Shipping delays can negatively impact your brand reputation and sales.

If your item doesn’t arrive on time, customers won’t feel they can trust you with their money and won’t return to your store for more.

Even worse, they can post negative reviews and spread the word to their friends and family. It doesn’t take long for bad reviews to spread.

Why do Shipping Delays Happen?

Even if you think everything’s under control, no one can truly predict what happens to your package once it leaves the warehouse. Your item’s delivery could get delayed for various reasons, which include:

World Events

World events can have a significant impact on shipping operations. Just take a look at what happened this year with COVID-19 — with new social distancing measures put in place and thousands of business shutdowns, many stores had a hard time making sure their package got into the hands of customers.

With more e-commerce orders than ever, all major carriers are struggling. The USPS has had the most challenging time since they have the most significant volume.

Unexpected Weather and Natural Disasters

Sudden weather changes can prevent your orders from arriving on time to the customer’s doorstep. It’s something that’s unfortunately beyond your control, but there are tactics you can use to handle the situation (which we’ll get into later).

Domestic & International Customs

Your package can get held back if it doesn’t respect customs procedures. For example, if you’re trying to ship ivory products to Italy (where the material is banned), your package might even get destroyed. That’s why you need to do your research on customs before shipping the item to the customer.

Shipping insurance protects you from any drastic financial loss and takes extra stress off your shoulders

Holidays

E-commerce sales tend to skyrocket during holiday seasons or important dates. As a result of record items being ordered, carriers can’t consistently deliver to your customer on time, which is not practical when everyone expects to receive their gift quickly (or by a specific date).

Poor Inventory Management from Your 3PL

Your item’s shipping delay could also result from poor management of your 3PL.

While investing in a logistics provider can provide you with many benefits in the long term, choosing the wrong one can be detrimental to your brand. Check our blog post on picking the right 3PL for your business to avoid making this mistake.

The Best Tactics You Can Use to Handle Shipping Delays

Get Shipping Insurance

Preparing yourself in advance goes a long way. Before shipping the item to your customer, you should consider investing in shipping insurance to protect yourself from any trouble during delivery.

Shipping insurance protects you from any drastic financial loss and takes extra stress off your shoulders. If the customer demands a refund because of the delay in delivery, you’ll have the means to give it to them without hurting your profits.

Be Upfront With The Customer

When your shipping is delayed, you’ll need to let the customer know what’s going on, especially as the world still battles with COVID-19.

Make sure to follow up with them via email, social media, and SMS. Apologize, explain the current situation to the customer, and how you plan to solve it. Holding yourself accountable proves to the customer that you’re someone they can trust.

Offer Order Tracking on the Delayed Item

Not having an order delivered on time can cause a lot of anxiety for the customer. To give them peace of mind, you can give them a tracking number to monitor their package.

With eHub, each item you ship comes with order tracking to get updates as they happen for your customers. We can also provide insurance if your package doesn’t arrive or is stolen during delivery.

Offer Special Discounts and Deals

Shipping deals can be an unpleasant experience for the customer. To make up for it, you can offer them special discounts and promotions on future orders.

Giving customers discounts proves that you value them and take their satisfaction seriously. For example, if your package doesn’t arrive on time, you can offer free shipping for their next order or a 20% discount on future items.

Use Multiple Shipping Carriers

Regarding shipping, it’s essential not to put all your eggs in one basket. Using multiple carriers ensures your package arrives on time if one fails to deliver.

Finding suitable shipping carriers, however, takes a bit of time and search. That’s why we do the hard work for you by connecting all major carriers in one place on our platform.

Offer Multiple Shipping Options at Checkout

Providing transparency into expected delivery times is vital to the ordering experience. Showing customers two options (at least) – one for expedited and the other for slow delivery – lets them choose what will work best for them.

If you’re offering free shipping on the slower service, then the value of the expedited shipping will be improved. While many people expect free shipping, they are willing to pay for faster delivery times when it is essential to them.

Conclusion

Shipping delays don’t have to be the end of the world. Handled effectively, you can still shine in the eyes of your customers and retain their trust.

If you’re looking for a platform covering everything you need to manage shipping effectively, we can help. From inventory management to order tracking, our platform gives you all the tools you need for smooth delivery.

The checkout page is the last step in creating a customer from a visitor. Optimizing checkout is a key to reducing cart abandonment and driving sales.

Here are some essential practices you can implement on your checkout page to deliver significant results:

8 Things You Must Be Doing During Checkout

Let’s dive into each and see how you can easily upgrade your checkout.

 

Include Customer Testimonials & Trust Symbols

To get the customer to purchase, you first have to gain their trust.

Adding customer testimonials on your checkout page reassures the prospect they’re making the right choice. Seeing others enjoy your product gives them the confidence to make the purchase.

Furthermore, if they don’t know you’re brand, they may hesitate on the quality of your product and service. You can promote trust by using testimonial & review apps like Okendo, Product Reviews by Shopify, or Stamped.io.

These apps make it easy to collect and publish reviews on your home, product, or checkout pages.

Security is also a big concern for customers since you handle their payment information. A good tactic to give them peace of mind is to include security badges on your checkout page, such as the below:

If customers know their payments are in good hands, they’ll be more likely to follow through with their purchase.

 

One-Page Checkout

Any friction during the buying process will cause customers to drop their carts. No one wants to go through loops and holes to make a final purchase.

The checkout process must be as simple and straightforward as possible. The best way to simplify your checkout page and get customers across the finish line is to offer a one-page checkout:

One-page checkout works because it’s shorter and reduces the steps the customer has to go through. It’s convenient and can lead to better conversions.

