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.
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Shipping & Fulfillment
3 Shipping Policies That Anger Customers
December 23, 2016 • Pamela Hazelton
Shipping costs are a primary reason for cart abandonment. But cost is not the only shipping issue that can harm your business. What happens after a customer makes a purchase is ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
UPS SurePost, FedEx SmartPost: Slow, but Less Expensive
November 27, 2016 • Armando Roggio
Managing free or low-cost shipping can be one of the most confusing and difficult problems online retailers — particularly small ones — face, as customers want a superb and a ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
5 Holiday Shipping Tips for Online Retailers
November 20, 2016 • Armando Roggio
When the holiday season peaks, some small and mid-sized ecommerce businesses often struggle to meet customer demand and customer expectations. While there are many factors that contribute to just how you ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
For Holiday Ecommerce Fulfillment, Success Starts in August
August 9, 2016 • Armando Roggio
To be successful during the short, high pressure Christmas shopping season this year, ecommerce retailers should plan now to make certain they have the products shoppers want and that they ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Reducing ‘Waste’ in Ecommerce Fulfillment
January 6, 2016 • Michael Manzione
One of the best ways to improve profitability in your warehouse is to reduce or eliminate waste. I addressed this in my last article, “Streamline Ecommerce Fulfillment with 5S Methodology,”
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Inventory hiccups highlight 2015
December 23, 2015 • Kenny Kane
As 2015 comes to a close, it is a good time for self-evaluation. Hopefully, you’ve met or exceeded your revenue goals, and come in under on the expense side. Regardless ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Streamline Ecommerce Fulfillment with 5S Methodology
November 30, 2015 • Michael Manzione
Whether your order volume is 10 orders a day or 10,000 and whether you’re shipping orders from a garage, small warehouse, or a large automated facility, you can benefit from learning and ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Fulfillment: How to Speed up the Picking Process
October 27, 2015 • Michael Manzione
In “Holiday Checklist for Ecommerce Operations,” my article last month, I shared steps to assist in your preparation for the upcoming seasonal rush. In this article, I’ll offer tips to your warehouse team, to ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Published Shipping Policies Can Protect Merchants
October 15, 2015 • Elizabeth Lewis
As we head into the holiday season, shipping of products goes into high gear. Ecommerce merchants must make sure that they have updated their shipping policies prior to Black Friday ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
The (Many) Benefits of Offering Free Shipping
October 1, 2015 • Armando Roggio
Free shipping is a competitive necessity for some online retailers. While there are certainly costs associated with free shipping, there are also some reasons to feel good about offering it. When ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Holiday Checklist for Ecommerce Operations
October 1, 2015 • Michael Manzione
We’re fast approaching the time of year that typically accounts for more than 20 percent of annual retail sales. It usually defines whether a company is profitable or not. Communication, organization,
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Shipping & Fulfillment
USPS Regional Rate Shipping Saves Money
September 30, 2015 • Armando Roggio
The United States Postal Service’s Priority Mail Regional Rate shipping can save ecommerce businesses money and deliver orders somewhat more quickly than similar services. First introduced in 2011, USPS Priority ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Adjusting to third-party fulfillment
September 25, 2015 • Kenny Kane
My last two posts — “My search for a third party fulfillment company” and “Life after in-house fulfillment” — have addressed Stupid Cancer’s massive change from in-house to third-party fulfillment. While ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Will Robots Take Over Ecommerce Warehouses?
September 10, 2015 • Marcia Kaplan
Robots have always played a prominent role in movies, television, and children’s toys. They are now navigating a new arena — warehouses — and changing the way businesses handle their ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
8 Obstacles to Drone Delivery, for Ecommerce
September 4, 2015 • Gagan Mehra
The military has used drones for years, for a variety of missions. Now ecommerce retailers are evaluating their use. Consumer research firm eDigitalResearch conducted a survey that found that 33 percent ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
What’s the True Cost of Inventory?
August 31, 2015 • Michael Manzione
Inventory is often the largest asset of ecommerce merchants. Inventory defines merchants’ businesses and their position in the marketplace. It defines customers’ expectations of the business. For most ecommerce merchants, the ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Life after in-house fulfillment
August 18, 2015 • Kenny Kane
In “My search for a third-party fulfillment company,” I wrote that location, automation, and accommodation were key factors in making my final decision. Once we had penned an agreement that satisfied ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: Be Cautious of Automation
August 18, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
The primary benefit of drop shipping for retailers is the ability to access merchandise without incurring physical inventory carrying costs. It also enables suppliers to open new channels or penetrate existing ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
My search for a third-party fulfillment company
July 22, 2015 • Kenny Kane
I can’t help but reflect on this time last year as one of my greatest ecommerce successes. The Stupid Cancer store had rounded a corner of success that there was ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: 5 Tactics of Successful Retailers
July 19, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
In "Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 2: The Basics," I explained that one of the challenges with drop shipping is sellers believe it will be easy to implement. It sort of oversells itself, in fact. Think of the powerful terms that are often used to describe it: “Inventory Free Retail,” “Endless Aisle.”
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Shipping & Fulfillment
SKU Management Ensures Inventory Profits
July 1, 2015 • Michael Manzione
SKU management is the process of analyzing the cost of carrying each inventory item to ensure it is meeting the financial objectives of the business. If your business is virtual and ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Inventory Labeling Basics: SKUs, UPCs, EANs
May 27, 2015 • Michael Manzione
The barcode was first scanned in 1974, on a packet of Juicy Fruit gum. Since then, the technology used in scanning products in the retail marketplace has become commonplace. In ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Ecommerce Shipping Innovations Just Over Horizon?
May 22, 2015 • Armando Roggio
How orders are delivered to ecommerce shoppers might change dramatically in just the next few years as retailers and carriers come up with ways to reduce shipping costs and speed ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Invoices
May 21, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. The final step in the drop shipping process occurs when the supplier ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
How to Set Up Inventory and Fulfillment to Manage Growth
April 27, 2015 • Michael Manzione
Many new ecommerce businesses become overwhelmed with managing inventory and fulfillment. What started in a garage, with little fanfare, now requires more space and more organization. Perhaps the business is ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Returns
April 16, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. The order integration and workflow culminates with fulfillment and shipment from the ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
How Shipping Methods and Policies Affect Conversions
April 7, 2015 • Pamela Hazelton
Ask any group of online shoppers their top reason for abandoning a shopping cart and they’ll likely refer to shipping. However, it’s not always about the cost of delivery. The way ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
How to Manage UPS, FedEx Dimensional Weight Pricing
March 26, 2015 • Michael Manzione
The days of being able to offer free shipping may be coming to an end for many ecommerce merchants. UPS and FedEx have implemented dimensional weight pricing for ground packages ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Fulfillment
March 18, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Recall from my previous posts that drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. It all culminates with fulfillment and ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Orders
February 17, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. If you’re new to drop shipping, read my 4-part series on the ...