In this time when everybody is so busy in their life, no one has time to go on shopping and spend their whole day shopping that’s why everybody prefers online shopping. According to research, approximately 45% of people abandon their online shopping carts because of the expensive cost of shipment. Moreover, shipping is the first customer satisfaction indication. No matter how excellent and low-priced your products, clients still think you deliver a poor service if they do not get their shipment fast. Therefore, sellers always try to look for a shipping solution that is inexpensive to customers and deliver products as fast as possible for the good image of their online store. Here are some tips to pick the perfect shipping providers for your products.
Coverage
The very first thing is to make sure that your partnership products to all areas you want!
First and foremost important is to make sure that you choose that shipping service for your products that can access all areas where you want to ship. If your target audience is your country and you want to ship your products only within your country, it is essential to check whether the provider ships to remote locations.
If you want to expand your circle and your target clients are foreigners as well, then you should choose a worldwide shipping carrier service. If you choose worldwide service then you need to answer some questions to pick a global shipping provider, For example: Which way do you want to transport your products is it via ocean cargo or air cargo?
In the worldwide shipping service, the cost of shipping international should also be considered because it varies between different cargo shipping companies and packages that they offer. Have a look at some examples, if a package of the same size (4x6x6) and weight (2 pounds) is transported from Sacramento, US to Toronto, Canada. The United Parcel Service (UPS) will cost a higher fee that is nearly $10 than USPS (United States Postal Service).
Similarly, if you are delivering products to Africa, then you need to see the local companies like African Post, an African Crowdshipping startup, founded by Mr. Toure Mamoudou.
It is the best option for businesses and individuals to send a parcel to Africa with just a few clicks.
Pricing
With the other aspects pricing also plays an important role in the search for shipping providers. You must be very careful while choosing a shipping provider because if the cost of shipping is higher than that can cause your customers to cancel their purchases. On the other hand, choosing a carrier just because of their cheap pricing is also a double-edged sword that can be dangerous for your company’s reputation. Trade or retail businesses may have products that have risks such as delivering late, getting lost, or arrives damaged. So, the main thing is that how you choose between different reasonable options from the market. Price generally differs on different factors, such as the type of shipping method is being used. The most expensive yet fastest shipping method is air cargo shipping. Air cargo is much quicker than ocean cargo, for example, it shortest China-USA cargo shipping time is from 20 to 30 days by the ocean but it will take only 3 days if you choose by air cargo shipping. If your clients are mostly international or distant from your place of business, then you must choose air shipping services for that you must look for some options for a shipping company that provides air cargo.
Another factor that is affecting price is the volume shipment, your product size is also matters and the prices vary according to the size of shipments, such as space and weight. When your business delivers products regularly to customers, make sure that the shipping carrier that you choose offers you a good discount for regular shipping service as you are their regular customer.
Reliability
Reliability is very important when it comes to shipping. You must choose a reliable shipping partner for your business.
Apart from reasonable and affordable shipping, retailers and sellers should consider how trustworthy, responsible, and reliable a shipping provider is. A serious company of shipping will offer you a certain guarantee and security for your shipping products, such as insurance. Most good shipping providers cover the insurance for products from the beginning to the end of the journey, which is generally $0.6 per pound minimum.
Delay and Damage Policies
With reference to unexpected events that happened in the past, such as damaged products or your customers refuse to receive packages, how does your shipping company will react in this kind of situation? It is of utmost importance to check the courtier company’s policies.
What do shipping companies do as they come to a customer’s home but the client is not there to receive their shipping packages?
In these cases when your customers are not at home to collect products from the shippers, a shipping provider should reschedule a certain time to deliver the package or leave a slip in the customers’ mailbox as when they receive it they contact back the shipper to receive their products. A good shipping carrier will be responsible for your products and have an eventuality plan for these events.
There are some shipping company’s policies regarding covering the damage of products!
On the other hand, retailers and sellers should be well aware of the shipping company’s policy on covering damages and how much do they compensate for any damages.
To wrap it up
Whomever shipping company delivers your products to your customers is a representative of your store. If the shipping company fails to satisfy your customers, you are getting a bad name. That why it is a must to take careful considerations to decide which carrier company is the best choice for your business.