Have you come up with creative holiday packaging ideas? Holiday packaging is essential to bring a festive mood to the customers. 

The sole purpose of a package is to protect the shipment of the product from being damaged while in transit. But, a package can also be used as a marketing tool. Find out how.

Why do you need holiday packaging?

• Great Unboxing experience: There are various social media trends out there, but one trend that’s still existing. It is the unboxing experience. When a customer receives a very great package from any brand, they tend to make Social Media videos of them unboxing the package. This could spread your brand awareness and improve a positive customer experience. The customer also gets to be curious and delighted to open the package.
• Bringing in the holiday mood: Your site is going to be decorated with festive elements, you will have seasonal products marketed into your strategy, why not enforce the festive touch in your package by adding colourful elements to the whole unboxing experience? This would make it visually appealing and also holiday-themed.
• Time-saving for your customers: Often products are purchased to be gifted to someone else during the holiday season. While your customer would be busy during the holiday season spending their time with their loved ones, they’d have to go to an extra length to package the gifts themselves. If you as a brand go the extra mile to do this for your customers, the customer will have an everlasting impression on you that you saved time during the holidays for them. In fact, time is everything during the holiday season.
• Free marketing and promotion: This packaging would definitely be branded and holiday-themed. What more can you do for free margarine promotion among your audience?

Here’s a checklist of packaging to-dos.

7 festive packaging ideas to drive up the holiday sales

1. Wax seals

Wax seals are one unique way to seal your packages during the holiday season. Wax seals can be easily customized to match your brand’s theme and the holiday theme, creating a good memory for the customers, which also creates a very great unboxing experience. There is elegance and tradition in wax seals.

2. Personalized note

Personalization is very important, especially during the holiday season. It contributes to retention. You can add the feature of customers writing personalized notes for their loved ones to be gifted during the holiday season. You can add handwritten notes from the brand also wish your customer very happy holidays. A handwritten note would be a nice personal touch and the customer would also recognize your efforts to engage with them, turning them into loyal customers.

3. Interactive Unboxing

Interactive Unboxing would be a very delightful surprise for your customers. On top of not only receiving gifts, they will also have an additional element of surprise in their gifting, which is Interactive Unboxing. Below is a video of an example of Interactive Unboxing. 

This increases social sharing, sales and engagement, enhances customer experience, builds brand loyalty, generates buzz and anticipation, and provides customer satisfaction.

4. Eco-friendly packaging

Your product might be sustainable. Make your packaging also sustainable to entice your customers into buying from you. 

66% of customers would pay more for sustainable products. (Statista)

This is one trend that is here to stay. Who said that eco-friendly packages aren’t cute? Look at the inspiration below.

5. Creative packaging

Start to get creative with your holiday packaging. Most of the brands would go for the red and white traditional packaging and also establish their branding elements onto the package. You don’t have to necessarily follow that. You can go with different packaging ideas that don’t resemble traditional holiday season vibes but bring an entirely different vibe. That is one perfect way to stand out from the crowd.

6. Adding festive elements inside the package

While you concentrate on the product and the outer surface of what the package looks like, it is important to create a very good unboxing experience too by adding festive elements inside the package also. You can add snowflakes or glitters or dried flowers inside your package so that it falls on to the customer when they open, bringing in a magical spirit to your product.

7. Interactive QR code

Every single area of your package can be utilized to bring in a festive mood. One such creative idea is a QR code. You can leverage AR and VR for the unboxing experience of your customer. You can create interactive QR codes that would take your customers to your holiday content, products on sale, or holiday-themed videos to entertain your customers. Customize your QR code for easy returns and exchanges. Another way to creatively use these QR codes is to enroll your customers automatically for holiday contest entries.

Protect your packages

An e-commerce brand goes to a great extent to give a positive customer experience, starting from luring the customers into their store through various promotional activities, up until the time when they send shipping and tracking notifications to their customers to keep them in the loop. But what if your high-value product or your limited-edition product gets lost or damaged during transit? As an e-commerce brand, you can do many things to protect your package and one such thing is shipping insurance.

Shipping insurance is a great way to get your product insured and if anything goes wrong, you can always file claims with your shipping insurance provider to get back the money that you have invested in the product. While supply chain disruptions are very common during the holiday season, we recommend that you protect your packages with shipping insurance.

