Fast Shipment for Multi-Channel E-commerce Stores

Fast shipping strategies are becoming popular across the globe. eBay and Amazon Prime are a few stores that provide free and fast delivery. You can prevent price wars and maintain profit margins by competing with convenient shipping and service. However, these fast shipping strategies are not popular among e-commerce store owners, despite increasing demand from customers.

Delivery cost and speed are the two primary reasons for cart abandonment. This means you might lose a lot of customers if your shipping is slow and expensive. Fast shipping helps to increase your visibility, increase conversions, and attract more customers.

How can you make shipping fast in your multi-channel e-commerce store while avoiding a loss? This guide describes everything you need to know about fast shipping.

All dropshipping business owners offering fast and free shipping are seeing tremendous returns. Note that the kind of free shipping strategy you want to employ has to favor you and your customers. There are four major fast shipping strategies for multi-channel e-commerce stores, each with pros and cons.

1. Single-channel Fulfillment Strategy

To make shipping much faster, you should start with just one of your sales channels. At the same time, you must maintain the usual practices and shipping speeds on your other sales channels.

The good part about it is that anyone can use it, whether you’re new or you’ve been in the e-commerce business for a while.

Advantages

• It is easy to manage and implement.
• It allows you to test and have an idea before going into multi-channel fast shipping.
• You can benefit from channel-specific fulfillment providers like Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).

Disadvantages

• Shoppers may not be available at the location of purchase.
• You might miss extra conversions and revenue.

2. In-House Multi-Channel Fulfillment Strategy

Online vendors with experience prefer to handle the fast shipping orders themselves, using their warehouse, staff, and shipping carriers for all multi-channel orders. Low-volume sellers with reasonable growth aspirations are excellent candidates for an in-house multi-channel rapid shipping strategy. Experienced online sellers with a fulfillment network and operations are also good candidates.

Advantages

• Being fully in charge of and aware of the entire fulfillment process.
• Selecting various warehouse sites, shipping services, and packing materials to reduce costs.
• The possibility of sending branded boxes and personalized wrapping

Disadvantages

• Organizing and funding warehouse staff, space, and software for inventory.
• Managing low and high sales periods while maintaining shipment requirements.
• Using the same resources (infrastructure and personnel) every month, regardless of the need.

3. Split Fulfillment Strategy

Multi-channel merchants can utilize a fulfillment strategy that combines FBA, internal fulfillment, and external fulfillment partners to accomplish fast shipment. For companies that already use a variety of fulfillment strategies and prefer to keep their fulfillment separate for each channel, a split fulfillment strategy works well.

Advantages

• Choosing the most affordable fulfillment strategy for each sales channel.
• Taking advantage of the knowledge of FBA and external fulfillment partners.
• Providing the most cost-effective and timely shipping options to your customers.

Disadvantages

• It is challenging and time-consuming to handle.
• Additional fees for shipping to different warehouses.
• Deliver varying levels of service to your clients.

4. Outsourced Multi-Channel Fulfillment Strategy

Online retailers who want to offer multi-channel rapid shipping but cannot do so internally can outsource order processing to a multi-channel fulfillment company. Use Deliverr’s cost calculator to know how much you’ll pay for outsourced fulfillment.

Seasonal volume or high-volume multi-channel sellers and those that intend to grow or extend to other channels should use an outsourced fulfillment approach.

Advantages

• Regardless of volume, it maintains constant, high-quality delivery standards and rates for all of your sales channels, including your 3dcart online store.
• Qualification for rapid shipping programs like Walmart 2-Day Delivery, eBay Fast ‘N Free, and Seller Fulfilled Prime.
• It unifies your e-commerce fulfillment.
• Affordable shipping and storage costs.

Disadvantages

• You can’t use branded packaging.
• The need for stock shipping to various warehouses.
• Less accountability and participation in the fulfillment process.

Conclusion

Aside from your customers benefiting from fast shipping, it increases your e-commerce store conversion rate and visibility. Fast shipping reduces competition and increases shopping carts. The good thing is that you don’t have to do it yourself. Shoplazza has various shipping fulfillment strategies you can choose from. Sign up and check out which one works best for you.

(Contributed by Ayotomiwa Omotosho & Hermes Fang)