E-commerce Shipping: Tips for Beginning Entrepreneurs

If you are starting out in the world of online sales, planning your e-commerce shipping strategy is essential to start off on the right foot.

While it may all seem complex at first, with research and planning, you can make the right choices for your business and ensure your customers have a great online shopping experience.

How to Start Shipping in E-commerce

Who sells products on the internet needs to get them to the customer’s address. That’s where shipping comes into play, and things start to look more challenging.

It’s not uncommon for e-commerce shipping to make retailers’ hair stand on end. After all, this is when the operation leaves their hands and they have to rely on third-party work.

This is the moment when the delivery person that you hire needs to do a good job, because the way he/she delivers will leave, or not, a good impression on your client.

However, there are several steps during this process that require your attention, so let’s start from the beginning.

Choosing the packaging

Before sending your products, you need to ensure that they are safely packaged to be transported.

Damage during shipping is one of the main reasons for returns and customer complaints, and this is largely caused by insufficient or inadequate packaging for the product.

Therefore, your first concern regarding e-commerce shipping should be in relation to types of packaging that exist and choose the ones that are best suited to your products.

– How to choose packaging for shipping parcels

Packaging and filling

Corrugated cardboard boxes, for example, are a good option for shipping a wide variety of items. However, if your products are fragile, it’s advisable to cushion the inside of the box with materials like bubble wrap.

Don’t forget that your packaging also works as an extension of your brand. So, after you’ve covered all the security bases, think about how the style and appearance of the package can contribute to the overall shopping experience and how it reflects your company’s message.

After all, small details are very important to make a good impression on customers.

There are a huge number of packaging and filling options for transportation, and thorough research is essential in this area.

– Types of packaging for food delivery

Calculation of shipping costs

Perhaps one of the most complicated parts of building your e-commerce shipping strategy is determining the shipping cost.

If you don’t do proper research, you could end up losing money and making the shipping cost higher for your customers.

Take the time to map out all the costs associated with delivering your products, then calculate the price to charge accordingly.

There are some freight strategies that you can adopt. The first, and perhaps most popular due to its effectiveness in reducing shopping cart abandonment, is to offer your customers free shipping.

However, for this option to work, you need to cover all the bases. You can pay full shipping, but this will eat into your profit margins. From a business perspective, this isn’t ideal.

One of the most popular ways to offer this option is to make it available with a minimum order value.

While this means you pay the shipping costs, it also helps increase the average order value.

Another alternative that is popular with consumers is to offer different shipping options.

Offer a variety of shipping options, such as fast delivery or within a week, for example, and let them choose which one they prefer.

– Shipping options for e-commerce

International shipping

If you offer international delivery, it is imperative that you thoroughly research the shipping regulations of each country in which you intend to sell.

International shipments generally undergo rigorous customs inspections in order to control the import and export of goods. 

Regulations vary by country; however, you will always be required to declare the shipment, its value, and whether it is a gift or a commercial item.

If you are not adequately prepared for international shipping, you may run the risk of customers’ orders being severely delayed or your customer being charged extortionate fees and taxes on their purchase.

With this in mind, before establishing your international shipping policy, take the time to thoroughly research the regulations of each country you intend to serve.

If your customer is required to pay customs fees when the package arrives, you should include this somewhere in your shipping disclaimer.

Order tracking and customer support

Real-time order tracking is very important for providing more security to the customer and avoiding problems receiving the product, which also helps reduce calls made to your support team.

Allowing your customers to track their orders at every stage of the e-commerce shipping process, in addition to maintaining an open line of communication between your company and the customer, is a great way to ensure greater peace of mind and confidence for the buyer.

If your customer has a problem with delivery, tracking information provides a record for reference, and offering support by phone, chat online or email shows that your company cares.

– 7 Advantages of parcel tracking in e-commerce

Choose the right e-commerce shipping partner

Choosing the right delivery method is vital to the success of your business. After all, in e-commerce, positive customer reviews are everything and they certainly won’t exist if deliveries are late or if the product arrives damaged.

When researching potential partners, pay special attention to aspects such as coverage area, technology they use, reliability and, of course, cost.

With the app Delivery365 you have access to a base of hundreds of registered delivery people.

Developed with focus in fast delivery for e-commerce, the application provides tools to manage orders, calculate shipping, monitor deliveries in real time and even dynamically adjust menus and prices.

In short, it has everything you need to easily create your online store and start selling products and services right now.

– How to create a service delivery

To learn more, visit our website, discover our solutions and ensure an excellent delivery service for your customers.