Choosing The Right Shipping Partner & Strategy for Your Online Store

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Choosing The Right Shipping Partner Strategy
for Your Online Store
There are certain factors which determine
the success of an E-commerce business. Apart
from the quality of products an online store is
offering and the amount of advertising it is
doing, a significant aspect that wins customers
is the Shipping of the products. In an
e-commerce business, the customer is virtually
dealing with the seller. He chooses the product
online and buys the same only through a few
clicks. In spite of the effortless process, the
customer is satisfied only when the product
reaches him physically.
It is not enough that the product reaches the
customer, but it should be in its best condition
and must reach the customer at the earliest.
This is one of the things an online buyer is
concerned about. If there is anything a
buyer cares
about after the quality and cost of the product,
its the shipping of the product.
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• Therefore, to provide a great shopping
  experience to its buyers and grow its
  business, an ecommerce business must focus
  on the shipping strategy of the firm.
• Attributes of An Ideal Shipping Partner
• To follow a seamless shipping strategy, you
  will require the right shipping partner.
  Here are some aspects of a shipping
  partner that should help you determine the
  right partner for you.
• Service and Accountability
• The first and foremost thing to look at
  is the category of service your carrier
  partner is offering. When a shipping company is
  tying up with an e-commerce business, they
  should be very transparent about the time period
  they need to deliver the parcel(s).Today
  shouldnt be or tomorrow in any case. In
  the competitive ecommerce market, you must be at
  a position to inform your buyer at every step
  about the whereabouts of their product and
  the exact day and time when the shipment is
  reaching the buyer. You can only do so when your
  carrier company is accountable to you at every
  step. As a thumbrule go ahead with the leading
  courier and shipping companies in your country.
  For example for US it might be FedEx or UPS, for
  UK it might be Royal Mail, for Australia it might
  be Australia Post or Star Track Shipping.
• Delivery Rates
• For any business, it holds very crucial to
  manage cost. While tying up with a carrier
  partner, you must compare the rates with the
  industry standards. Since the shipping
  industry is full of unpredicted
  liabilities and accidents, your business
  should be fully equipped with the knowledge
  of insurance regarding the products you trust
  your shipping partner with. All the extra
  charges and surcharges should also be made clear
  beforehand to avoid any conflicts later. To
  ensure that all your shipping rates are
  updated live on your online store, you

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• might consider using your shipping partners
  API to display live rates. For example
  Australia Post Shipping provides live
  rates for its freight charges through its
  API.
• Location
• The success of an e-commerce business is as vast
  as the area it covers. The more geographical
  corners you can touch the more you grow. This
  factor is also to be considered while
  choosing a shipping partner. The
  company should be transparent about the areas
  they cover and the quality of service they
  provide in certain areas. Whether they function
  only locally, inter-state, or international, is
  surely a concern for your business. Compare
  the service days various service providers
  are offering and go for the most promising one.
• Flexibility
• Its very important for a shipping company to be
  flexible with its services. Since the work is
  to move shipments beyond boundaries, there
  are bound to be uncertain occurrences which
  might delay the delivery. Its the responsiveness
  of the carrier company that matters then. Do
  question whether they have other options, like to
  send it through other services so that your
  customer is not kept waiting.
• Updated Technology
• Nothing sells without technology today. Since the
  very base of your business is technology, the
  partners who are facilitating the growth of your
  business to a considerable level, should
  also be technologically updated. Your
  shipping partner must have up to date shipping
  technologies and an ability to integrate with
  other companies to complete the task in case
  their services are interrupted for some reason.

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• Effective Shipping Strategy
• Shipping is an undoubtedly a critical
  aspect for your ecommerce business. It
  directly influences customers experiences
  and therefore makes or breaks the reputation of
  your business. Therefore, it becomes really
  important to adopt a proper shipping strategy for
  your online store. Here are some crucial points
  to keep in mind to enhance your stores
  sales through an effective shipping strategy
• Free Shipping
• When it comes to online shopping, additional
  shipping costs were found to be the primary
  reason for abandonment of shopping carts. Free
  shipping definitely acts as a consumer driver. If
  providing free shipping is keeping your sales at
  loss, you can try distributing the shipping costs
  evenly among the products. The buyer wont feel
  the burden of that extra cost then. It
  hence enhances your sales without affecting
  your revenue accounts.
• Cash on Delivery
• Cash on delivery of a product is the most
  popular thing about e-commerce businesses
  these days. People love to shop when they are
  certain that they are not spending a penny before
  they get to hold their product. You will need to
  tie up with your carrier partner for this
  service but its definitely worth it. Most
  people are now looking for Cash on delivery as
  one of the factors while buying any product
  online. If your carrier partner is an expert
  at this, there is less at stake and a lot to win
  back.
• Same or Specific Day Shipping
• Now when the seller is alluring customers with
  new and different facilities, one of the latest
  happens to be same day delivery. Now a customer
  doesnt have to wait for days to receive
  their product. This surely makes online
  shopping

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better for them. You can charge some extra
bucks for that but demand transparency from
your carrier partner about the places/ cities
where they can provide these services hassle
free. You can also provide specific day
delivery to lure customers who might want
to gift to their acquaintances on special
days. Conclusion Shipping is an integral part of
any e-commerce business that deals in selling of
physical products. It might break or make your
companys branding. A customer will stay and come
back when they know that their products will be
delivered in its best form. One messed up
transaction might lead your business to lose that
customer forever. A well formed shipping
strategy does not only satisfy your existing
customers but helps in boosting your sales to a
significant level.

• Resources
• https//store.biztechconsultancy.com/blog/shipping
  -partner-strategy- online-store/
• Reference
• https//store.biztechconsultancy.com/magento-start
  rack-shipping.htm
• https//store.biztechconsultancy.com/magento-austr
  alia-post-extension.htm