It’s no surprise that it takes time for a package to travel from warehouse or place of origin to its delivery location. E-commerce shipping speeds are determined by the measure of distance – whether it may be domestic or international shipping.
Shipping & Processing Times
Shipping speeds must not be mistaken for processing time. Simply put, shipping speeds account for how long it takes the carrier to deliver the order to its destination. The processing time is the amount of time it takes for a business to prepare an order after it’s initially received. Once the order is given to the shipping carrier, it is no longer in initial processing and the delivery process begins.
The key thing to take away here is that it’s important to give specifics on your website about the difference between processing and shipping times – ensuring your customers have a complete understanding from when they make the purchase to when their product is delivered. This includes; letting customers know how long it takes for an order to be processed, how long it will take for the order to be shipped, and how much everything will cost, shipping included.
How Shipping Speeds Help Your Business
Ensuring you have clear shipping and processing information enables your customers to feel more confident when shopping on your online store. Setting specific ETAs (estimated time of arrival) will help with customer expectations and establish trust. Showing all shipping speeds with accurate pricing variations will give your customers full transparency on what they’re paying for, even if shipping is free.
Reducing Shopping Cart Abandonment
Adding shipping speeds and pricing information to your checkout will help to reduce cart abandonment as it adds a level of security and certainty during the final steps of a customer’s purchase. This information sets clear expectations for your customers and when they can expect their purchase to be delivered. When you don’t add this information at checkout, you become more likely to lose customers as there is no sense of trust being established and therefore, you risk losing customers to your competitors.
How Do I Calculate Shipping?
You may offer free, calculated, or flat-rate shipping options. You can learn how to calculate shipping costs here.
Conclusion
Fast shipping is important to compete in today’s marketplaces, and it’s important to provide clarity on shipping speeds and processing times for your customers before they complete their checkout. This also includes clear communication with delivery updates. To avoid this hassle, many brands outsource fulfillment to a 3PL company (third-party logistics) so that they will be able to offer two-day shipping (or potentially faster shipping nationwide). This will allow you to focus on branding while a 3PL handles the unnecessary stress of shipping, while actively growing your business.
How does a 3PL work? Find out here.
