It’s a fact – shoppers expect to pay as little as possible for shipping – in fact, they expect shipping to be free. Well, customers expect their products to be delivered in perfect condition too. Customer expectations and experiences have never been more important. For ecommerce stores, shipping products successfully is one of the most vital parts of customer experiences. Shipping need not be a complicated affair. Let’s take a look at carriers, methods and fulfillment solutions.

What are carriers?

Essentially, a shipping carrier is the person or a company that physically delivers products to customers. Each delivery has a certain rate and there is a certain criteria that must be fulfilled to arrive at a number which is usually a combination of weight, speed and distance. So, ecommerce businesses that are looking for a shipping carrier, it’s essential to find which one is suitable for your business. Here are a few things to consider:

Pricing: Compare providers and their prices per package – otherwise you will end up passing shipping costs to your customers or adding them to your business expenses. Find out discounts that are offered on shipping in bulk using WooCommerce Shipping extensions so that you get  reduced rates in shipping labels.

Weight limits: Some shipping carriers have weight limits that add to the cost. Be sure to compare various providers and their criteria for weight.

International shipping: Check out options for international shipping – some carriers do not offer international shipping.

Delivery experiences: Some carriers have unique offerings or services that make them more successful at delivering packages to customers such as pick up locations, special door access etc. Fragile items and those that might need cold storage need extra care. Find out which carrier is best if your products offer these services.

Insurance: Choose a carrier that offers insurance coverage if you want to provide extra protection to your packages.

Weekend delivery: Some providers skip weekend deliveries. If your products need weekend deliveries, find out which carrier can offer that.

Some businesses use multiple carriers so as to ease out the entire process depending on the type of services each carrier provides.

Shipping methods

Shipping methods constitute the rates and services that customers can choose from during checkout. These are usually integrated according to the carrier service you work with and determine what shoppers need to pay for shipping and how quickly they’ll receive their purchase.

A variable amount based on weight, location and delivery speed. Flat rate based on weight, location and delivery speed, Free shipping.

Sometimes the best way is to connect your store to your carrier using an extension – which will automatically calculate shipping charges in real time, based on weight, box size, destination and such other factors.

Fulfillment solutions

Fulfillment solutions include the process of delivering your products – right from determining the shipping costs to printing labels.

Printing shipping labels

The shipping labels tell the carrier where the destination of the package is and when it is supposed to arrive.

Product packaging is an opportunity to delight your customers. It also impacts the rates that you charge customers for shipping.

It is essential that every aspect of the fulfillment process is seamless – this will minimize returns and will speed up the overall shipping time. Finally, customers should be constantly updated about where their package is and how much time it will take to arrive.

WooCommerce has all the necessary tools and extensions that you would require for successfully shipping the product to your customers!

Need help with setting up your ecommerce store? We are here to discuss your requirements in detail. Contact us on info@eliteinfoworld.com

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