Category

Shipping & Fulfillment

Our shipping and fulfillment coverage reflects the expectations of many consumers for free and fast delivery. We address topics that help ecommerce merchants meet those goals, including analyses of carriers, free shipping strategies, fulfillment efficiencies (including the use of third-party fulfillment companies), returns and refunds, multichannel integration, drop shipping issues, and much more.

Shipping & Fulfillment
Steps to Greener Ecommerce Warehouses

June 14, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

Ecommerce warehouses are often not environmentally friendly. They consume vast amounts of energy. Many pose hazards to their employees. Material handling equipment, lighting, heating, air conditioning — all create emissions, some of them toxic.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Electric Vehicles Are the Future of Last-mile Delivery

May 27, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

The rise of ecommerce has catapulted electric vehicles to prominence. Concern about greenhouse gas emissions is driving the move away from diesel delivery vehicles towards trucks and vans using alternative power sources. Electric vehicles with a range of up to 150 miles are ideally suited to "last mile" deliveries, those with a limited radius.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Soft-hand Robots Are Coming to Ecommerce

May 11, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

For decades, manufacturing and industrial warehouses have used "hard" robots. They handle repetitive tasks and heavy lifting. But “soft” robots are much more sophisticated. They can safely grasp perishable and fragile items such as eggs, fruit, and bottles. Soft robots could transform fulfillment in many ecommerce warehouses.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Consumers Want Fast Deliveries — and a Green Environment

April 20, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

Customers want fast deliveries. But they also care about the impact of shipping on the environment. Sadly, the “last mile” is notoriously eco-unfriendly.
Shipping & Fulfillment
3PL Founder: ‘I’m in the Exceptions Management Business’

April 2, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Jay Sauceda launched his ecommerce fulfillment company, Sauceda Industries, in 2013 in Austin, Texas. He says packing and shipping products is easy. What's difficult, he stated, is managing unforeseen events. "The shipping business is, essentially, the exceptions management business," he told me.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Sustainable Packaging Drives Customer Loyalty

March 7, 2021 • Pamela Hazelton

How merchants pack online orders makes a difference. One needn't look any further than Apple's product packaging to understand the cherished tradition of unboxing. But packing materials are as important as the overall appearance. More than half of U.S. consumers are concerned about the environmental impact.
Shipping & Fulfillment
When to Consider Ecommerce Shipping Insurance

February 10, 2021 • Armando Roggio

High-end products, high volume, and quality customer service are among the reasons for considering shipping insurance for ecommerce. Shipping insurance can protect businesses from costs associated with damaged, stolen, and lost packages.
Shipping & Fulfillment
8 Commercial Drone Delivery Companies

January 25, 2021 • Sig Ueland

The development of autonomous drone technologies has surged in the last five years. New FAA rules anticipate a commercial drone industry in the U.S. Here is a list of companies spearheading the advancement of drone delivery.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Holiday Shipping Surcharges Are Coming

September 10, 2020 • Marcia Kaplan

Selling during the upcoming holiday shopping season will not be normal. For the first time in its history, the United States Postal Service is imposing a holiday surcharge on commercial packages. The price increases will begin on October 18 and run through December 27, 2020, and range from $0.24 to $1.50 per package.
Shipping & Fulfillment
USPS Woes Could Impact Ecommerce SMBs

July 12, 2020 • Armando Roggio

The United States Postal Service reported a $4.5 billion loss in the fiscal 2020 second quarter, which ended on March 31. Democratic members of Congress have proposed investing $25 billion to help the USPS. Whatever happens to the agency will likely impact small and mid-sized ecommerce companies.
Shipping & Fulfillment
The Good News and Bad News for Ecommerce Shipping

May 10, 2020 • Armando Roggio

Ecommerce sales are up and shipping carriers such as USPS, UPS, and FedEx have responded admirably to demand in the face of numerous coronavirus-induced shutdowns and restrictions. That is the good news for ecommerce sellers. Unfortunately, supply chains have suffered. That’s the bad news.
Shipping & Fulfillment
5 On-demand Warehousing, Fulfillment Providers

March 12, 2020 • Marcia Kaplan

On-demand warehousing and fulfillment providers act as middlemen — a kind of Airbnb for logistics. Merchants search on a provider's platform for available warehouse space in the location they want. It's one way for ecommerce sellers to achieve faster delivery.
Shipping & Fulfillment
First-party Logistics Could Transform Ecommerce

February 19, 2020 • Armando Roggio

In 2020, Amazon will deliver roughly 3.5 billion packages in the United States — more than FedEx. That could signal a trend toward first-party logistics, price pressure, and fragmentation in the package delivery industry.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Q&A: ‘Can We Reduce Shipping Costs?’

