommerce priorities.
Get a competitive advantage
Customers were unhappy with their purchases, and more than 80% of them have switched merchants because shipping was too expensive.
The online shopping shipping industry is controlled by giants like Amazon and Walmart, who are able to provide extremely quick and inexpensive delivery for just about everything.
When compared to competition, if you can provide 2-day or no-cost delivery (e.g., using a spending threshold that is greater than your typical order value, encouraging customers to spend more), do so when it makes sense (e.g., for domestic purchases).
Improving your shipping experience can help you set yourself apart from the competition, allowing you to stay ahead of them (or keep your customers from going elsewhere once they’ve arrived at your store). And having a clear shipping policy with defined expectations isn’t a bad thing.
Garner customer loyalty
Customers are more likely to return if they have a pleasant shipping experience.
However, ensuring quick and inexpensive delivery is only half the battle. If you want your consumers to return, you must ensure that orders are completed and delivered on time.
When you’re developing a shipping plan, you must first determine who you’ll collaborate with to attain Amazon’s high level of service.
To shorten delivery times, online businesses in both the DTC and B2B ecommerce industries enlist with dependable 3PLs that provide fulfillment capabilities and distribution centers in strategic areas.
Boost conversions
Fast and inexpensive delivery is not only a method to persuade customers to complete their purchases – it’s also table stakes.
Everything you need to consider before shipping a package
There are a number of factors to consider when sending a package in the most efficient way.
Shipping methods
Consider the shipping methods you intend to employ first. This entails comparing different carriers’ and services’ offerings, selecting which ones will be best for your business, and so on.
Customers who want their goods quickly or are in a bind prefer faster delivery methods like expedited shipping, which typically cost more. Keep in mind that some products will be restricted in terms of shipping options, from items that must be delivered via ground and are limited when sending via air to materials that can’t be sent to other countries.
Measurements, weight, and packaging options
It’s crucial to think about the size and weight of your product before you start wrapping it since this will determine the best packaging option.
Since the cost of shipping is determined by the size of the package, it’s critical to pick packaging that is just appropriate rather than overpaying for shipment in a larger box.
Dimensional weight (DIM), a pricing technique employed by carriers that takes package density into account to calculate shipping costs, is something you’ll want to be acquainted with. Even if you have a light package, if it’s bulky, it may be more expensive to ship.
Some things, like for instance, books and board games, may be sent in boxes for better protection. This method is known as book-to-board game conversion (conversion from monographs to board games).
If your company values the unboxing experience, adding more packaging to the mix (such as a marketing insert, gift note, or even packing the order in a custom branded box) may be part of your workflow.
Cost to ship
The cost of shipping your package will be determined by a number of criteria, as well as the destination.
To figure out how much it will cost to ship an item, you’ll need to master the basics. Find out how to compute shipping costs based on size, distance, weight, and other factors so you can calculate your overall expenses and profit margins.
When you make a sale, the buyer might take advantage of free shipping if they don’t require it. The cost of having a customer pay for delivery will offset any savings made through offering discounts. This is especially important when providing shipping incentives because you must be sure you can cover the expenses necessary to turn a profit.
How to charge for shipping
Next, you should clearly lay out plans on how to charge your customers for shipping. Will you offer:
- Flat-rate shipping?
- Real-time rates?
- Site-wide free shipping? Or free shipping if the shopper meets certain criteria?
When you’ve gathered all of these information, develop a shipping procedure for your consumers to locate and consult.
Customs info for shipping a package abroad
Another important point to consider is customs and taxes if you’re sending stuff internationally.
To begin, double-check that you have product code and value settings for each item (which will show on the commercial invoice and is used to calculate duties and taxes during customs clearance) as well as a product description.
While you may want to charge your consumers for import duties, this might dampen customer experience (and leave surprises for them when they attempt to collect their order).
If you’re doing business internationally, maybe you should provide delivery duty paid or DDP shipping choices to improve the purchasing experience for foreign consumers (rather than delivery duty unpaid).