The rise of eCommerce has largely been down to two things: convenience and price. Nonetheless, shipping is a major barrier for many customers when it comes to placing an order – particularly so concerning cost. After all, if someone is buying something online, they have to pay for the privilege of getting it delivered to their door.
However, as with plenty of other aspects of eCommerce, shipping costs are not cut-and-dry. Unlike your traditional store, there are more factors to take into account than just the size and weight of an item. In this article, we’ll look at the different types of shipping and how they can affect costs – as well as things you can do to try to reduce them.
What is eCommerce shipping?
eCommerce shipping is the practice of shipping online orders. It’s a concept that’s been around almost as long as eCommerce itself, and there are many different methods. With the right partner, eCommerce shipping is manageable, fast, and secure.
How does eCommerce shipping work?
ECommerce shipping uses several different methods to get packages from place to place. The most common methods are:
Standard Shipping
This kind of shipping is available at a fixed cost and offers delivery within 3-7 working days. Standard shipping is the most common method of delivering packages around the world. It’s a great way to keep costs down, but it doesn’t offer a set delivery time.
One-Day Shipping
This kind of shipping is available at a fixed cost and offers delivery within one day. One-day shipping is a great way to get customers fast delivery, but it only offers overnight delivery within a certain range for most items.
2-Day Shipping
This kind of shipping is available at a fixed cost and offers delivery within two days. According to https://www.dhl.com/discover/en-sg It combines the speed of one-day shipping with a more reliable set delivery time. It’s great for items that are needed urgently.
Ground Shipping
This kind of shipping is available at a fixed cost and offers delivery within 3-7 working days. Ground shipping is the most reliable method of delivery, with a delivery time of around 7-14 days. It’s also a good way of taking advantage of economies of scale to ensure you’re paying less for your shipping costs. Note that this is different to express shipping, which offers same-day delivery, but can be more expensive than the ground.
Express Shipping
This kind of shipping is available at a fixed cost and offers delivery within 1-3 working days. This is a good way to get customers fast delivery, but it’s only available for certain items. It’s also quite expensive compared to other options, so you need to be sure customers will pay the premium before using it.
Free Shipping
This kind of shipping is available at no cost and offers delivery within 3-7 working days. Free shipping is a great way to get customers free delivery, but it can lead to returns and customer dissatisfaction if items don’t arrive on time. It’s also only available for a limited number of items.
Why is eCommerce more important than ever?
The rise of eCommerce has been a watershed moment for anyone involved in the world of online sales. Its growth is now so high that the online retail industry – which was worth just $3.9bn in 1998 has grown to a whopping $5.55 trillion in 2022.
This growth has been credited to several different factors, but convenience and price are the most frequently cited. Online shopping is faster and easier than visiting a traditional store, and it’s often cheaper as well.
Conclusion
Shipping is always something that eCommerce businesses need to be thinking about, particularly when shipping internationally. Any business looking to sell around the world needs to choose a shipping partner that will work with them to achieve these goals and make shipping less of a burden on their customers. This article has discussed the different kinds of shipping and how they can affect the cost of shipping. We hope it has been useful and may help with your eCommerce shipping.