Shipping is a critical component of any e-commerce business. This is because shipping is an integral part of the buying process, and your service quality directly impacts your customers’ experience.
The process can be expensive, time-consuming, and frustrating, depending on how you go about it. Luckily, there are many ways to improve shipping efficiency. Here are some tips to ensure your e-commerce shipping is as efficient as possible.
Choose a suitable carrier for your product
When shipping products, you need to be sure you choose a suitable carrier.
Shipping carriers are responsible for transporting and delivering your products from the warehouse to your customers. You want a shipping company like https://firstmile.com/ that reliably takes your product from the warehouse and delivers it to your customers on time.
Luckily, there are many options available in the market. To ensure that you are hiring the right company, you need to look out for a number of features. These include:
Make sure they can handle the weight of your product
This is not an issue if you deal with phones and other light accessories, but if you’re shipping heavy items like furniture or appliances, make sure the carrier can handle large packages.
Look at their reviews and ratings
Sites like Google and Yelp could be instrumental in establishing their reputation. If there are a lot of complaints about poor service, stay away from the company.
Research online
You can learn more about a particular carrier by searching Google or their website for shipping information. You can also contact them directly via phone or email if necessary.
Try different packaging methods
Properly packaging your products can come in handy in streamlining your shipping process. A suitable packaging method will help you reduce shipping costs, speed delivery, and make your customers feel more confident about buying from you.
The most important thing you can do is to try different packaging methods and find the one that works the best for you. Here are some common options.
Paper boxes
Paper Boxes are cheap and easy to ship, but if you ship a heavy or fragile product, it might bend or break in transit. It also takes up more space in your warehouse.
Plastic bags
Plastics are lightweight and can be reused many times over. The downside to these, however, is that they aren’t eco-friendly.
Foam packaging
Foam packaging is lightweight and reusable but expensive compared to cardboard boxes. Also, sealing properly around small packages like candy bars or pens can be challenging.
Use tracking numbers
One of the most important things you can do for your e-commerce business is to use tracking numbers on every order. This will allow you to track your shipments and ensure you don’t lose any shipping packages.
If you use a shipping company, they should provide tracking numbers for every shipment. This way, if an order has any problem, it can be easily traced, and a customer can initiate a return.
Don’t put everything in one box
Putting each product into its box is the best practice if you’re shipping multiple items. This way, if one product breaks during transit, you can remove it from the package rather than deal with the entire thing coming apart at once.
It also helps keep your costs down because everything is packed separately instead of being stuffed into one giant box with lots of space around it.
Ship in bulk whenever possible
Shipping in bulk is the most efficient way to ship orders. This is because it saves you money by transporting fewer packages at a time. Plus, it’s also better for the environment because you can reduce the amount of packaging waste from shipping in individual packages.
For example, if your products are shipped in a box with six bottles of wine, you can transport much more than if each bottle was shipped individually. It’s also more efficient to ship multiple items together than separately because they add less weight or volume when combined.
Prepare for peak times
Packaging materials can be costly if they aren’t purchased in advance, so ensure you have enough at hand before peak shipping times arrive. Also, ensure that your packaging and shipping supplies are easy to access during peak periods.
For example, if you’re selling items from multiple locations, have one place where everything is stored and accessible at all times and another spot where only specific items can be accessed for packing or shipping purposes.
This will help decrease costs by limiting the number of trips required by different people throughout the day and night. You can also avoid delays because you’ve run out of packaging materials.
Ship at off-peak hours
No matter how many products you have in stock, you will only be making money if you can ship them out.
Shipping at night is the best way to ensure efficient e-commerce shipping. During the day, most people are at work, so there will be a lot of human and car traffic. You also want to avoid having a long line of customers waiting outside your store while you try to get their parcels out the door.
Shipping your products during off-peak times will help with both of these issues. It will also allow you to spend more time with your customers and less on shipping logistics.
Use flat-rate shipping
Flat-rate shipping is a great way to ensure you’re always charging the same amount for shipping, regardless of how much your package weighs. This can be especially helpful if multiple products in various sizes or weights are shipping from the same warehouse.
Flat-rate shipping also helps with refunds and returns, as customers will know exactly how much they pay for their order.
Bottom Line
With the right tools, you can make your e-commerce shipping more efficient. Find a reliable shipping company, use the right shipping boxes, and take advantage of flat-rate shipping.
You will rarely get it right the first time, but with ongoing trials, you will find an efficient way to ship your products and grow your e-commerce business reliably.