However, we recommend testing multi-page and single-page to see what works best for you.

Offer Free Shipping

Free Shipping can be a powerful trigger for conversion. Customers feel 90% more motivated to buy more when free shipping is involved, so you should consider offering it on your checkout page.

As a small business, however, you may not be in a position to offer free shipping. Free shipping isn’t free to you and can hurt your profit margins in the long term if you’re not careful. If you’re wondering how to decrease your shipping costs, you may be interested in the cubic pricing program.

Optimize Your Checkout Page for Mobile

More and more customers are using their smartphones to shop. By next year, mobile sales will represent a whopping 54% of total e-commerce revenue. It’s the reason why your checkout page needs to be mobile-responsive.

You must also ensure your checkout page loads fast on mobile, especially when the customer gives you their payment information. 53% of visitors will ditch your site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Highlight Upsell Offers

Upselling is a sales technique to persuade the customer to buy more items, upgrades, or add-ons once they make a purchase. It’s a tactic used by top brands such as Amazon, GoDaddy, and Booking.com.

Your checkout page represents extra sales for your store. As the customer is about to checkout, you can recommend complementary products.

It’s a great way to boost your customer lifetime value (CLV) and make prospects come back. Here’s an example from Dollar Shave Club for inspiration:

The best tool we recommend to help you do this is Carthook. Once the customer checks out, Carthook sends them three different upsell offers. The platform auto-fills the page with the customer’s details, so they don’t have to re-enter their payment information.

 

Use Exit-Intent Popups

Just as a customer abandons their cart or is about to leave your site, you can launch exit-intent popups to promote discounts they can use for their purchase:

Exit-intent pop-ups work well for two reasons. First off, it gives the customer an incentive to stay on your checkout page. Secondly, your store gets a second chance to make a sale.

There are various tools you can download on Shopify that help you capture the customer’s attention with pop-ups. Check out our 8 top picks of pop-up tools for boosting sales.

 

Remove Any Distractions on the Checkout Page

A key theme that we’re repeating here is keeping everything as simple as possible. To maximize your conversions, you need to eliminate any distractions that might draw the customer away from making a purchase.

There are various ways to do this. You want to avoid having any ads, navigation bars, or eye-catching graphics that might get in the way. You also don’t want to surprise customers with hidden fees they weren’t aware of before.

 

Offer “Save Item” as an Option

Lastly, there are many reasons why your customer doesn’t follow through with their purchase. They may not be ready to buy, or something distracted them as they were about to check out.

To help returning visitors, make it possible for them to save your product so they can go back to checkout whenever they have time. Amazon does this on their store with their “wishlist” feature, so customers can come back at any time to finish their purchase:

Conclusion

The checkout is the final and most critical part of the buyer’s journey. Even with the best marketing and products in the world, customers will ditch your store if the checkout process is not optimized the right way. By applying our tips above, you’ll be on your way to setting up a killer checkout page and boosting your sales.

As your business continues to grow, managing shipping will become more and more difficult. 

Getting more orders indicates that your business is on the right track. However, managing your orders and getting the best rates can be a time-consuming process.

Thankfully, some apps help you manage your shipping and orders effectively without sacrificing your precious time.

Tools We Recommend

1. Free Shipping Bar

Free Shipping Bar is a tool that displays your free shipping offer in a bar on your website that you can easily customize. Its goal is to encourage customers to add to their carts and buy more.

As customers add more to their cart, the Free Shipping Bar will show them progressive messages on how much they have left before they get free shipping.

You can congratulate customers once they have landed on a free shipping offer and measure the results of each bar to see which free shipping goals create more sales.

As a bonus, its currency detection features make it easy to auto-detect the local currencies of visitors. The platform then converts the free shipping amount with real-time exchange rates.

Pricing:

You need a solution that makes it possible to connect all of your eCommerce operations in one place

2. Parcelify

Parcelify makes it simple to create custom rates for your Shopify store.

With Parcelify, you control the shipping pricing and options that customers see during checkout. Customers can get live, accurate rates of what they’re actually paying for shipping.

Parcefily also comes with local delivery and in-store pickup. With cheaper options to receive their product, you’ll satisfy customers and drive more repeat purchases.

Pricing:

3. AfterShip

Tracking and managing each customer shipment can be a time-consuming headache. Aftership cuts the work in half by tracking all shipments across 600+ carriers in one place.

AfterShip is currently being used by more than 30,000 Shopify stores worldwide. You’ll be able to keep customers updated on the placement of their orders and when they can expect delivery.

As a result, your store will see a drastic decrease in customer inquiries and complaints.

Pricing:

4. Tracktor

The modern customer has higher expectations than before. One of those expectations is expedited shipping and being able to track down exactly when their item arrives.

That’s where Tracktor comes in.

Tracktor makes it easy for customers and store owners to track down the delivery of a shipped item. The platform integrates with hundreds of carriers across the globe, so you can track exactly where the package is going.

The best part? You can do all of this from a single app. Customers won’t have to come to you and ask, “where’s my order?” anymore. As a result, you’ll boost customer satisfaction and reduce support costs.

Pricing:

5. Route – Shipping Insurance

No one can predict what can happen to your product during shipping, which is why getting insurance for your products is so important.

Route is a tool that offers insurance on any item that gets lost, broken, or stolen during delivery. Customers gain peace of mind knowing that their purchases are guaranteed, and you get to keep more of your revenue.