Wrapping Up

Remember that you do all these activities to retain a lifetime customer. Giving a positive experience to your customer by concentrating on every single touch, including holiday packaging ideas is a great way to show your dedication towards keeping your customers satisfied. Keep in touch with them by collecting their feedback and making them feel valuable. Send out frequent communications regarding your offer and discounts. Reach out to your customers during their important dates and make them feel satisfied. 

Good Luck with the Holidays!

The post 7 festive packaging ideas to drive up the holiday sales appeared first on Lateshipment.com Blog.

Analysts expect the value of the business-to-customer (B2C) market to reach over $7 trillion in 2030. The continued increase of e-commerce enterprises will make it more challenging for companies to stand out from the rest. 

Brand identity will undeniably help businesses achieve the goal of automatic recognition, but it needs to be applied consistently to all their marketing efforts. 

The packaging of your products is a vital aspect of this. It is part of the post-purchase experience and giving your clients a pleasant one will nurture customer retention.

Packaging Creates a Lasting First Impression

Great packaging with your brand on it can influence a first-time customer’s impression of your company.

Aside from conveying what your business stands for, it can delight clients and even urge them to make posts on their social media accounts. If done cleverly, you may have repeat customers who may keep on buying just because they love how their purchases look when delivered.

According to marketing experts Neon Ambition, creating a great brand identity that will set you apart from other online merchants is essential if you want to see your business grow.

Make sure that your brand colors, logo, and name are visible on the packaging.

Creative Packaging Makes Advertising Less Costly

Marketing campaigns can be costly and “packvertising” is the less expensive way to advertise your products, according to Packhelp.

Packvertising or using packaging for advertising is an innovative approach that helps promote goods AND beautifully secure them at a lower price. 

A striking package design is a brilliant marketing strategy. It is very effective when you use it together with social media, content, and email marketing.

Packaging Shapes an Emotional Connection

Customers consider packaging almost as important as the products inside in the opinion of the GWP Group. They know your merchandise can help them, but how their orders look will cement their perception of your brand. 

An initial positive response will pave the way for future sales. The continuity of branding in every step of the customer experience will be rewarding for both you and the client. 

Remember, none of this will matter if the delivery service you use does not have the same level of commitment as you do. 

Bottom Line

Customers will truly appreciate your business when the delivery of orders is timely and they arrive in excellent condition. Be sure that you pick one that aligns with the image that your firm projects.

The success of your company’s brand identity relies on how well you think about each stage of the sales process. 

Packaging and vis-à-vis delivery as an afterthought will reflect poorly on the image your brand wants to represent.

This is a guest post by Linda Carter

Linda Carter is a writer and a digital marketing manager who inspires and empowers you to create marketing that your customers will love, igniting real results for your business. 

The post How Packaging Contributes to the Growth of an E-commerce Business appeared first on Lateshipment.com Blog.

Imagine if a product you’ve longed to collect for years gets stolen from you. And guess what? It was stolen right at your doorstep by fellow people dubbed ‘the porch pirates.’

Package thefts are so frustrating for the customer because of the fact that they can’t hold anyone responsible for the mishap of not being able to get their hands on their much awaited purchases except themselves and the “pirates” who scooted away with their package. 

But you as an ecommerce business owner can save your customers from such bad times and stop package theft by porch pirates or if not even drastically reduce them to a great extent. 

However, before we get to know the ‘how’ part, let’s take a further look at porch pirates and their impact on your business.

Who Are Porch Pirates and How They Can Affect Your Business?

Porch pirates are average individuals or a group who steal packages off customers’ doorstep or porches when it is left unattended.

Much like kleptomaniacs, Porch pirates are simply opportunists who cannot resist an opportunity to pick up packages they see lying on doorsteps or porches. 

A recent study by Safewise found that a staggering 210 million packages vanished from porches across the US over the past 12 months. 

The scale of the problem is only getting worse as more people begin to shop online. The problem gets exacerbated during the holiday season because it’s at this time of the year that people shop online the most. And it is common for people to leave on holiday while ordered packages lie on their doorstep. 

Worry not! The situation is not out of hand. There are measures your business can take to stay safe from the scourge of package thieves that America is facing. Here are some things you could do. 

What Retailers Can Do to Prevent Package Theft by Porch Pirates

There are a lot of ways in which retailers and shoppers can work together to prevent a theft attempt by porch pirates. Let’s take a look at the ways in the timeline of the order delivery cycle even before it gets shipped. 

1. Package discreetly

When a package is dropped off on the porch of a house, it can sit up like a duck waiting to be shot. Porch pirates dream about just such a situation. Packaging discreetly can help avoid this situation.

