Ecommerce shipping is the act of delivering products to a customer after they have placed an online purchase.
Typically, the shipping process will involve at least some of the following, if not all.
You receive an order placed online.
You are responsible for sourcing the products that require shipping; verify their dimensions and weight.
Confirm and double-check the shipping destination.
Compute the shipping cost and determine if there are other shippers who may be a superior choice.
Determine which shipping company you will use.
Pick your packaging.
Protect yourself with insurance and monitoring.
Shipping abroad? Examine legalities.
Label your shipping materials.
The key is to keep your customer informed and ensure they know precisely how their purchase will be delivered.
Communicating shipping rates and timing to your customers during the transaction process can increase cart conversion, provide clarity and transparency, and boost consumer confidence.
Free delivery
Free shipping is one of the most effective methods to reduce shopping cart abandonment. As you might anticipate, shipping is never gratis. Someone must always pay. Several alternatives exist for implementing free shipping successfully.
Raise product prices to offset shipping expenses (customer pays).
The complete cost of shipping is deducted from your profit margins.
Raise product prices marginally to cover a portion of shipping costs (you and your customer pay).
Provide a discount code for multiple-item purchases, such as Spend $30 and receive free shipping!
Offering flat-rate shipping is a popular alternative. Best practice for this option is to ensure that you are not significantly undercharging or overcharging customers. When you have a relatively standard product line with similar dimensions and weights, flat rate shipping is most effective.
If you sell a wide variety of products with varying sizes and weights, flat-rate shipping is likely to become complicated and less effective.
Local delivery is a second option to consider. This is a fantastic option for local businesses seeking to provide their consumers with a simple and dependable delivery method. When configuring local delivery, you can specify a radius or a list of zip/postal codes for the delivery area. Customers within your defined delivery location will have the option to choose "local delivery" as a shipping method during checkout.
Shipping, Packaging and Presentation
As Ecommerce evolves, so do the expectations of online shoppers. Packaging and shipping were once merely a means of receiving an online purchase, but an increasing number of consumers now view shipping, packaging, and presentation as part of the purchasing experience.
This expectation means that, in addition to selling products, many businesses must go above and beyond to impress consumers and exceed their expectations by delivering an experience, not just a product, in order to compete effectively.
Packaging inserts and presentation can be an efficient means of differentiation.
Some of the most successful and engaging brands of the present day are those that use packaging to deliver an unboxing experience that goes beyond the product.
Ecommerce shipping
There are fundamentals that serve as a foundation for the remainder of shipping products to clients. These are the main decisions and actions that comprise your high-level shipping strategy, although you can return and modify them as you gain more knowledge.
Your shipping costs and procedures
Will you charge your customers the full cost of shipping, or will you offer free or flat-rate shipping to absorb some or all of the cost? How do you intend to deliver purchases to your local customers? You will have more information on how to make this decision for your business by the end of this post.
Product weights
Measure and update the weight of each product you sell to expedite the shipping process for ecommerce orders. Having this information about your ecommerce shipments set up will help you determine your total costs and provide your customers with accurate pricing.
Choose your packaging
While there is more to be said about the appropriate packaging for your products, once you've chosen it, you can submit that information to Shopify in order to calculate shipping costs accurately.
Brand your packaging materials
Some carriers, such as USPS, UPS, and DHL, offer free packaging but it is looks more professional if you invest in branded packaging.