Improve your order fulfillment process and save time and money with Metafour’s rate shopping software. Discover how it can help you choose the best shipping carrier and service every time, accurately price shipping, and offer your customers more delivery options.
Congratulations—your e-commerce business just made a sale! Now, how should you ship the order out? You have a bunch of carriers to choose from: there’s FedEx, the US Postal Service, UPS, and DHL, just to name a few. Which provides you with the best value, and your customer with the fastest delivery time?
While you were considering the question, another order came in. Fantastic! But now you have two orders to determine shipping for. Then there’s the question of which of the carrier’s services to use—and remember: your listings guarantee fast delivery. Would USPS Express be the right choice? Maybe you could save a few bucks with Priority instead. But wait—is UPS 2nd Day Air actually a better deal? Don’t look now, but you just made your third sale. And your fourth, from a customer who wants next-day delivery.
If only there was some kind of rate-shopping software to help you figure this out…
What Is Rate Shopping?
Most e-commerce businesses have their shipping carriers and services worked out, or at least have some sense of their approach, before making a sale. Still, uncertainty over shipping rates is a real issue for sellers, and anyone who’s managed an online store knows that success can be a double-edged sword: the more sales that occur, the more packages you have to get out the door, and fulfilling each order takes time and money. Plus, with consumers demanding faster and cheaper deliveries, and fierce competition from businesses offering next- or even same-day turnaround, sellers need to provide shoppers with a multitude of delivery options.
This is why shipping software, particularly NetCourier’s rate shopping software, is so important for any e-commerce operation. Our rate shopping software ensures efficient and cost-effective order fulfillment. It removes the guesswork from choosing the fastest, cheapest carrier and service every time. It also gives you the power to accurately price shipping and offer your customers greater flexibility during checkout.
Why Is Rate Shopping Important?
Rate shopping is essential for e-commerce businesses for three reasons:
Carrier rates differ, and change frequently.
Many carriers increase their rates on an annual or semi-annual basis. Additionally, rates may change at different times of the year, when carriers are experiencing higher or lower demand than usual, or in response to other economic factors. The best rate today may not be the same one tomorrow.
Business needs differ and change.
The most cost-effective choice of carrier for your company depends on the size, quantity, and frequency of the orders you receive. For instance, a small e-commerce company processing fewer than 100 orders per month may find USPS to be the ideal option, while a larger online retailer that needs to send out thousands or tens of thousands of packages per month may save money by using FedEx or UPS. Carriers generally offer discounts to e-commerce companies that ship large quantities.
The right shipping approach can earn you more sales.
When deciding between two sellers offering products at the same price point, customers usually pick the one that can offer faster, cheaper delivery. Keep in mind that most customers don’t care which carrier delivers their packages; what matters in order fulfilment is speed, cost, and seller accountability and communication—not the name on the truck.
What Advantages Does NetCourier Rate Shopping Software Present to an E-commerce Business?
There are numerous benefits to using our rate shopping software. For one, you’ll save time. Think back to the infomercial-esque introduction to this article: You have seven orders that need to get out the door, and more coming in every minute. Can you afford to take the time to contact each carrier for a shipping quote, compare prices, and manually create a shipment—for every order?
Moreover, you’ll save money. Why? Rate shopping encourages carriers to compete for your business, incentivising them to continually lower their prices, offer greater discounts, and negotiate more amenably with your business. And all this isn’t even accounting for all the money you’ll save by reducing time and automating shipping labour.
Metafour’s rate shopping and shipping automation also mean fewer errors, which in turn means greater customer satisfaction. Our software minimises the chances that a customer won’t receive notifications on time, or that their package will go missing or get delayed.
If you’d like more information about how our rate shopping software can improve your customer offering and grow your business – email sales@metafour.com to book a demo. Read more about our product features and benefits here.
