If you own a product-based eCommerce business, you know how imperative shipping is to your business. You probably also know how challenging shipping can be at times. For example, you must rely on third-party carriers and other factors such as theft and weather. Whether you are starting up your e-commerce business or are already established, check out these shipping resources to help keep your shipping process a smooth one.

Be a Pro Packer

When shipping orders, the first step is to package your products. Packaging should always be cost-effective, functional, and customer friendly.

Packaging Materials

The customer’s unboxing experience is your chance to make a good first impression. It can also provide an experience that customers may want to share and post on social media. Social media influencers, beauty accounts, and more are known for creating “unboxing” videos with new products.

There are many different options when it comes to eCommerce packaging materials for your orders. Many carriers also offer free packaging with a specific shipping rate.

Save Time Buying Shipping Labels

You can avoid extra trips to the post office by buying discounted shipping labels from your eCommerce company such as Shopify. Once purchased, you can print off your shipping label and attach it to your package.

Get Your Orders Delivered Right

Today there are an array of shipping types and delivery methods available. Brands can now send products to customers via more innovative options than traditional mail such as local delivery or in-store pickup.

Local Delivery

Local delivery may be a good option if your customers are located nearby. You may also hire a dedicated staff member to deliver your orders or leverage a third-party service to pick up the orders and deliver them to a customer’s address.

Local delivery is also a great fulfillment method for brick-and-mortar retailers. It can effectively improve sales, especially if you have large items to transport.

Taxes

When you are selling products across state or country lines, it is important to understand the different tax obligations. You or your customers may owe taxes to the state in which you are operating, as well as the state in which the order is delivered. Each state has its own unique tax guidelines.

International Shipping

If you are interested in tapping into the global economy, selling internationally is one way to do so. However, this tactic comes with logistical challenges, including international shipping. With international shipping, you will need to use different carriers or a combination of carriers to account for higher costs and longer shipping times. You may also have to change your tax settings.

Optimize Your Ecommerce Shipping Processes

If you have an established eCommerce process, you probably already have some shipping processes in place. However, sometimes you can change what you have already set in place without a major overhaul.

Communicate Shipping Delays

Whenever you experience a shipping delay, it is important to communicate it. This means notifying the customers directly and also speaking with your supply chain, logistics team, operations, and whoever else may be impacted.

It is vital to stay in communication with your customers to keep them up to date on the shipping process. Sending an email to your subscribers can help to keep them in the loop. Also, don’t forget to update your shipping policy regularly.

Offer Free Shipping for Large Orders

Free shipping is no longer just a bonus, as many consumers consider it now to be the norm. While you may not be able to offer free shipping on all of your orders you may want to consider creating an order minimum. Customers who make a purchase above the order minimum will receive free shipping.

Build Your eCommerce Store with DLM Today

At DLM, we are dedicated to proving you with a user-friendly eCommerce store. If you are interested in starting an eCommerce store or would like to improve your current store contact DLM to schedule a 15-minute demo today! We can’t wait to speak with you.