There are many ways to make a package discreet. One way is to avoid excessive branding. Another way to make a package less noticeable is to reduce the amount of product-descriptive text on it.

Larger boxes are more attractive to porch pirates because they give the impression of a larger pay-off. Using a box that fits the size of the product will help make the package less noticeable while also helping to reduce the cost of shipping.

2. Provide your customers with flexible delivery options

It is best to start by leaving things to the judgment of your customers and the utmost importance for them would be the delivery. 

There is a multitude of choices when it comes to making your delivery options flexible.

For example: you can provide multiple shipping and delivery options like Same-day delivery, BOPIS, etc to let your customers choose their own delivery time and follow up with offering 4-5 time windows throughout the day. 

Apart from package safety, such flexibility in delivery options can also help you increase conversions, lower cart abandonment, and improve brand loyalty in general. 

3. Keep your customers updated about the status of shipments

Proper communication is key to eliminating many of the pain points of the post-purchase shipping experience. This is a good way to deal with the risk of package theft as well.

• The first aspect of proper communication with customers is to provide them with the right estimate of the delivery date and time. 
• The next step to be taken is to give them periodic updates on the status of the parcel in transit. These updates can be provided via SMS or e-mail or both. This will help customers be prepared at the time of delivery.
• The final step in this process of communication is to drop a message once the actual delivery is about to be/has been performed. A helpline number can be provided to assist in case of discrepancies.

4. Use emerging technologies to ensure safe delivery

Using emerging technologies can help you stay one step ahead of porch pirates. 

A lot of businesses today have come up with package guarding technologies that can come in handy for your customers. You can suggest any of these technologies to your customers and play a role in providing a safe delivery. This, in turn, can help in improving their post-purchase experience. 

• Amazon has come up with the Amazon Key, a smart lock that allows delivery persons to place packages not only at homes but also in garages and cars when the customer isn’t available at home. 
• There’s also the Amazon locker at select locations, that customers can make use of to pick up their packages with a unique code.
• Suggest using package guarding services such as The Package Guard or Door Box to protect your packages via secure locks and anti- theft alarms, etc.
• Encourage customers to install doorbell cameras and home security systems to deter porch pirates in most cases. 

Such technologies can be especially useful when shoppers are away on a short trip or a long holiday vacation.

That’s not all! If you’re still concerned about your customers’ packages being stolen, know that there are many measures available to them to deter package thieves.

What Shoppers Can Do to Prevent Package Theft by Porch Pirates

1. Route Packages to Office Addresses

Home deliveries are fraught with problems: package thieves looting drop-off deliveries, irresponsible mailmen or carriers leaving packages on the front door without even knocking or ringing the door, pre-signing delivery without consent, or delaying home delivery by sending notifications too early. 

All this can be avoided by routing packages to office addresses where they are processed officially. The probability of losing packages to package thieves is much less with office deliveries. This is also why FedEx/UPS charges more to deliver to residential zip codes than to office zip codes.

2. Mandate signatures on delivery

A mandated signature delivery can help in preventing package theft in most cases. An arrangement can be signed off with mutual consent from the sender and the receiver (you, that is). If a package is lost and there is no signature of delivery, a legal procedure can ensure that you receive a replacement or full refund.

3. Place packages on hold when on holiday

If you are away on holiday, you can opt to place your pending packages on hold. While USPS and FedEx offer a free service to hold packages for a certain period, UPS charges for every rescheduling.

4. Opt for in-store pickup

Click-and-collect is increasingly becoming a trend. Using this mode of delivery, you can order online and collect the ordered parcel from an outlet located near your home. This mode is particularly useful for ordering a larger number of items.

Bottom Line

While the threat of package theft continues to increase year on year, some measures can be taken by both retailers and customers to ensure package safety and a smooth last-mile experience. Retailers, shipping carriers, and end customers need to work hand in hand to stay ahead of package thieves.

A Little about LateShipment.com

We at LateShipment.com work hard to make “parcel shipping & delivery” transparent and help businesses be fully in control of their last-mile success.

Here are some ways in which LateShipment.com can help you regarding packages getting lost or stolen:

• With our real-time tracking solution, you can step in before customer impact and proactively address them, thereby instilling confidence in your customers.
• With automated and customized shipping notifications, keep your customers in the loop about the whereabouts of their order with proactive communication and free up your support time to focus on more pressing issues.

