Each day, major carriers like FedEx and UPS deliver over 25 million packages in the U.S. alone. They manage this process, an intricate and sophisticated one, by using integrated software. That software is also designed to integrate to other software that can help ecommerce businesses better manage the logistics of their operations. If your ecommerce store tackles order and fulfillment every day, and if you are not using a multicarrier shipping solution, this article can help you better understand the benefits.
Choosing the Carrier of Your Choice
Why limit your options to just one shipper? With a multicarrier solution, you can choose between all three major carriers. Since the software will fully integrate, you will be able to easily decide between the carriers of your choosing. Whether that means you ship one package with USPS, another with UPS or yet another with FedEx, you can do so with the click of a button.
Rate Comparisons & Discount Shipping
The cost of shipping will always be of great concern for ecommerce businesses. Studies show that customers want low cost shipping and they want fast delivery of their ordered goods. With an ecommerce multicarrier shipping software solution in place, you will be able to compare rates between all carriers to offer a complete array of shipping options for your customers.
Easing Order Fulfillment
The pick and pack and order fulfillment process can take hours. This is especially true if you are completing the functions manually or having to copy and paste shipping information between different software applications. With a better software solution in place, you can ease these efforts and reclaim time from your day that can be better spent on expanding and marketing your business.
Printing Shipping Labels
You don’t need a thermal printer any longer to print shipping labels. In fact, you can now use a multicarrier shipping solution to print shipping labels for all three major carriers. Since the software is fully integrated, it can enable you to print all-in-one labels from a standard 8.5”x11” sheet of paper with a 4”x8” peel-and-stick shipping label that you simply affix to the outbound package. Imagine how this would ease your efforts for order and fulfillment?
Inventory Management
The best software solution will also integrate with your preferred order management or inventory management software. This will allow you to manage inventories more effectively across multiple online stores. With real-time management, you won’t ever have to worry about posting “out-of-stocks” ever again.
Tracking Orders
Your elected software solution should also track your orders for you and post updates on your behalf. For instance, when an order comes into the system, from your ecommerce shopping cart, it’s tracked. Once you print that label and ship it out, the status is updated to the customer and a tracking number is issued. Lastly, upon delivery confirmation, the order can be expedited as a completed shipment batch.
Returns Management
Finally, returns will happen. According to recent studies, your most fervent shoppers will also make the most returns. Offering a good returns policy can mean the difference between happier customers or lost sales. With a good software solution in place, you will be able to offer returns directly from your website with a do-it-yourself solution in place for the customer that handles all the details for your online store.
About the Author
Michael Jon Lazar is a Growth Hacker from Phoenix, Arizona. He works as an online SEO and digital marketing expert for TrueShip. The company makes a feature-rich multicarrier shipping software solution for ecommerce businesses. When Lazar is not busy helping to grow companies, he enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, their two hyperactive children and his three needy and attention-starved pets.