How To Ship Your E-commerce Products in 2024
Gathering all the best products is only one half of the battle when creating a successful e-commerce business. After all, how are you going to attract customers if you don’t have the right products to fulfil their requirements?
Once you’ve sourced your products and you’ve set up shop, it’s important that you choose the right shipping method. The right shipping and distribution options are crucial to how successful you’ll be in e-commerce. Is the fastest option always the answer? Do people really want to wait for slower delivery in this day and age? The lines are very blurred when it comes to distribution, but get it right, and you’ll find great success.
There are plenty of advantages that your e-commerce business will experience by simply choosing the right shipping method. By meeting all the customers’ expectations, you’ll put yourself in a great position to boost sales, reduce costs and generate a solid customer base. You’ll find that your operations will run a lot smoother too, reducing processing times across your department. With the correct shipping, you could potentially look to expand your business to international markets.
Standard
Whether you want to call it economy shipping, regular or any other name, it won’t take away from the fact that standard shipping is the most popular form of shipping. Despite it being the slowest, one huge advantage standard shipping has is how cost-effective it is, helping business owners to boost their profit margins.
Expedited
If you’re looking to improve your customer service, expedited shipping is your best option, delivering items in the fastest way possible. If you’re shipping perishable or time sensitive items, this method is imperative to satisfy your customers. However, this can be an expensive process, especially if you don’t have the correct systems and equipment in place.
Same Day
Want to take priority shipping one step further? Have your products sent out and delivered on the same day, ensuring that time-sensitive goods are delivered before any damage is caused. Although this seems like the perfect solution to distribution, and has proven to be a valuable tool for many businesses, not all will be able to undertake this method as it requires the correct resources and level of efficiency to carry it out.
Flat Rate
By charging the same cost for every product you sell, you’re simplifying the buying process for the consumer. However, while customer satisfaction would go up, charging a universal rate isn’t very cost effective if you’re looking to send smaller, lighter products. If there’s too much variation in the size of your product, you might want to stay clear of flat rate shipping.
Free
Customers are constantly looking at ways to save money and if a company is offering free shipping on their products, you have an advantage over your competitors. And yes, while free shipping will attract more customers and potentially increase sales, it could be very expensive for smaller businesses to offer – especially if they’re selling large and/or heavy goods.
International
When selling your products to customers in other countries you only have one shipping option. International shipping is a great asset for your business if you’re looking for exposure in other markets, but it requires a lot of administration beforehand. Prep work includes the need for import agents and international freight companies to send a product abroad, all of which could result in an unwanted cost.
Local Delivery
Sending a product through the post can be quite impersonal and depending on the item, can affect the chances of it arriving in the intended condition. If your customers are local to you and your base, you could deliver their new purchases to their door in an instant, connecting with your nearby customers and building up more connections. However, this can pose logistical issues when trying to co-ordinate all deliveries.
Conclusion
There are many factors you have to consider when deciding which shipping option is going to work best for your business, as the wrong choice could impact your customers’ overall experience and potential brand loyalty. It ultimately comes down to the cost that each of these options has on your business, and how effective they’ll be.
Are you looking to streamline your inventory management system to improve your e-commerce shipping capabilities? BlueHub can provide integration solutions that support your business’ growth and efficiency.