Shipping strategies are second in importance only to a business plan (and maybe start-up capital). When you’re shipping to your customer, it’s your final chance to make an impression in the customer’s journey. So making sure your customers have an excellent experience when ordering from your company is imperative to ensuring sustainability. 

Shipping Strategies & Free Benefits

Providing free shipping alleviates any sticker shock from added shipping costs. Then the only additional price is the sales tax… which they know is inevitable. So not only do you attract more interest, but you also drive down your cart abandonment.

Priority Options

Your audience does not enjoy paying for shipping fees. They are focused on keeping costs low and improving operational efficiency. So providing priority options when it comes to low shipping rates– such as flat rate, standard, expedited and LTL– provide a competitive edge. 

  • Standard 

Offering your customers a cost-effective delivery option for shipments of all sizes, standard shipping is your average shipping service. Standard shipping isn’t especially quick, but is still faster than tracked mail services and should be your most affordable option. 

  • Flat rate 

Flat-rate shipping options dictate anything that will fit in pre-priced package ships at the same rate. Regardless of weight, as long as the item fits in a pre-priced package, it will ship for the predetermined rate. A flat-rate envelope, for example, would be one rate whereas a larger flat-rate box for larger items will ship at a higher rate. 

  • Expedited 

Offering expedited shipping– sending a parcel faster than standard means– is a must. Especially as we near the holidays, customers will increasingly require speedy parcel delivery. Expedited shipping can involve delivery anywhere from the same day to as long as three days.

  • LTL

LTL is your answer when you need to ship more than just envelopes and packages. It lets you move larger items on pallets as the best shipping method for your money. Third-party services work in conjunction with express courier providers to ensure shipment. 

Third-Party Shipping

All these courier solutions will improve your business’ reputation while ensuring a faster delivery to keep cart abandonment down. With all your relevant shipping information on one screen, third party shippers work with shipping providers to help you take the hassle out of your shipment operations with customer-centric services.  Third-party delivery providers, such as ShipTime, give you access to more information in fewer steps so you can ship and track faster on the go. They also negotiate pricing and do the work for you so you can focus more on running your business.

When weighing your shipping strategy options, make sure you’re partnering with the right shipping service. ShipTime lets you enter box dimensions and package weight for an accurate rate quote. Aggregating data to find you the best shipping rates available, the ShipTime search engine finds you the best possible shipping rates. Meanwhile, the ShipTime dashboard speeds your shipping quote with predefined box sizes. it also provides predefined incentive rewards with a “My Pickups” functionality to track scheduled pickups and times. 

Learn more here.