That’s not all! In case of packages that get lost due to carrier negligence, LateShipment.com can also help you automate refund claims from your shipping carriers for service failures to help you save up to 20% on shipping costs.

The value we add to businesses is most evident when experienced first-hand. Learn more about our solution here.

The post Porch Pirates: How to Handle Them and Prevent Package Theft appeared first on Lateshipment.com Blog.

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People judge a book by its cover, a movie by its trailer, and a parcel by its packaging.

 

When you ship a product across and the customer has a first look, the packaging that matters.

 

A neatly-packaged product delivered without any flaws speaks volumes about brand credibility more than a wonderful product that turns up at a customer’s doorstep haphazardly packed.

 

But packaging isn’t as easy as it sounds. It is an exhaustive task that requires considerable planning and work. 

 

Packaging heavily depends upon the types of products that you sell. 

 

T-shirts, books, pillow covers, etc. are fairly straight-forward and don’t entail much worry. But what about packaging odd-shaped objects? Well, that certainly requires some creativity. 

 

Let’s explore how one can package odd-shaped and odd-sized products not just flawlessly and creatively but also efficiently. 

 

But first…

What Are Odd-Shaped/Sized Objects?

An odd-shaped object can be anything from an ornate vase to a car mirror, or a tire. Basically, anything that doesn’t fit into the mold of a square or a rectangle. 

Let’s say you have a sculpture, cycle, or even a car bumper to ship; they fall into the category of odd-sized objects as they cannot be contained within a usual carton box. 

Why Packing Odd-Shaped/Sized Objects Can Be a Headache

Shipping odd-shaped or odd-sized objects can definitely be a headache because: 

 

1. Your packages could hit the over-sized category
2. Shipping them will be expensive 
3. They need special packaging
4. And they might be logistically challenging.

 

Particularly if you’re a retailer dealing in odd/oversized products, imagine shelling out significantly high amounts month on month in the form of shipping costs! 

Read till the end to know how you can effortlessly save up to 20% on your shipping costs!

Like we said earlier, packaging odd-shaped and odd-sized objects certainly requires some creativity. But it’s not rocket science, so let’s see how you can DIY!

How to Pack Odd-Shaped/Sized Items

Packing odd-shaped objects is not rocket science. 

But how exactly do you pack them in the first place?

The secret ingredient is picking the right packaging material that will ensure easy wrapping as well as utmost safety in transit.

Packaging odd-shaped objects has been made much easier with the variety of materials available today. 

What Are the Materials Used for Packaging

Some of the widely used packaging materials include sturdy cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, stretch wrap, polystyrene, corrugated plastic, inflatable air cushions, paper, plastic-coated paper, pressure-sensitive tape, foam sheets, and styrofoam peanuts.

The following infographic shows what materials can be used to package some of the most common odd-shaped items.

Most odd-shaped or sized objects can just fit into your corrugated box with the right packing materials. However, in some cases, your odd-shaped object can be larger than a single box and may require more protection than a plastic wrap. 

 

In that case, it is best to get custom-shaped boxes or make them yourself

How to Make Your Own Custom Boxes

If you prefer to make your own boxes for packaging, you need to keep in mind that it can entail significant time and effort. This after you have done your research to choose the right kind of packaging for your product. 

 

Otherwise, all it takes is some creativity to make odd-sized boxes. 

 

1. Once you have wrapped and secured your odd-shaped object, place it in a sturdy cardboard box.  
2. Take another, similar box and place it below or next to the first box, based on your object’s dimensions. 
3. Remove the flaps of the second box to have an extra tall/wide packaging container. 
4. Properly seal the boxes together.

Here Are 7 Packaging Tips that Will Come in Handy:

• Use corrugated boxes for rolled goods. A bag or plastic covering is usually not enough.
• If you’re packing a tire, use pressure-sensitive tape to wrap around the entire width of the tire in a full circle.
• Do not leave any sharp edges poking out. Paste pieces of cardboard or use small polystyrene covering to blunt the edges.
• Protect the item by adding layers of bubble wrap, crumpled paper, or foam sheets based on the value of the package. This will ensure that the content sits securely within the box. Also, add a layer of protection on top of the object before closing the lid. 
• Always test the strength of the box you’re using, especially if you’re packing heavy items like working models or gym equipment.
• Add a sign that says your package is “fragile” with directions on how to carry it as a guide for the handlers at the carrier facility.  
• If you cannot find a surface flat enough to stick the address on, use a transparent tape to fully tack it on the object. This will ensure that the address strip does not fall off easily or get lost during transit.

