During the pandemic, the Indian eCommerce sector grew by 5%. It’s thus no surprise that a lot of new eCommerce businesses are cropping up all around the country. With the competition soaring in the eCommerce sector, consumers have come to expect nothing short of perfection from these businesses. Even if you have just started a small business out of your home, your consumers expect prompt delivery, excellent packaging, and great quality products from you. All this can be a bit overwhelming for a new business. That’s why we have prepared a list of shipping tips for small businesses.
Top 3 Shipping Tips for Small Businesses
Shipping service is as important for your eCommerce product as the product. With big companies like Amazon offering fast and free deliveries, customers expect the same from small businesses as well. If you want your business to grow, offering fast shipping services is the key. And it’s not just the speed that matters, customers want a smooth shipping process and an excellent unboxing experience.
Therefore, even before you start selling your products, you need to figure out the logistics part. Here are some helpful and actionable tips.
1. Determine the Shipping Cost and What to Charge Customers
The cost of shipping a product depends on a lot of factors like weight, dimensions, order volume, distance, etc. For instance, shipping products within a city will cost much lesser than shipping them to another city or state. Similarly, when the order volume is high, you can negotiate with your shipping service provider to get a better price.
Another thing to consider is what you will charge your customers. For a small business that’s just starting up, providing free delivery on all products can’t be possible. You will need to calculate the cost of shipping for each order and then decide how much to charge customers. You can offer Free shipping over a minimum order value of say INR 1000 or INR 2000. The key is to ensure that you don’t incur any losses.
2. Packaging the Product Correctly is Important
Another important shipping tip for small businesses is to choose the right packaging material and pack the product correctly. Different products will need different packaging. For instance, if you are shipping a fragile item (link to shipping a fragile item blog), you will need to carefully wrap it in bubble wrap and then place it in a box. On the other hand, you can use simple wrapping paper to pack a t-shirt.
In an eCommerce setup, your package is your point of contact with the customer. It creates your product first impression. So, make sure your packaging is impressive. Use good quality packaging material. Pack the product in an aesthetically appealing manner. And most importantly, ensure the product isn’t damaged during shipping.
3. Delivery Time – Ensure Prompt Delivery
Customers want to receive their products as soon as possible. And with so many eCommerce giants offering same-day delivery, you can’t afford to take weeks to deliver the item. The delivery timing depends on a lot of things like the type of shipping service you choose and the distance between your business and the destination.
The key here is to ship your products as soon as you receive the order and choose a reliable shipping service provider like Weeport that offers prompt delivery. Moreover, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t promise same-day or next-day delivery if it’s not possible. Undersell your delivery dates so that customers can receive the package sooner than expected.
Bottom Line
eCommerce is a competitive segment. To be able to survive here, you need to up your shipping game. Choose a shipping service provider like Weeport that’s trustworthy and can deliver your package promptly and safely. And follow our shipping tips for small businesses to delight your customers.