January 29, 2020 • Armando Roggio

If you've ever wondered whether your ecommerce store could afford free shipping, or if you have been frustrated by poor shipping estimates at checkout, this post is for you. I'll address four common ecommerce shipping questions.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Will Drone Delivery Help Ecommerce?

September 17, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

Drones are already used for delivering products in Iceland and medical supplies in Tanzania and Rwanda. Denmark, France, and The Netherlands are soon to follow.
Shipping & Fulfillment
9 Tips to Improve the Overall Shipping Experience

July 10, 2019 • Pamela Hazelton

There is no shortage of studies that confirm the importance of free shipping. But a comprehensive shipping strategy extends beyond free. It includes other crucial elements that impact conversions and customer satisfaction.
Shipping & Fulfillment
The Growing Problem of Customer Returns

June 13, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The rate of customer returns for goods bought online is swelling to a worrisome level as more consumers switch from physical stores to online. Ecommerce returns average about 15 percent, with apparel returns closer to 30 percent. The cost to online retailers is substantial.
Shipping & Fulfillment
3 Strategies to Fulfill Like Amazon

January 10, 2019 • Manish Chowdhary

We can be certain that Amazon is spending millions to improve and optimize its shipping processes. In this post, I'll describe three strategies to fulfill like Amazon, even if you have a fraction of its scale and infrastructure.
Shipping & Fulfillment > Merchant Voice
Why we changed our returns policy

December 4, 2018 • Peter Keller

How should an ecommerce store handle returns? Draconian merchants charge for shipping (both ways) and a hefty re-stock fee — 15 to 25 percent. I’ve never seen a company entirely deny returns.
Shipping & Fulfillment
7 Tried-and-true Free Shipping Promotions to Drive Holiday Sales

November 1, 2018 • Armando Roggio

A free shipping offer is a powerful ecommerce promotion. It can boost conversion rates and increase average order values. Like other forms of advertising and promotion, free shipping is an expense.
Shipping & Fulfillment
6 Holiday Ecommerce Shipping Mistakes to Avoid

October 24, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Customers expect delivery. For online stores that sell tangible products, order fulfillment is arguably the single most essential task. It is the culmination of marketing, web development, and customer service.
Cross-border Selling
DHL Executive on International Selling, Logistics

July 25, 2018 • Kerry Murdock

Selling across international borders can provide helpful revenue to merchants. But the complexity of laws, transit times, and delivery cost can be daunting. Dr. Eugene Laney is an authority on ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
How to (Clearly) Explain Shipping and Return Policies

June 13, 2018 • Marcia Yudkin

Ideally, a shopper comes to your site, finds a product she wants to buy, puts it in her cart, and then completes the purchase. Near the end of that process,
Shipping & Fulfillment
Fulfillment Requirements of Retailer-owned Marketplaces

March 21, 2018 • Stephen Bulger

There are many marketplace options other than Amazon for merchants. We all know about eBay. Big retailers such Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Best Buy, Nordstrom, and Dick’s Sporting Goods offer marketplaces, too. In this post, I'll address fulfillment requirements of retailer-owned marketplaces.
Shipping & Fulfillment
New Electronic Logging Mandate May Increase Shipping Costs

January 30, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Critics of a new logging mandate for freight carriers claim it is creating a shortage of drivers and increasing shipping costs in many industries, including retail. Beginning December 2017, the U.S.
Cross-border Selling
Does U.S. Postal Service Subsidize China-based Merchants?

December 12, 2017 • Kerry Murdock

Cross-border ecommerce is booming, as is cross-border shipping. But the postage rates among countries for that shipping greatly vary. Merchants in certain countries, such as China, can ship very cheaply ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
5 Ways to Improve the Parcel Delivery Experience

November 29, 2017 • Manish Chowdhary

“The last mile” is now the Holy Grail of ecommerce shipping. A merchant can do an amazing job of selling and provide an outstanding shopping experience, yet if the package ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
7 Ways to Make Free Shipping Profitable

November 8, 2017 • Manish Chowdhary

Over 2 million Google searches each month in the United States include the phrase “free shipping.” Most online merchants have at least considered offering it. It’s a tough decision because ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
When to Use USPS for Ecommerce Shipping

October 4, 2017 • Armando Roggio

The United States Postal Service is a popular shipping solution for American ecommerce businesses. It stacks up well against other carriers in several situations. The USPS may be particularly effective when ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
The Unforeseen Impact of Drop-shipping Fees

August 9, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks

An efficient drop-shipping program requires a seamless integration between a retailer and its drop-ship suppliers. Inventory levels, prices, fulfillment details, and order and payment info are types of data that should ...

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