Choosing the best eCommerce shipping solution may seem difficult given the dozens of options now available for small to medium-sized businesses. Which one will make the biggest difference for your business?
Today most eCommerce shipping solutions share many common features and incentives, from label printing to price comparisons, to discounts. Here are some practical ways to cut through the commodities and solve your most urgent shipping problems.
The Best eCommerce Shipping Solution for Your Business
Choosing the best ecommerce shipping solution for your business starts with identifying your biggest pain points. Make a list of three specific shipping problems that currently threaten your business. Then, turn each item into search terms for ecommerce software. By outlining the problems, you make the solution much easier to recognize.
Some examples of ecommerce shipping problems framed as search terms include:
- “paying too much for shipping, need better rates”
- “shipping individual ecommerce orders online to consumers or retail businesses”
- “increasing order volumes ecommerce shipping help”
- “reduce shipping spend”
- “shipping integration for my <insert your cart platform or sales channel(s)>”
Using search terms specific to your biggest pain points narrows your results to high-priority solutions for your most urgent business needs. This simplifies the search for the right software and quickly brings the most impactful options to your attention.
Shop Shipping Rate Discounts and Postage Discounts
Once you identify several of the best ecommerce shipping solutions for your specific pain points, shift your focus to savings. Many companies offer shipping rate discounts and postage discounts that help protect your profit. They negotiate discount rates with carriers and pass the savings to the end user.
Because most ecommerce shipping solutions charge a subscription fee, shipping rate discounts and postage discounts can help offset the cost. Balance the savings in shipping costs against the cost of the software, including the increase in productivity you will experience while using the software.
Ensure Integration with Your eCommerce Platform
Next, select ecommerce shipping solutions with the best price/value and ensure integration with your preferred ecommerce platform. Most ecommerce shipping software programs integrate with a variety of sales channels, so, make sure yours is supported.
Integration between shipping and ecommerce platforms streamlines activities and omits double data entry. In addition, many integrations prevent back-and-forth communication about shipping status. Whether you use Shopify, eBay, Amazon, Walmart, Woocommerce, ChannelAdvisor, or another ecommerce platform, an automated shipping solution tied to your existing platform creates many efficiencies to replace strategies your business has outgrown.
Prioritize Robust Customer Support
Finally, when your business faces technical challenges, you will need an ecommerce shipping solution with robust customer support to help you. Common scenarios include:
- Setting up and configuring your shipping platform of choice
- Responding to errors and unexpected problems
- Customizing solutions specific to your unique business needs
Choose a provider that truly acts as a business partner. You will want someone with a long-standing reputation for customer satisfaction, preferably with a live-staffed customer support team. Look for live-chat, call center hours, and email contact information in the customer support section of their website.
Choose the Best eCommerce Shipping Software
After finishing your research, you will need to make a choice. Purchasing new software can be overwhelming, but by narrowing the focus you will choose the best ecommerce shipping solution for your most urgent business needs. Your decision moves you one step closer to overcoming your biggest challenges, so take the next step.
Need help with selecting the best eCommerce shipping software for your business? The Descartes team will work with you to uncover your most urgent business needs and help you move toward the right solution.
Ready to get started for free with ecommerce shipping software? Descartes ShipRush™ offers competitive features at an affordable price. It’s easy to set up and ready to ship in less than 10 minutes, backed by over 20 years of shipping industry experience and robust customer service.