Since Route covers the cost of refunds, you won’t be losing any money. The app is also 100% free for merchants and only takes a few minutes to set up on your store.

6. Aftership Returns Center

As frustrating as customer returns can be, there’s software you can use to handle returns more efficiently. Aftership Returns Center uses automation to track and manage your returns like child’s play.

When you integrate Aftership into your online store, you’ll be able to:

Pricing:

7. Sales Box

Sales Box offers an exciting way to manage shipping and personalize offers for your customers.

Your store can set up different shipping fees and promotions for individual products or countries. Right under the “add to cart” button, customers will have all the shipping information.

Each sales box is fully customizable and easy to edit. No coding knowledge is necessary — you get instant access to templates that make your offer stand out.

Pricing:

8. eHub – Best

There’s a lot that goes into managing shipping and customer orders. You have to keep track of inventory, calculate your shipping rates, print your labels, and so much more.

It can be time-consuming and frustrating to bounce from software to software to get all of this handled. You need a solution that makes it possible to connect all of your eCommerce operations in one place.

That’s where eHub comes in. From the admin, your business gets access to:

Essential Hub also integrates with more than 100+ e-commerce and shipping tools.

Pricing:

Conclusion

We hope you enjoy our list of the best apps you can use to manage your shipping. These tools should help save money on shipping and manage your orders effectively to delight your customers. To learn more about how Essential Hub can improve your shipping strategy, feel free to contact us.

You started out doing the shipping yourself. You loved putting products into packages and printing the labels because it represented all the hard work you’ve invested in starting your business.

Now, your online store is growing, and shipping has turned into a headache. It needs to be done every day, but your business has a lot of other needs, too.

If you’re currently evaluating whether you should expand your operations and hire someone to take over fulfillment, you may want to consider a third-party logistics provider (3PL) to do the job for you.

What is a Third-Party Logistics Provider (3PL)?

A 3PL is a logistics provider that allows you to outsource your fulfillment operations. The provider will handle various business activities for your company, such as:

Sooner or later, there will come a time when it will be necessary to enlist a 3PL (or expand operations to do it yourself). If you’re starting to run out of space or are shipping around 10-20 daily orders on your own, a 3PL can help you save time so you can focus on business.

It’s also an excellent investment if you’re looking to expand overseas or adapt to seasonal changes. Here’s what to consider to pick the 3PL that’s the right fit for your business.

Payment History and Financial Stability

When choosing a 3PL, consider what would happen if they were to shut down or go bankrupt suddenly. If you’re not ready, it could have brutal consequences for your business.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, which is why you need to pick a 3PL with financial stability and a solid payment history. You’ll be saving yourself a lot of trouble in the long run.

Do your research and ask around to learn more about how they’ve handled payments in the past. If they have a history of not being reliable, then it’s best to move on and find a better partner to fit your needs.

Excellent Industry References

Not all 3PLs are created equal. You’ll also have to find out what others in the industry say about their services, along with strong financial stability.

One of your goals during your research should be to network with their existing customers and get their opinions on the 3PL. Here are some questions you can ask them to learn more about how the logistics provider does business:

Technology Integrations

There’s plenty of technology that helps you manage your supply chain easier. A quality 3PL should be able to integrate tools that give access to automation, connect with major carriers, and help you get the best rates.

Look at the 3PL’s website and see which e-commerce integrations are possible when you work with them. They should be able to integrate with the best platforms, such as:

Their Industry and Area Specialization

Specialty is key to finding the perfect 3PL. The right 3PL for your business depends on your location, the type of products you sell, and your current logistical needs.

For example, let’s say that you’re selling high-tariff items such as consumer goods and luggage. An option to consider is cross-border fulfillment, which is perfectly legal if you sell items with a 15+ tax rate.

Another aspect to consider is the 3PL’s location. Thanks to Amazon, customers expect to receive their products as soon as possible. As a result, it may be better to choose a 3PL that’s close to your customers. That will save you on shipping costs and keep delivery times to a minimum.

You can save on shipping costs by using one in the middle of the country or close to the region where you make the most sales. Larger 3PLs will have multiple locations you can leverage to cover the entire country.

A Strong Business Relationship

Collaborating with a 3PL is different from other traditional businesses. They are crucial in growing your business and effectively getting your product into customers’ hands.

To build a strong relationship with the 3PL, you want to know exactly what you need. Outlining your goals to the logistics provider will help set clear expectations that will lead the way to a solid partnership.

This should include:

    1. Expected level of service – how fast do things get out the door?
    2. Accuracy levels – sometimes, they ship the wrong product.
    3. Cost to ship each package (with a breakdown for different SKUs)
    4. How do they handle returns?

3PLs are notorious for being bad at handling returns. Have a frank discussion with any potential vendors so that you understand what they’re willing to do (and not do). Some will do it (for a price), but there are many with piles of unsorted returns sitting in their warehouse.

Scalability

Each company’s goal should be to grow and eventually reach a global market.

As your company starts to scale, its needs will change over time. You must consider what happens as you grow in SKUs and regions and hire more employees.

The right 3PL will fuel that growth and help you take your business to the next level. For example, the holidays are a period that significantly influences the supply and demand of your products.

A high-performing 3PL should also help you adapt to unexpected events. In the case of a natural disaster, you want to ensure they know how to handle the crisis and minimize the damage to your business.

When you meet up with a potential 3PL partner, ask them what their primary strategy is for scalability. It’ll show you if they’re worth the investment or not.

