If you’ve started a business online, you need to consider the shipping options. There are several standards, including a free option, flat-rate, and also real-cost and even same-day delivery. The method you desire is based on what you’re willing to spend, and what your competitors want to pay. You need to make sure you realize this, since it can be the deciding factor between customers choosing you over another. 80% of shoppers online consider two things, the price and the shipping costs, and the other 66% will even say that they won’t even buy an item if the shipping is too long.
So what can you do to make this better? Well, read on to find out.
You should choose the one that fits your company. Ground usually is the cheapest, but air tends to get there the fastest.
You should then look at the billable weight. Whether you’redetermining shipping costs, the weight of this is the determining factor. Actual weight is the total weight of the package, usually rounded up. The dimensional weight is the density of this, and you can calculate the weight of the package by multiplying the length by the width and then dividing that by 165 for domestic, and 139 for international, and the measurements should be in inches. You will be billed the higher amount of the weight you choose.
Then, you choose the service provider. Usually, you shouldn’t just blindly accept the prices that are there, and instead, you can talk to the representatives. You shouldn’t assume that it’s bad to ask for discounts. You can always create online accounts to track what you ship, and you should consider trying to ship more because the more you do ship, the more power you have to negotiate. An online account will also allow you to track pickups. Many of the service providers even give a flat rate bo, and that can save you a lot of money. You should shop around, and choose the ones you feel best fit.
You can offer free shipping in some cases, and you can do it by setting minimums on their order to qualify, offer seasonal free shipping during the peak seasons, which is where a lot of companies tend to make their sales. Free shipping, especially during the holidays is good.
Finally, you can always consider offering free shipping to customers that are loyal. They can pay a small fee and be a loyalty member, similar to Amazon prime, and it can offset the costs of this.
You should also try to embed shipping too. If you do that, they’ll think they got it for free, but it won’t absorb the shipping costs, but be careful with this because customers can track this in many cases.
When it comes to shipping, you want to make it so that you’re not losing money on this, and ultimately do what you feel works for you. If you’re smart about this, you can save money.