The Ultimate Guide to eCommerce Shipping Policies and Processes
Can Your Business Run Without Shipping Policies & Processes?
Most businesses believe that making sales is the most important thing. While it is essential, there is more to every successful business. Neglecting all the steps that succeed in a purchase will eventually reduce your company’s customer retention. A vital part of every customer’s experience is how and when they receive what they ordered. ECommerce shipping plays a crucial role in establishing reliable brand integrity and trustworthiness.
The internet has made it possible for your product to be globally accessible. This opportunity makes international shipping crucial to every eCommerce store. With borders come laws and restrictions. It would be best if you stay updated with the correct information to ensure global shipment efficacy. Before you decide on what shipping method to adopt—including split shipping and partial shipment options—there are a few things you must know. Having adequate knowledge will help you choose an efficient carrier that corresponds with your company’s financial status.
At Clarity Ventures, we have put our experience and expertise into this helpful checklist that will guide your company’s shipping strategy to get your goods to the rightful owners adequately.
5. Steps for your eCommerce store shipping. We live in a digital age where people have the option of next-day delivery. Everything is faster, and this is no excuse for a reduction in efficiency and quality of service. Here are a few things you need to fulfill to establish and improve your eCommerce shipping strategy.
Define your Shipping Process
Make adequate plans for how you will configure your shipping process ahead of time. You will need to know if you require packing slips, tracking numbers, automatically providing the customer with tracking information, etc.
Decide if you want your eCommerce platform to pull tracking information directly from the shipping carrier or if you will update the account manually in your ERP and have eCommerce pull from there.
Since shipping over a long distance may take a little longer to be delivered, you should consider making international shipment tracking available to respective customers to keep them informed of their orders every step of the way. The tracking process is one that most customers like to stay on top of, so you need to have an eCommerce shipping that allows for frequent updates on the location of the order.
Set Up Carrier Accounts
It would be best if you went for credible couriers to avoid the loss of products and long-term customers that may be a consequence of an inefficient delivery company.
Although most eCommerce businesses will want to use standard shipping options like UPS, USPS, FedEx, or DHL, you should compare the shipping rates and reputation of various shipping providers before making a choice. There are also partial shipping and split shipping options to consider.
Find out which is more beneficial for your business; Flat rate shipping (fixed amount), Rate shipping depending on package dimension, or free shipping. Take your time to study any carrier contract you consider to increase your company’s profitability. Here a few steps to take;
- Negotiate shipping rate contracts with multiple carriers, keeping in mind what your developer and the platform can afford.
- Set up an account with any carrier you plan to use
- Ensure you are ready to provide account login details to your development partner
Determine Conditions on International Shipping
If you ship internationally, will you automate customs and duties through your eCommerce platform? Some platforms can produce the proper labels, customs forms, and tracking automatically. Keep in mind that you may not be able to ship some products based on their classification. Be sure you know all relevant shipping laws and where they apply before attempting to sell and ship your products. This will require that you carry out adequate research as regards custom, VAT, and duties.
Prepare Dimensional Weight Information
Most couriers offer charges that depend on the proportion of the package. Be prepared to provide dimensional product data like L x W x H and Weight. These measurements will determine the cost of shipping, especially in the case of International shipping. This step doesn’t apply if you are using a flat rate shipping method or free delivery.