Pricing and Budget

Lastly, you’ll have to factor in your current budget. Investing in a 3PL can be costly, but it’s not a reason to go after the cheapest option.

As mentioned in this blog post, investing in the right 3PL helps you scale and grow your reach. A cheap 3PL is useless if it can’t adapt to unexpected situations and loses you money in the long term.

Many 3PLs will charge a flat fee, while others will charge variable pricing depending on your product type. Let’s take a look at an example:

You’re a clothing company with a high SKU that ships lightboxes. If your 3PL charges companies based on their SKUs, you will get charged more.

When checking out 3PLs, comparing pricing is just as important. Here are some questions that you should be asking the 3PL:

At the end of the day, what matters is your return on investment. Partnering with a third-party fulfillment company can save you time and reduce labor costs at a significant price.

Wrapping Things Up

It takes a lot of time and research to find the 3PL that’s the right fit for your business. With these seven things to consider, you should have a clear idea of what to look for and find the best for you.

eHub manages a network of 3PLs with our technology. If you’re considering a 3PL for your fulfillment needs, we can help you find the right one for you.

A customer just bought a product from your store. You collect their mailing address, set up your branded packaging, and ship their ordered item.

But have you thought about what happens if your product gets broken or lost during the delivery process?

No one knows what can happen to your product during its transportation to the customer. Your business needs a game plan to prepare in case things go wrong.

What is Shipping Insurance?

When people hear “insurance,” they typically think of insurance for their health or home. But little do people know that it’s also possible to get insurance on products you ship to customers.

Shipping insurance covers the delivery fees and costs of your item in case something goes wrong during transportation. Let’s dive into the reasons why investing in shipping insurance is a smart move for your business.

Why You Should Consider Shipping Insurance

It’s impossible to predict the future, even if you think that you have everything under control. Your product could get lost or broken during delivery, leading to a disappointed customer. Some of the benefits of getting shipping insurance include:

Peace of Mind

Without insurance, you’ll be in charge of covering shipping costs and refunds if your item doesn’t arrive at the customer’s doorstep. It’s a process that adds extra stress to your workload, and you probably already have a busy schedule.

Getting shipping insurance takes stress off your back. No matter what happens to your package, you get peace of mind knowing that your item is always covered.

It Protects You From Any Financial Loss

Your item is in good hands when you get shipping insurance. The process might require a bit of paperwork, but the insurer will handle everything to ensure you get your money.

It’s also possible to get insurance for high-value items. Some carriers cover items up to $50,000, which we’ll explore later.

Getting Shipping Insurance Is Fast and Easy

Getting shipping insurance doesn’t have to be a complicated process. There are plenty of options at your disposal to get your items insured quickly. It’s even faster when you integrate a tool like eHub, which makes it simple to incorporate insurance.

The Different Types of Shipping Insurance Available

Here are the two main types of shipping insurance that you can choose:

Carrier Insurance

Different companies such as UPS, USPS, and FedEx all offer insurance for items you ship. Price varies from carrier to carrier, and each has limits on the maximum value of products that are covered.

Third-Party Software

You can also get insurance by integrating shipping software into your store. A shipping platform can ensure you get insurance on each item and offers the best shipping rates to customers.

How Much Does Shipping Insurance Cost?

If you decide to get your shipping insurance from a carrier, here’s how much you can expect to pay:

Things To Take Into Consideration Before Getting Insurance

International Restrictions

Remember that international restrictions influence whether your item qualifies for coverage or not. There are certain countries that carriers will not insure. For example, if your item gets lost in Paraguay, you won’t be able to obtain shipping insurance since it goes against US trade rules.

Certain countries also block you from importing certain goods. You cannot get coverage on items prohibited from shipping in the country you are targeting.

It’s impossible to predict the future, even if you think that you have everything under control

Terms and Conditions of the Insurance Contract

You must also be careful of the terms and conditions that come with shipping insurance. Some items don’t qualify for coverage, even if you ship them domestically.

Maximum Item Value

Carriers also offer limits to shipping insurance based on the item’s value. Let’s take a look at them below:

How to File an Insurance Claim

Next, you may wonder how to file an insurance claim on a lost or damaged product. Some carriers require you to file a claim within 60 days, while others give you up to nine months.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to get insurance for your product.

Your Package Got Lost During Delivery

If a customer reports that they’ve never received your item and can’t track it online, you’ll need proof of loss. Here are the documents that you’ll have to prepare in advance:

Your Package Got Damaged

How you respond when your package gets damaged depends on your carrier. You’ll likely have to take pictures of the damaged packaging to compare it with the package’s photos in its normal condition.

It will also be required to provide documentation such as the original invoice, recipient address, declared value, and more. The carrier might inspect the package as well.

Your Package Got Stolen

Getting one of your items stolen is a tricky situation to be in. If you’re tracking an order, but it never seems to arrive to the customer, here’s the documentation you need to prepare:

Resources to Help You Out

If you need more information on how to file your insurance claim, check out these main couriers’ resources:

Is Shipping Insurance Right for You?

Running a business can be stressful enough. If you’re seeking extra peace of mind, getting shipping insurance goes a long way. No matter what happens to your item during delivery, you can rest assured that you’ll be covered if things go unexpectedly.

Essential Hub makes it easy to add insurance on qualifying items that you ship. Contact us today to learn more!

Your shipping bill consists of vital information about your package, from details about the recipient to how much you can expect to pay for a shipment. To avoid any nasty surprises or accidentally overpaying for shipping, you want to make sure to read your invoices carefully.