How to Do It the Cost-Effective Way

Considering how most odd-shaped items are packed in boxes that are too big for them, it is no wonder the Dimensional pricing hits the roof. 

 

There are times when you realize the cost of shipping and product costs are almost on the same level.

 

Custom crates too cost an arm and a leg these days.

 

So, how to make packaging cost-effective?

 

The DIY method has its pros and cons. On one hand: it is cost-effective and you, better than anyone, know the perfect fit for your products. 

On the other hand, packaging weird-shaped objects is a tedious and cumbersome process. Also, say if your package was damaged in transit, the onus is on you as carriers won’t accept the liability.   

To counter skyrocketing shipping prices, retailers can make efficient use of packing materials to decrease the dimensional weight of their parcels as much as possible. Going with cost-effective packaging options based on an object’s requirements also helps.

How to Handle DIM Weight Challenges

Shipping carriers have shifted to the Dimensional Weight Pricing method, where the cost of the shipment depends on the dimensional weight rather than on the actual weight of the package.

In the case of most odd-sized packages, the DIM weight is considerably more than the actual weight of the object.

For example, a sports goods manufacturer who deals with custom-made helmets or baseball bats or golf clubs will pay for boxes that are not a snug fit for the goods being shipped. 

The odd shape of a golf club or a bat defies the dimensions of any ordinary box and the box will have to be stuffed with other packaging materials to ensure a tight fit. 

The shipper ends up paying for the oversized box, the packing peanuts or paper, apart from additional surcharges.

One of the best ways to counter this situation is to negotiate with your shipping carrier and reduce the DIM weight denominator by which you are billed. This has the potential to reduce your shipping costs.

All things said and done, there are chances that you may still overpay your shipping carrier. To counter this, you can make use of a parcel audit solution like LateShipment.com that can claim shipping refunds on your behalf.

Go Beyond Functionality

Packaging in today’s retail sphere is about much more than just functionality. 

So, whatever your item’s shape or size may be, try and customize it to suit your brand image. This can increase brand recall even among new customers and will give your eCommerce store an edge over competitors.

A personalized tag or unique wrapping paper can make a lot of difference.

With sustainable practices such as green packaging becoming the norm these days, you can also opt for biodegradable materials or those that can be reused and recycled later. By going green, you not only reduce your carbon footprint but make an impact on your customer’s mind as an ethical brand. 

The better your packaging, the more lasting your customers’ impression will be. Quality packaging will increase customer trust in your brand and build a perception that is highly beneficial for your brand in the long run.

As for packaging materials, use locally sourced items as much as possible.

Reuse boxes as much as you can, and build custom-sized ones out of bigger old ones.

Put all that glue, tape, and knives to good use by creating the perfect-sized boxes. This will ensure that you don’t need to unnecessarily stock up on corrugated boxes or other packaging materials and leave them lying around.

On the off chance that there’s an item that is exceptionally hard to package, you can always go in for the professional packaging services offered by FedEx, UPS, or another carrier. 

Both FedEx and UPS offer a safety guarantee on their packaging, so your product will be in good hands. If you’re shipping electronics, then it’s a great idea to use them.

Learn more here:

• FedEx packaging
• UPS packaging

A Little about LateShipment.com

LateShipment.com is the world’s only logistics cloud tool that helps businesses of every size reduce shipping costs by up to 20% and provide memorable delivery experiences to customers at scale.

At LateShipment.com, our focus has remained steadfastly on the last mile, typically the part of the logistics chain that is the most opaque.

LateShipment.com  allows you to have your monthly shipping invoices automatically audited for 50+ shipping carrier service failures and claims refunds on your behalf. The claimed amount is directly deposited into your account. This can save you up to 20% on your overall shipping spend.

Our automated shipping refunds solution:

• Audits your monthly shipping invoices
• Submits refund claims to your carrier(s) on your behalf
• Deposits the refunded amount directly into your account

That’s not all!

LateShipment.com’s Delivery Experience Management platform helps you craft outstanding post-purchase experiences and build long-lasting customer relationships.

Our groundbreaking post-purchase solutions help businesses effortlessly bridge the post-purchase CX gap and discover new ways to delight and retain customers.

Our high-impact post-purchase offerings allow you to: 

• Stay on top of order deliveries, particularly those facing delays

Track in-transit shipments in real-time across multiple carriers on a single dashboard.

