Online shopping has made things easier for buyers – they are spoiled with endless options for getting their needs met from the comfort of their homes. Browse anything from your smartphone, and within a few days or hours, your products will be delivered to your doorstep.
For a seller to deliver products to his buyer, there is a need for a well-established process. But as an online seller, the situation is even more challenging. What really seems to be a straightforward and effortless process for a buyer is a bit arduous for the seller.
One of the critical steps in this process is online shipping. In today’s competitive times, it is critical to streamline and automate your shipping process, as your customer experience depends on it primarily.
What is Online Shipping?
The online shipping process facilitates the delivery of the products to the end consumer. It includes all steps, from picking and packing the order to shipping and delivering it to the customer. For efficient
online shipping, you must have a reliable shipping partner who can deliver your orders on time and in the right condition.
Online Shipping Steps
All online businesses’ primary objective is to deliver orders to end-consumers on time. Shipping and delivering products are important components of the supply chain. Without them, perhaps the entire essence of buying online dwindles.
Step 1: Order Processing
Order processing begins right after when a customer places an order. Every order has an order ID and tracking ID. Different teams are involved in processing an order, and they all identify it via this order ID. The order is picked from the shelves in this step, and a packaging and delivery team is assigned to complete the further steps.
Step 2: Order Packaging
The next step in the process is to pack the products for their timely shipping. Product packaging meets two purposes – first, to protect the package from getting damaged and second, to create brand value. Based on the product type, it can be packed in a box, a packet, or an envelope.
While packaging a product, you must ensure that it is shipping-friendly. It must keep the product safe in transit. You can also add your brand logo or other marketing collateral on the packaging to increase brand value and help build brand recognition or recall.
Step 3: Order Delivery
This is the most crucial step of the process. You need a reliable and experienced logistics partner for timely order delivery. Therefore, you must partner with a reputed third-party logistics partner to help you deliver orders efficiently. Also, since the logistics partner delivers orders on your behalf, you must choose the partner carefully.
Your shipping partner also depends on the platform you sell on. Like if you sell on Amazon, they have a logistics division that can help you deliver orders. However, you can also choose to deliver your orders yourself by partnering with other shipping aggregators available in the market. With logistics aggregators, you get the option to ship with multiple courier partners as per your preference. Also, since the shipping aggregators ship in large numbers with the courier partners, they can negotiate better deals for you.
Step 4: Order Returns
Generally, the online shipping process ends at step 3. However, in some cases, customers return the product, and there is an additional step in the shipping process. Customers return products for various different reasons, and you have to get them shipped back to your warehouse. The return process starts here, and based on your terms and conditions, the refund is processed.
The increasing popularity of online shopping has not only led to an increase in online shipping companies. But there is also a demand for better and more efficient logistics services. The new and innovative shipping techniques are expected to benefit buyers and sellers every day.
Also, in today’s eCommerce industry, there is no one-size fits all shipping strategy. Every business has a different product, budget, profit margins, and audience, on which the strategy majorly depends. Apart from your shipping strategy, the courier partner you choose will also help ship your products faster, offer better customer satisfaction and increase repeat purchases.
