The trends in the business industry change every day hence no businesses have attained perfection. It is okay if sales are dropping on a day and the bounce rate has increased but it becomes a snag if you cannot do something about it. Sometimes the increase in bounce rate for eCommerce is due to shipping charges. Is there any way we can reduce shipping cost? Yes, We can!
If increasing rates isn’t in the cards, and you want to cut down the cost then these pro tips can help you potentially reduce shipping cost. Optimize your products on the eCommerce store and practice these methods to make your product affordable for you and your customer.
1. Change your packaging material
The packaging material is a major factor that affects the shipping cost but by changing the material a merchant could save a lot. Shipping charges depend upon the size and weight of the material you are using for packaging. You can always go for a small-sized box made with a lighter material to reduce shipping cost. Alternatively, you can switch to a poly mailer or a padded bubble wrapped poly bag and avoid the extra cost.
2. Take help of regional carriers
By decreasing the shipping distance with the help of regional distributors an eCommerce store owner can save some pennies. A bulk order can be shipped to one place for a particular zone or region.
An app like ‘Product Availability Check by Zipcode’ can be used by the store owners while uploading the product. The admin can map zones with zip codes for different geographic locations.
To reduce the shipping cost bulk orders can be sent to the regional distributor who will ship the product to its right destination
3. Waive off the shipping cost with in-store pickup
In recent days, to avoid the shipping time delay and to get the product by the earliest customer started opting for the in-store pickup option. This feature benefits both the merchant and the customer. It increases impulse buy opportunities, fewer returns, and cut down the shipping cost for the merchant. Consumers get the benefit of click and collect too by saving the extra cost which is meant to be spent on shipping and they can collect the order as per their convenience. This is a win-win option for both parties.
4. Merchant can do liaising with the supplier
Liaising with the supplier will reduce shipping cost for the merchant. The owner can ask for lower delivery fees with this. The extra transportation cost will be reducing it to nearly half the price and this is most applicable to high-value products. Always try to negotiate with your suppliers to get good deals.
5. Cut down the cost by taking prepaid shipping services
Various third-party carriers offer prepaid shipping services where they provide good deals and discounts. Prepaid shipping will get you up to 20% off shipping costs simply by buying a range of shipping labels in advance. You don’t need to add them to a package before an actual order needs to go out. This not only saves time but also costs.
It only works if you regularly ship orders of the same weight and measurements or if you know the same details and scale.
6. Hybrid orders can save money
Hybrid shipping providers pick up your orders and then partner with other carriers, to move the parcels to a sort facility or post office site, where they are delivered to a local area for the last mile delivery. In certain cases, this can reduce delivery costs by as much as 50%. The biggest drawback to hybrid systems is that they have a restrictive weight, volume, and size strategy. Delivery times can also be longer than using normal shipping options with the same carriers.
Final Words: Some of the main factors that decide the performance of your online company are the degree to which you reduce costs. These amazing ways will lower pricing. If not closely controlled, shipping costs can escalate rapidly. And by the end of the fiscal year, you’ll find that they’ve put a huge dent in your profit margin.
Knowband provides some tools to help you with shipping issues like the COD plugin and free shipping addon. These can help you with a better shipping experience and increase customer conversions.
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