Category Archives: Shipping Fulfillment

Technology has allowed for dramatic improvements in e-commerce business and enhancements to supply chains and logistics have improved delivery performance for the big-box retailers like Walmart and Amazon. This has caused customers to begin wanting—and in some cases, expecting—a larger number of services when they engage in e-commerce. Meeting these expectations and desires is an excellent way to improve the e-commerce shipping experience, but understanding what to do and how can be tricky. This guide will break down some of the more common expectations among the modern customer, and then offer some e-commerce shipping best practices to help you develop...

Shipping can be a complex and costly part of e-commerce businesses. Not surprisingly, this is why shipping is often looked at when it comes time to find ways to improve savings and profitability. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce shipping costs that any e-commerce enterprise can take advantage of. Follow just some of these tips for reducing shipping costs, and you'll begin to enjoy a more efficient and profitable business.  (more…)

Every year sees rising shipping costs as a result of both inflation and the shipping carriers making changes to try and optimize their profitability. On the plus side, these rate increases will help the carriers continue to grow and improve service. On the down side, you will be paying more. What Are the Rate Increases for 2017? All of the major shipping carriers, FedEx, UPS, and USPS, will have shipping rate increases going in to 2017. Depending on the exact service and provider, the rate increase will vary but it is generally between a 3.9% (from USPS) and 5% increase...

Back around the midpoint of October, the United States Postal Service (USPS) released its proposed postage rate increases for 2017, and a few days later the USPS also released its proposed shipping rate increases. Although these are proposals, it is prudent to assume that they will become finalized and plan accordingly unless further developments occur. These changes are expected to be put into action on or around January 22, 2017, following the end of the holiday shipping season. Obviously, how much any particular change will affect an e-commerce business will depend on the size and quantity of your average shipments....

Promotional Product Fulfillment Many businesses may be surprised to know that some fulfillment companies also offer promotional product fulfillment. This means that we provide branded promotional item fulfillment to go with whatever product you ship to your customers or even your employees. Some fulfillment companies either have a dedicated promotional products fulfillment center or partner with a promotional products company. In either case, the expectation is that they are able to carry out the selling and shipping of promotional items equally as effectively as they would their standard fulfillment services. (more…)

Weddings are always popular and most, if not all, bridal stores have been tasked with shipping a wedding dress to a bride's town or to a destination wedding locale. Given the importance of the dress when the big day comes around, there is a huge incentive to make sure the shipping goes off without a hitch. So, how do you ship a wedding dress successfully? Read on. (more…)

One of the elements common to any e-commerce web site is situations when customers will place products in their virtual shopping cart but never follow through with the transaction. There are a multitude of reasons for this behavior, but one of the largest is because they felt the shipping and handling costs were too high. Shipping and handling costs can not only cause potential purchases to be abandoned, but they can leave customers disheartened and more likely to look elsewhere in the future. This is why a key part of any successful e-commerce logistics operation is an affordable freight shipping...

Today’s retailers have opportunities that didn’t exist decades before. Thanks to the Internet and e-commerce developments, it is possible for clients to be obtained farther nationally and, now more than ever, across international borders. This expanded client base has obvious potential for retailers, but it also requires some serious considerations, as shipping internationally is a fulfillment job unto itself. Here are some specific tips: 1. Choose Your Products Wisely Depending on their sizes, some products are easier to ship than others. If you have small items, they can be easy and reasonably cheap to ship almost anywhere. Bigger items, however,...

While it’s true that you have to make sure your fulfillment company’s shipping methods are in top order, there’s also a need to build up your shipping as a valuable branding tool. Whether they realize it or not, people often see shipping as an incentive for buying product, basing their buying decisions on whether they can get merchandise quickly. But there is an art to offering “value shipping.” Here are some useful tips and techniques from the experts. (more…)

Products are always on the move, which means things will go wrong along the way. This could be a defect in its production at the factory, an organic component expiring, or damage while being shipped. In product fulfillment, successful delivery of products is the lifeblood of a business. That’s why if a client orders something and it turns up damaged, you can bet there will be a complaint. And if that happens, it’s up to you to rectify it. If It Ain’t Broke Dealing with damaged and defective products begins and ends with your shipping and logistics solutions. Based on...