“What do you need to ship your products?”
If we posed this question to you, what would be your response? A package? A shipping label? Packing peanuts if you want to be old-school. These may be true, but do you know everything you need to for e-commerce shipping? We are going to break down the need-to-knows for shipping your products efficiently and effectively.
Containers.
One of the fundamental decisions you need to make when setting up your e-commerce shipping is deciding what kind of packaging is best for your products. This is really important if you have products with different dimensions that will require more protection or even a larger-sized container. Do you want to use cardboard boxes or bubble wrap sleeves? Do you want to have weighted containers or make them as light and manageable as possible?
When making choices about your shipping parcels, make sure you consider how difficult an item might be to transport or how much room it will need in its container.
Shipping Rates and Zones.
Another essential task you would need to tackle is choosing the rates for shipping your products and where you will be shipping your products domestically and foreign. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to shipping rates, but you will want to keep in mind how much you are asking your customer to spend on shipping. If you make it too steep, they won’t order products from you.
Ensure where you are sending your products does not have any restrictions that would prevent customers from receiving certain items. Do your research about where your ideal shipping zones are and comply with all regulations and rules for shipping to these areas.
Acknowledge Your Unique Challenges.
Every product sold and shipped has its own requirements for being transported safely and efficiently; you have to consider the conditions of your products when establishing your e-commerce shipping.
For example, if you’re a tech company and you ship products containing lithium batteries, you need to take the proper precautions when packaging and labeling your items. Or suppose you’re a meal delivery company and you have perishable items being transported. In that case, you need to include whatever preserving methods you choose to keep the items fresh while being shipped.
Terms You Need to Know!
- Shipping Methods. Such as two-day shipping and figuring out which one will best fit your company’s needs.
- Shipping Origins. This means whether your product is originating from your brick-and-mortar store or a warehouse.
- Fulfillment. This can be done at a fulfillment center or through a drop-shipper. It refers to the process of receiving, shipping, and filling customer orders.
- LTL Shipping. This means ‘less than truckload’ freight shipping, usually referring to smaller goods that don’t take up an entire truck when shipping.
- Shipping Carriers. Meaning the shipping companies you work with, such as FedEx or UPS.
You can refer to the entire list of recommended terms for e-commerce shipping here.
There are many terms and tasks to consider when setting up your e-commerce shipping abilities, and paying close attention to them will help make the process easier for you and more successful once implemented. For more ideas and practices to consider, you can review the e-commerce site Shopify's suggestions for shipping with them here.
