January 2019

Who’s The Real Star Of A Stellar Online Customer Experience?

We all know that shopping online has taken over the way companies do business. But what you may not know is that shipping options can make or break the deal for the majority of buyers. 

About 85% of Amazon users won’t buy a product because of the shipping charges. Then 60% of Prime users won’t buy your product if the shipping is too slow. 

How do your delivery options stack up? You are probably missing out on a lot of sales because your delivery options aren’t what shoppers are looking for. 

Let’s go over the delivery options that you have available to you. 

Tracking 

First things first, no matter what shipping options you offer your buyers, you must provide tracking. Your customers want to know when their order ships and when they can expect it. 

In fact, they are more likely to be happy with a longer shipping time as long as they know when the delivery will happen. By offering them an online portal to track their shipment you give them a higher level of communication and build trust.

Rush or Expedited Shipping 

Amazon has proven that some customers want their items fast. In fact, there is a whole community of Prime members who pay a yearly fee just to have two-day shipping on all of their orders. 

Sephora has followed suit and they offer a yearly membership of $15 to get their FLASH shipping. That’s free 2-day shipping on all orders. 

The advantage for you is that these customers are more likely to order more product because they know they have free shipping. 

One Off Rush Shipping 

You don’t have to offer a membership to offer rush shipping. This will be a more most expensive shipping option, but your customers will expect that. 

This option is about service and speed, not price. 

Low-Cost Shipping 

You need to provide a low cost or free shipping option. This will cover all of your customers who don’t want to pay for shipping. 

Now this means that you need to cover the shipping cost yourself. You could build the cost of shipping into the price of the product. This isn’t always possible though. 

Your other option is to reduce your shipping costs. One way to do this is to work with a shipping service that provides warehousing. 

You would then hire them to store and ship your inventory. This does two things for your business. First, it reduces your shipping costs by streamlining the process. It also reduces costs by allowing you to leverage the shipper’s volume for lower rates. 

The second thing it will do is place your product closer to your future customers.

Think about it this way, if your company is in Florida, but most of your customers are in New Jersey, then they have to wait for their order to go from Florida to New Jersey every time they order. 

Instead, have your company in Florida, but warehouse your inventory in New Jersey or nearby. Then when a customer orders it only travels a short distance, getting to your customer faster. 

In-Store Pickup

Another popular option is in store pickup. Walmart and Target have been leaders in this type of shipping service. It works well for your business because you already have the logistics infrastructure in place to support it. 

It can also streamline your inventory management since the product may not even need to be shipped. It may already be located in the store. 

There is also the added benefit of getting your customers in the store. This increases the likelihood of buying more once in the store. 

For those who do business online and in brick and mortar locations, this is an option that should be embraced. About 60% of shoppers aged 15 to 49 would be happy to have and want to use this service. 

Shipping Large Items 

If you are in the business of shipping large items then carrier or parcel shipping isn’t for you. In this case, you can provide your customers with the highest level of customer service by arranging shipping for them. 

If you work with a broker you ensure that they get full service at the best price. Your customers may not know that they will have to pay extra for last mile and in-home delivery. 

You can get the best rates for both of these by leveraging your broker’s shipping volume. This also takes all of the headaches and work out of the buying process.

Your customers will appreciate the prompt on-time delivery. This type of service is what will separate your business from your competitors. 

Delivery Options for Your Business 

You don’t need to give buyers all of the delivery options that are out there. You just need to offer a couple of different options. This will allow you to cater to the needs of a wide range of shoppers. 

You want to have one low-cost option. This will cover those who don’t care how long the shipment takes, they want the lowest cost possible. 

Then you want a mid-grade option, people who are willing to pay a little bit to get their item slightly faster than the cheapest option. Many buyers will choose this option because it seems like a better option. 

Finally, you want a fast shipping option. This is for those who want their item RIGHT NOW. These shoppers are willing to spend extra money to make sure they get their item as fast as possible. 

With these options, you are sure to have something to satisfy the biggest amount of people. 

Contact us today and let us help you formulate your shipping strategies. 

in Courier Service / Final Mile Deliveries 0 comments

National Delivery Service vs Regional Delivery Service: Which is Right for You?

Do you think you offer the best services your customers need and deserve?

Think about it: there are almost 30 million small businesses in the country. How does your business stand out?