In this post, we’ll look at three leading carriers (FedEx, UPS, and DHL) and the structure that each of their shipping bills follows.

Reading Your FedEx Bill

Here is the format that each shipping bill from FedEx follows:

1. Contact / Bank Information

The first thing you’ll see on your shipping invoice is your contact and bank information. Here are the different things that it will consist of:

2. Invoice Type

There are two invoice types when it comes to FedEx shipping bills. These include:

3. Shipping Information

This part of the invoice covers all of your package’s shipping information, such as:

4. Shipper Details

Next, your invoice will include all of the information about the shipper. These details include:

5. Charges

Here, you’ll see a breakdown of charges incurred at the Air Waybill level.

6. Proof of Delivery

This part of the shipping invoice confirms that your recipient received the order. The bill will show you the signature, date, and time of your shipment to show proof.

7. Overall Summary of All Charges & Total Amount Due

As you reach the end of the shipping bill, you’ll see a summary of all charges, such as taxes, discounts, and more factors that could affect the price.

8. Payment Remittance Address

Finally, the invoice ends with the remittance address to the UPS office.

To avoid any nasty surprises or accidentally overpaying for shipping, you want to make sure to read your invoices carefully

Reading Your UPS Bill

UPS is another popular option to get your shipping and packaging handled. Here’s how shipping bills from UPS are formatted:

1. Account Status Summary

On each UPS invoice, you get a summary of your account, which includes your previous invoices with the provider.

2. Payment Terms

The bill will have a section that outlines UPS’s payment terms and what they entail.

3. Outbound Shipping Charges

In this section of the bill, you’ll get an overview of any outbound shipments during the invoicing period and a tracking number for your package. It will also include information on your shipping zone and product weight.

4. Adjustments and Other Charges

There may be other additional costs that impact the total cost of your bill. These can include late payment charges, same-day pickup, and other factors.

Your package’s dimensions can also add extra charges. UPS determines how much you can expect to pay by taking into account the length, width, and height of your package.

5. Taxes

The invoice will cover which taxes you’ll have to pay for each item you ship.

6. Return Portion

If you’re paying by cheque, this section includes the amount due and the return form to fill out.

Reading your DHL Bill

DHL is one of the global leaders in the logistics industry. Here’s how to read the format of each of their shipping bills:

1. Type of Invoice

DHL has different forms for shipping bills, such as:

Your shipping bill starts by identifying which one corresponds to your package.

2. Customer’s Billing Information

Next, your DHL bill will cover all of your customer’s billing information, which includes:

3. Shipment and Package Information

This part of the bill covers the shipment origin details of the package and the destination receiver. It includes the total number of pieces associated with each waybill and the total weight of the shipment.

4. Service Description and Extra Charges

It’s possible that you chose a particular form of service and have some extra charges that impact the price of your shipping bill. They will all be covered in this section.

5. Total Due

By taking everything above into account, the invoice shows you how much you can expect to pay in total.

6. Billing and Payment Information

The invoice ends with all the bill and payment information (including the customer’s billing address), so you can proceed to pay the invoice in full.

Conclusion

Make sure you take the time to read your shipping bill carefully. While shipping invoices may defer from carrier to carrier, they all provide you with information on the recipient and consider extra charges that could impact the cost.

Everybody wants to save the most money on shipping. With so many shipping methods and carriers, however, it isn’t easy to know the best option, which can change based on the situation.

The type of shipping option that’s best for you also depends on various factors, such as delivery time, distance, and product weight. Here are some basic recommendations to help you find the best shipping method and make sure you save money on shipping:

The Cheapest Ways to Ship Based on Your Product Weight

To find the most cost-effective shipping method, your product’s weight is the first thing to consider. Here are our recommendations to get the best rates on your items based on how heavy they are:

Items That Are Under 1 Pound

If you’re shipping light items below 1 pound, the best carrier to go with is USPS. USPS First Class Mail is a fast, low-cost way to send any lightweight package.

Items That Are Under 10 Pounds

For products weighing only 1-10 pounds, we recommend going with USPS Priority Mail.

Heavier Items That Go Beyond 10 Pounds

There are various options available if you plan to ship heavy items. The best ones include:

 

Unicorn Shipping: Priority Mail Cubic

If you’re shipping any items up to 20 pounds, one of the best-kept secrets in shipping is Priority Mail Cubic. Cost is determined by size, not weight, so this service is excellent for more minor but still relatively heavy items. Not using Priority Mail Cubic is #3 on the list of Deadly Sins when it comes to shipping.

The Cheapest Ways to Ship Based on Delivery Time

Delivery is vital in what kind of shipping option and carrier is best for your business. Here’s how you can get the best shipping rates depending on how fast the customer needs their order to arrive:

Next-Day Delivery Service

Here are our recommendations for shipping carriers to get your items delivered the next day:

A note on guaranteed delivery: when a carrier says the delivery time is guaranteed, you can get a refund if they don’t make it. Guaranteed delivery does not mean the package arrives as expected every time.

If You’re Looking to Ship Within 2 Days

For two-day delivery, our best recommendations are FedEx 2 Day and UPS 2nd Day.

If You’re Looking to Ship Within 2-3 Days

To send orders within 2-3 days, the best option to go with is USPS Priority Mail. It offers the lowest rates compared to UPS and FedEx, which can cost almost twice as much.

You can see on their website that USPS Priority Mail coverage is two days for most of the country. If you don’t need guaranteed 2-day delivery, then this option is the most economical option for that service.

