Online buyers continue to grow at an incredible rate with a recent Fortune Magazine survey reporting 51% of shoppers now make their purchases online compared to only 47% in 2014. Consider for a moment holiday shopping now versus just five years ago, Black Friday online deals and Cyber Monday have virtually obliterated in-store sales for brick and mortar retailers. By 2019 digital shoppers are forecasted to reach 224 million and every single one of them wants free shipping.

While there are tons of shipping services out there, the truth is, unless you ship at a large box store level you’ll never find rates as low as an experienced parcel mail firm can offer. Shipping is not an equal opportunity business, those with the greatest volume get the best pricing, no exceptions, ever. Working with an experienced mailer grants access to volume discounts through their private shipper contracts and consolidation of multi-customer shipments into big company-like quantities. Besides saving money remember, that your job is to deliver WOW with every delivery. That means the order is accurate, well-packaged, and arrives by the date promised. Keep reading to learn the secrets of cost-effective and headache-free shipping.

Tips to Reduce the Cost of Free Shipping for Your E-Commerce Business

1. Select an experienced parcel mail firm that offers the lowest cost, warehousing, and real-time delivery tracking. Specifically, the firm must have experience with all private carriers and USPS to guarantee optimum deliverability. The more sophisticated the firm the better for your financials. For example,  Three Dog developed a proprietary processing tool that compares rates for the specific delivery zip and box dimensions ensuring the most cost-effective shipper is selected for each order. In addition, they use a drop-ship model utilizing private carriers to get the package as close to the destination as possible, then using USPS local service to drop in to the final destination. Deep USPS discounts using the drop-ship model can reduce shipping rates by 50% or more, making “free” shipping easier on your wallet.
2. Consult in advance with your mail firm to keep shipping cost low. Ask for packaging recommendations like size, weight, thickness, materials, and coating to reduce cost and guarantee your package won’t be rejected by USPS automation. A good mail firm should offer consulting expertise like this included with every project so call them in the design stage.
3. Verify shipping lists have optimum deliverability. Sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be shocked how often organizations assume their parcel was delivered all while scratching their head reviewing horrible customer reviews. Verify your mailing includes gratis NCOA/CASS certification of every list, virtually guaranteeing clean lists with 100% deliverability.
4. Avoid management of warehousing components and processes if at all possible. Warehousing logistics can play a huge factor in the cost, delivery, and success of parcel mailings, not to mention a colossal waste of time for your company’s internal resources. Select a mailer with capacity for warehousing, package fulfillment, and finishing services. I promise you’ll save yourself an incredible amount of pain and hardship. When negotiating be sure to include fulfillment services in your contract so free shipping becomes a predictable fixed expense.
5. Secure real-time tracking for every shipment. Parcel tracking is like a crystal ball, allowing verification that parcels have shipped and reached their destination on deadline, thereby fulfilling your promise to the buyer. In addition, tracking allows real-time staff planning for customer service/order-taking call centers. Again here the tighter you can project the actual dates support is needed, the less waste for the organization. Three Dog developed ObbaTrack to give their clients real-time visibility into every mailing. Available via the web, ObbaTrack allows clients to view every step of a parcels journey to its final destination.

Why not do some comparison shopping and see how much you can save in shipping expenses? Who knows, the next order that ships out from your company may feel just a little bit closer to “free.”

Ready to try Free Shipping that doesn’t take a chunk out of your bottom line? At Three Dog Logistics, our consultants will help develop a plan that delivers client solutions at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post There is No Such Thing as Free Shipping first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

For the Three Dog audience reading this, why does this matter to you? It matters because opportunity is knocking loud, but often we don’t hear it. As a printer or agency, you’re likely focused on offering customers the services you already provide, after all that’s what you’re in business to do right? Absolutely not. The role you offer is that of an expert consultant. Customers turn to you for assistance with activities they aren’t capable of such as printing, mailing, fulfillment, design, SEO, marketing, the list goes on and on. What might happen if, instead of waiting for an existing customer to come to you, you embark on a proactive campaign to partner with them by asking the right questions. Strategic partners listen and solve problems even if it’s not their core business. Think big. Join forces with other vendors, manage and bill for the entire process, and solve tough problems for your customers. Your bottom line and worn-out business owners everywhere will be eternally grateful.

There are millions of details in any business, for this discussion let’s focus on questions to identify operational concerns surrounding online e-commerce and fulfillment.

Strategic Partnership Questions to Ask Your Customers

1. What made you start this business?
2. Where do you envision the business growing? Are you on track to your goals?
3. What are your greatest obstacles? If you could shed anything, what would it be?
4. What is your current order fulfillment process? Is it working the way you want?
5. Your time is valuable, are you spending it on tasks that you consider valuable to the future of the business?
6. Are there expenses adversely impacting your bottom line I might be able to help with?

You’ll notice I didn’t mention any specific areas above, that’s by design. Open-ended conversations generate opportunities. Simply let the entrepreneur talk and note key areas your company might be able to improve an existing process or reduce cost. Then quickly find an experienced fulfillment or shipping partner to help deliver the perfect solution and earn immediate super-hero status. Who do you think they’ll call next time? A great example of this approach, a printer did what they do best printed a book for their client, but didn’t offer delivery services. So, the client used a large national express carrier for shipping at an enormous expense. This smart printer partnered with Three Dog to explore other options and presented delivery via USPS bound printed matter saving their client thousands of dollars per year. Slightly marking up delivery services on the client invoice increased their revenue while still delivering nice savings to their customer. We affectionately call this a win-win in the business world, of which typically earn lots of word-of-mouth referrals.

Complicated operational functions creating hardship for online businesses include website design, SEO optimization, e-commerce integration, product fulfillment including pick-pack services, warehousing, and domestic/international shipping. Most business owners start small and handle every aspect of the business on their own, perhaps from their garage until it gets so big they can’t keep up. This is the magic junction where businesses need partners capable of scalable solutions or they risk their reputation and future growth. To grow your consulting partnership (and bottom line), canvas your network in advance and select external partners with expertise so you’re ready for action after your next client meeting. Alongside your new partners, you’ll be positioned to advise your customers on the best strategy and cost efficiencies for their business.

Ready to join forces with a new fulfillment and shipping partner? At Three Dog Logistics, our consultants will help develop a plan that delivers client solutions at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Grow Your Business by Asking the Right Questions: E-Commerce and Fulfillment for Business Start-Ups first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.