One area you can excel above the rest is package delivery. Customers hate poor courier service like the plague. People also want their orders delivered as soon as possible.

If you need to get your package delivered, you need to understand the different types of courier deliveries. You need to know whether a national delivery service fits your requirements. Otherwise, you might need to use regional delivery instead.

The reason you need to differentiate is to narrow down your choices. Remember, if you’re a business who wants to save money, you need to stay informed. If you want to learn which shipping partner to choose, read on.

What’s the Difference Between a National Courier and a Regional Courier?

Before you know which to choose, you need to understand the differences. The first thing you should remember for national services is that they’re big. It means they have a larger means of transportation.

Having these traits help them with their reach. It allows them to operate anywhere in the country.

National deliveries have the capabilities to use shipping routes that take a week to travel. For example, large companies like FedEx Freight are national courier providers. They can give continuous delivery services no matter where you are in the country.

As for regional carriers, they’re smaller companies that operate in local areas. That means their area of operation is much smaller compared to national carriers. Most people consider businesses as regional carriers if they’re giving services for shipments within a 500-mile radius.

Some of the better regional companies can deliver up 1,200 miles away. It’s only possible if the clients can wait for an additional day. That means far-off customers can only use the second-day services offered by these businesses.

What are the Advantages of Each Carrier?

The advantages of these services depend on your situation. Your business size and your area of operation are two of the best factors to consider. Here are the things you should consider:

National Services

National delivery services have the size for a wider reach. With the size, these companies have access to a greater level of resources like the latest technology.

The resources make it possible for the national carriers to maintain more complex delivery routes. This allows them to keep a bigger customer base. Some can even partner up with large retail companies sell items by the bulk.

The size and abundance of resources make it possible for national carriers to have the proper equipment. It enables them to serve longer routes. It’s much longer than any regional or local courier services.

National services, because of their scale, tend to have a stronger system to protect their company’s integrity. They might offer better insurances to protect packages. Also, even if they cover a larger area, they sometimes work faster than regional couriers because of their organized operations. 

It’s also common for national couriers to have better customer service and more efficient tracking. Very often, it’s not a hassle to log into their website and get efficient real-time data regarding the location of a package. Regional couriers don’t often get this because they might not have the resources to maintain this level of monitoring.

Regional Services

The regional carriers are great when you need to rely on shorter deliveries. Their limited area of operation gives them more flexibility to their services. Often, they’re more familiar with the routes within their service area.

They know shortcuts and other situations since they’re traveling more often in the same area. A lot of customers feel satisfaction when they work with regional carriers. It’s not unusual since these carriers have a smaller customer base.

What are the Drawbacks of Each Carrier?

When it comes to freight weight, trucks move around 71% of the entire country’s packages. Despite this, both types of services have their own drawbacks. Here are some things you need to remember:

National Service

The biggest issue with national couriers is that they may charge a higher price. However, you have to put this into context: most national couriers offer better service, better insurance, and faster delivery. You get what you pay for, after all.

Although national services can be faster, there’s no denying they may have to travel farther distances and go through different vehicles. A package from one end of the country heading to the other might have to go through a bus, an airplane, and finally a truck before reaching the customer. This raises the risk, albeit only sightly, of the package getting damaged while on the road.

Regional Service

The most obvious limitation of regional couriers is their limited geographic areas. What this means is that they will charge you a lot. It’s especially true if it’s outside their normal delivery area.

Even then, it’s possible that they’ll reject your request. It happens when it’s too far for them to make it worth their resources.

If you coordinate different regional services, you might get the deliveries done faster. But the problem is that it’s expensive and often unwieldy. This means regional carriers aren’t the best choice if you plan to have longer shipments.

National Delivery vs. Regional Delivery – Learn the Best Choice Today!

Your choice of courier service changes with the shipment distance involved. If you’re a large business serving the country, national delivery couriers are for you. They have access to bigger infrastructure and resources.

Even if you’re a small business, national delivery might be the right solution for you. They can give you a competitive level of pricing while delivering efficiency. These companies can give the speed you need but give you satisfaction at the same time.

But always remember that there are more factors out there that can affect your choice of courier. If you need a versatile courier, you can contact us today to get a quote. Otherwise, we can talk about how we can help your business grow with our services.

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