The Cheapest Way to Ship Internationally

International customers are a great way to expand your reach, but delivering products can seem more complicated. The cheapest way to ship your items internationally is through USPS, which will be less expensive than UPS and FedEx (which can cost three times as much).

Other Tactics You Can Use to Save Money on Shipping

Outside of these shipping methods, there are also things you can do from your side to save money on shipping. Here are a couple of tactics to employ:

Provide the Right Protection for Your Items

You want to ensure that each of your items gets to the customer safely from A to Z. If your product gets broken or stolen during the delivery process, that’s money; you’ll lose shipping.

There are two main ways to do this. First of all, you want to make sure that you’re using a suitable packaging material to protect your items during transportation.

Secondly, you should consider having insurance if anything unexpected happens to your item during delivery.

Integrate a Shipping App

A great way to save on shipping is to integrate shipping software into your store. A quality app should have access to discounts on shipping with major carriers to ensure you get the best rates on shipping every time.

The best part about using shipping software is that you can set up automation so the software finds the best rates for each and every shipment, so you don’t have to worry about figuring it out every time.

Keep Your Packaging as Light as Possible

The heavier your package is, the more expensive shipping will be. To save money, avoid using heavy packaging material to ship items. For example, instead of cardboard, consider using light materials such as air pillows or packaging peanuts.

Reuse Packaging Material

Lastly, a great way to save on shipping costs is to recycle your old material for future orders. It’s a great way to save money and respect the environment at the same time.

Grow Your Business With The Best Shipping Rates

Shipping can quickly feel like a liability, but there are ways not only to minimize its effects but also to deliver a great customer experience simultaneously. That’s why you need to weigh all your options and select the shipping option that will save you the most money.

By following our recommendations, you should have a good idea of how to get rates for shipping. To learn more about how Essential Hub can help you save money with the best shipping discounts, contact us today. 

As frustrating as returns can be, managing them is an inevitable part of an e-commerce business. 30% of online products are returned, compared to only 8% for brick-and-mortar stores.

While dealing with customer returns might not be fun. However, it’s still possible to manage and minimize them effectively. Sometimes, you can flip them around and turn them into a sale.

While you may hate them, customers expect the returns process to be painless.

In this blog post, we’ll cover six ways that stores can manage returns effectively and improve their business:

Make Your Returns Policy Easy to Access and Lenient

More than 60% of customers will read your return policy before purchasing. That’s why you want to ensure your return policy is clear and easy to find on your web store.

The best places we recommend to make your returns policy visible include:

Another good tactic is to be generous and extend the deadline for returns. This works because it gives customers peace of mind and ample time to see if the item fits.

For example, Zappos is a top-leading brand that offers returns within 365 days of purchase. With so much time to test out the product and return it, customers may even forget to return the item in the first place!

Collect Data on Customer Returns Through Surveys

One of the best ways to prevent returns is to understand why customers are returning your items in the first place. One way to collect this information is through customer surveys.

With surveys, customers will have to go through a series of questions so you can understand the reason behind their return. Some of the best questions you can ask in the survey include:

As Bill Gates said himself, “An unhappy customer is the best customer.” Once you understand why customers are returning their orders, you can improve your products and web store.

For example, if a specific item always comes back faulty, you can find ways to fix it. Maybe it’s a flaw in the design, or the item’s packaging isn’t strong enough to sustain the transportation to the customer.

Maybe there’s a line in the product detail that is misleading customers. Understanding their expectations allows you to communicate more effectively in the first place or improve what you’re delivering.

If customers complain that your product looks bigger on your website than in real life, you can focus on improving your images to reflect the actual size of the item.

One of the best ways to prevent returns is to understand why customers are returning your items in the first place

Offer Product Recommendations to Customers

Even if a customer decides to return your item, it doesn’t mean that they won’t ever buy from you again. It could just be that they’re looking for a different product to meet their needs instead.

Especially for clothing or fashion-related items, customers want to see how they look and fit in person. If the returns process is easy, then they will continue to try out different products until they find what they like. Then you’ve got a lifetime customer!

What you can do in this situation is to offer them suggestions for other products that might interest them. If they’ve bought from you before, you can look at their history and see which type of item they typically like.

To take it a step further, you can also offer them redeemable coupons they can use on future purchases. It’s a great tactic to get them to return to your store and eventually buy products from you.

Measure How Much Your Returns Are Costing Your Store

As you manage returns, you must take the time to measure how they’re affecting your revenue. Doing so will help you set up a strategy to minimize them and do better.

Here are some crucial questions you need to be asking yourself:

Make the Return Process Simple and Convenient

How your brand manages returns could make or break your customer relationship. 92% of buyers will shop at your store again if the returns process is fast and straightforward.

For example, you can add a prepaid return label on packages to make the process less frustrating for the customer. You can also give customers a tracking number that lets them know when you receive the item.

Another way to make the returns process worry-free for the customer is to make your order policy straight to the point. Avoid complicated terms, disclose return fees, and set clear expectations between you and the customer.

There are tools you can use that simplify managing returns, which we’ll get into below.

Manage Your Returns With a Shipping Tool

Managing returns isn’t an easy task. Plus, you likely have other priorities in mind for your business, such as marketing your product or optimizing your website. It doesn’t hurt to get a bit of help along the way.

To save you time, various return management tools make the job easier for you. Some of the best tools we recommend on Shopify include:

Conclusion

Returns are part of shopping online. Making it easy will create a more positive customer experience and boost your retention of new customers. Managing them can be a headache, but setting clear policies and effective back-end processes will make them painless. With the right strategy, you can make returns just another selling point for your business!

It can be a headache figuring out your exact shipping rates. There are many factors involved, and if you’re relying on third-party software or a marketplace, then you can be reliant on the rates they give you.

One mistake to avoid is overcharging your customers for shipping. If shipping rates are too high, customers will abandon their carts.

At the same time, you don’t want your shipping rates to be too low. Scaling a business while eating high shipping costs is a recipe for disaster.

So what’s the solution? As a business owner, you likely have other priorities than calculating your shipping costs. It’s the reason why you need to have real-time carrier shipping that helps do the job for you.

What is Real-Time Carrier Shipping?

Real-time carrier shipping consists of software that automatically calculates the shipping rates for buyers during checkout. It considers factors such as product weight and shipping destination to charge the proper rates.

Here are some of the benefits that come with adding real-time carrier shipping to your store:

Avoid Calculating Shipping Rates Yourself

Real-time carrier shipping helps take the guesswork out of calculating shipping costs. Just as buyers are about to checkout, they instantly get access to rates without you manually calculating it yourself.

As a result, you’ll gain extra time to focus on what truly matters the most — running your business. You gain peace of mind knowing you’re charging the correct shipping rates each time.

Charge Customers the Right Amount for Shipping

There are many things to take into account when charging your shipping rates. If you’re not setting up your rates correctly, you risk losing potential sales and revenue over shipping costs.

Real-time carrier shipping ensures you charge the correct amount each time, even if you’re shipping your items overseas.

Provide Transparency to Customers

Any friction during the buying process will cause customers to drop their shopping carts, so you want to ensure they don’t get nasty surprises.

Real-time shipping gives customers an idea of how much exactly they’ll be paying for shipping. As a result, they’ll be more likely to follow through with their purchase.

It’s important to note on the product page that shipping charges will be calculated at checkout—that way, they know exactly what to expect.

Your Carrier Options on Shopify

Shopify has three leading shipping carriers: USPS, UPS, and FedEx. At checkout, customers will get to see the negotiated rates based on the carrier that you selected.

The carrier-calculated shipping feature typically comes with the Shopify Advanced and Shopify Plus Plans. However, you can add it for $20/month, no matter which plan you’re currently on.

Let’s dive into the requirements for each carrier and how you can connect them on Shopify:

USPS

To start with USPS, you must register for a USPS User ID by signing up on their web tools registration form. The ID will give you access to package tracking and shipping rates.

From there, here’s how you can connect your shipping rates to USPS from the Shopify admin:

  1. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery
  2. Go to the accounts and integration section and click on Manage Integrations.
  3. Add USPS as the shipping carrier you want to connect
  4. Enter your USPS User ID in the Connect USPS dialog
  5. At this point, you can add USPS rates to your current shipping zones, even those that don’t currently use USPS rates.

UPS

To calculate your shipping rates with UPS, you must create an account on their official website. Setting up your account is going to be free of charge.

The next step is to find your custom shipping number to connect with UPS. If your UPS account doesn’t have a shipping number yet, you will have to register for one as well.

Here are the different steps to follow when connecting your UPS account on Shopify:

  1. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery
  2. Go to the accounts and integration section and click on Manage Integrations.
  3. Add UPS as a shipping carrier
  4. Enter your UPS credentials in the Connect UPS dialog
  5. Click Submit and continue
  6. Add your account and invoice details on the Verify your UPS® account dialog.
  7. Click submit

FedEx

FedEx is a popular carrier option for many stores. To set it up on Shopify, you must first create a FedEx account on their official website. The different types of shipping rates you can offer customers with FedEx include:

Here’s how to connect to FedEx as a shipping carrier from the Shopify admin:

  1. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery
  2. Go to the accounts and integration section and click on Manage Integrations.
  3. Add FedEx as a carrier.
  4. Enter your FedEx credentials in the Connect FedEx dialog
  5. Select whether you want to add FedEx rates to your existing shipping zones
  6. Click Save

As a business owner, you likely have other priorities than calculating your shipping costs. It’s the reason why you need to have real-time carrier shipping that helps do the job for you.

Learn How to Get the Best Shipping Rates Today

Connecting a carrier to your Shopify store is one of the best ways to estimate shipping rates. By charging customers the exact price, you won’t have to worry about overcharging them or losing money.

When selecting a carrier, you should understand some of the benefits and negatives associated with each carrier. Not everyone can offer free shipping, at least not immediately, but you should review these tips to see how to do it.

Getting reasonable rates involves negotiating with each carrier to get the best rates. Another method is using third-party software that has previously negotiated rates plugged into their software.

Essential Hub works with all our customers to ensure they’re getting the best rates and are taking advantage of a multi-carrier shipping approach. Find out how we can get you up and shipping with better rates immediately!

It’s no secret that customers love free shipping.

91% of them are ready to leave an eCommerce store if they don’t offer free shipping during checkout. It’s a business tactic used by top brands such as Target, Adidas, H&M, and more.

However, don’t let the word ‘free’ fool you — there are cases where free shipping might cause you to lose more money than you’re gaining. Remember that you’ll have to cover the shipping cost, which may hurt your total revenue.

So what do you do? In this blog post, you’ll learn about the benefits of free shipping, what to consider before setting it up in your store, and the tactics that can turn losses into additional sales for your business.

The Benefits of Free Shipping

There’s a reason why offering free shipping is a gold standard in the eCommerce world. Here’s how free shipping influences the purchasing behavior of customers:

Free Shipping Boosts Your Sales and Average Order Value

Everybody loves to get free stuff, and free shipping is no different. According to statistics:

Increase Your Brand Loyalty

Your success in eCommerce depends on your ability to adapt.

Free shipping from brands is now an expectation for the modern customer. A recent survey proves that 8 out of 10 consumers prefer free shipping over getting their items faster.

By offering free shipping, you meet your customers’ needs and give them a reason to return for more.

Decrease Cart Abandonment

Put yourself in the shoes of the customer for a couple of seconds.

Let’s say that you find a product you like and add it to your cart, only to find out about the high shipping rates. What would you do? Chances are, you’d likely leave the cart.

That’s where free shipping comes in. By covering the shipping cost yourself, you’ll encourage customers to follow through and reduce cart abandonment.

What to Consider Before Offering Free Shipping

With that in mind, however, there are cases where free shipping isn’t the right fit for your business. Here are a couple of factors you need to consider before setting up free shipping on your store:

Your Supplier Offers Free Shipping

Whether or not you should offer free shipping also depends on your supplier.

If the supplier you choose offers free shipping, it’s ideal to offer free shipping to your customers. In this case, it won’t be fair to charge them for shipping costs.

However, if they don’t offer free shipping, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to cover the shipping costs or make your customers pay for them.

The Competition Is Offering Free Shipping

If competitors in your niche are offering free shipping as part of their strategy, then it’s best that you do the same.

You don’t want your store to be falling behind everyone else. However, even if the competition isn’t offering free shipping, it could still be a way to make your business stand out from the crowd.

Online customers value free shipping during their purchase. If they explore their options and see that you’re the only one who offers free shipping, they’re most likely to pick you.

Your Customer’s Location

Ask yourself: where are your customers located? Are you only shipping to the United States, or do you have customers overseas as well?

The customer’s location has a significant influence on your shipping costs. That’s why it might be better for your store to offer free shipping only to specific areas.

You’ve Calculated Your Profit Margins

First, you’ll have to do some math to determine if free shipping suits your store.

How free shipping will affect your margins depends on the type of product, where your customers are, and more factors. Keep in mind as well that you’re the one who’s going to have to cover the shipping costs.

Knowing the average order value and average margin on every order will determine if free shipping can work for your business. Does the average order cost you $10 to ship? If your average order margin is more significant than $10, you can cover the cost of shipping.

To compensate for the lost money, you’ll have to develop an effective strategy, which we’ll get into later. You can also keep your shipping expenses down by investing in the right software.

How to Offer Free Shipping Without Hurting Your Bottom Line

As you can see, there’s a lot of thinking that goes into offering free shipping. You can’t just set it up in your store and hope for the best. Thankfully, there are strategies you can use to offer free shipping without going broke. Here are a couple of tactics that should help you:

If competitors in your niche are offering free shipping as part of their strategy, then it’s best that you do the same

Increase the Price of Your Products

An excellent way to win back the money you’re losing to shipping is to increase the price of your products.

However, you also have to be careful when raising your item’s price — you want the price to cover shipping and marketing costs but not high enough that it scares away customers from buying from you.

Customers find free shipping offers twice as compelling as discounts, so consider that when considering a lower price versus a free shipping offer.

Offer Free Shipping for a Minimum Order Size

Another way to cover shipping costs is to offer free shipping when customers pay a specific order size. The extra cash should help you cover the rest of the shipping costs.

However, just like with increasing the price of your products, you need to have a strategy in mind. You can’t just throw a random number around — customers will catch on to your actions.

Let’s say that your average order cost is $22. To invite customers to pay more without feeling like they’re being tricked into buying more, you can offer free shipping for orders above $25.

Here’s an example from skincare company Frank Body, that offers free shipping for orders above $20:

Create a Membership Program for Free Shipping

An option that’s gaining in popularity is setting up membership programs. To qualify for free shipping, customers must sign up and pay a yearly or monthly fee.

A great example of this in action is Barnes & Noble. On top of getting free shipping when customers sign up for their membership program, they also get exclusive perks and bonuses.

 

Offer Multiple Shipping Options at Checkout

Giving customers more than one option will increase their perceived value. When you display rates, include the estimated delivery date. Customers will be able to select a faster option (and choose to pay for shipping themselves) versus selecting the standard, slowest, and low-cost option for your business.

Your Shipping Rates are As Low as Possible

No doubt, getting access to cheaper rates makes offering free shipping easier. The problem is that small and mid-sized businesses can’t access the same discounts as their bigger competitors – or Amazon. A lot of platforms promise better rates, but what they’re really offering is a discount below retail (what you would get at the USPS or UPS store). Any business can access better than retail by setting up a business shipping account.

More tools are available, however, and that’s where a company like Essential Hub can help. We leverage our network of software partners to get customers the best rate and program for their particular needs, and our experts craft a custom shipping profile to leverage the strengths of each carrier. Check out some of our shipping tips, and if you’d like to learn more about how we can help, fill out the contact form below.

Wrapping Things Up

Whether or not you can offer free shipping depends on various factors. These include the type of product you’re shipping, your customer’s location, and what others are doing in your industry.

When free shipping is done correctly, you can boost sales and create loyal customers. It’s all about having the right strategy to make it work.

Keep Your Costs at a Minimum with a Great Shipping Program

Shipping is more than just low rates. An excellent shipping program gets you the best rates for the service you need for each and every shipment. Essential Hub helps our customers with strategy, software, and rates so their business can win more customers and grow!