Receive predictive alerts about parcels facing delivery delays & take remedial action.

• Over-communicate and reduce customer anxiety post-purchase

Proactively identify and communicate with customers facing delivery issues. 

Automate order status notifications via eMail or SMS throughout the delivery lifecycle.

• Reinforce your brand identity with custom order-tracking assets

Provide brand-consistent order tracking pages to customers & drive repeat purchases. 

Embed self-serve order tracking widgets on your website and order-related emails.

• Leverage order tracking moments to increase sales and reduce returns

Increase sales with personalized product recommendations on your tracking page.

Reduce returns by providing relevant product usage information on tracking assets.

• Know if customers were satisfied or not with their delivery experience

Capture customers’ Delivery Satisfaction (DSAT) rating after every order delivery.

Measure the average DSAT score of every customer to optimize shipping & delivery processes.

• Access data-rich reports

Gain critical insights about your shipping spend and carriers’ delivery performance across service types and geographies to take data-driven decisions and make shipping efficient.

How good is that?

The best part is, it takes less than 2 minutes to see LateShipment.com in action without any change to your existing workflow.

The value we add to businesses is most evident when experienced first-hand. Try LateShipment.com now.

The post How to Package Odd-Shaped/Sized Objects for Shipping? appeared first on Lateshipment.com Blog.

Luckily, you don’t have to embark on this scavenger hunt alone. At LateShipment.com, we automatically audit your shipping invoice for over 50 carrier errors and recover refunds that are directly applied to your shipping invoice.

Here is a snapshot of the ten most expensive shipping carrier errors that are eligible for refunds

Delayed Deliveries – Sample this: You are a wine retailer who has had a merry sales season. Just when you are toasting your big wins with that chilled Chianti, you are interrupted by a distressed call from your customer. As luck would have it, his favourite bottle of chardonnay was going to arrive late. To keep him happy, you speed deliver another bottle, it’s Christmas after all! But then you get another call and then another. Before you realise, you are flooded with order delivery complaints and end up spending the better part of your holiday salvaging delivery disasters.

The real cost of late delivery is a disjointed customer delivery experience and losing repeat buyers. One harrowing delivery experience could get you blacklisted by even loyal customers.

Damaged shipments –  True, when an expensive order is found to be damaged, it causes a dent in your profit margin. But far greater is the resulting negative impact it has on a customer’s brand perception.

Lost Shipment: The message on your customer’s tracking page reads: Delivered to the front porch. When your customer enquires about the package whereabouts, with casual indifference, you quote the delivery status update. Surprise! They don’t even have a front porch. 

Lost shipments could turn out to be devastating for retailers and their customers alike. Especially when they are marked as delivered by the shipping carrier.

Residential surcharges: There is a fee applied to packages that are shipped to non-commercial addresses. But what exactly is considered as a non-commercial address? UPS states that a residential surcharge would be applied whenever a package is shipped to any address that is a house and does not have an entrance open to the general public.  Let’s say you’ve got an artistically designed, quaint office with a side entrance and a carefully camouflaged garage- it’s quite possible that residential charges will get applied even if it’s situated in the middle of a bustling city.

Address correction charges: Instances of packages delivered to wrong addresses are aplenty. Agreed, the address could be incorrectly mentioned on the package by the shipper. That still does not absolve FedEx or UPS of taking responsibility when packages are delivered to wrong addresses. Nobody wants their brand new purchase sitting on somebody else’s doorstep.

Dimensional weight pricing:  When you ship a 3 tier cake or a pound and bench toy that weighs less than 6 lbs, how much do you pay? You may have to pony up the charges for a 13 lbs package. Dim weight pricing is one of the trickiest charges to calculate. Finding an optimal package size for orders remains a challenge for retailers. Pad it, you pay extra. Skimp on the cushion, you face unhappy customers. Adding to worries of a toppled cake, is an application of incorrect DIM weight charges.

Void shipments: Remember those labels that you created but never used? They generally account to about 0.22% of total packages. At an average cost of $5 per shipping label, cancelling unused labels could recover a significant amount, especially if your shipping volume is quite high.

Delivery area surcharges and extended delivery area surcharges: Did you know an additional fee is applied every time a package has to be delivered to residential, rural or commercial rural area? Packages tagged under DAS are charged a $4 – $4.5 whereas those tagged as eDAS are charged a whopping $130-$150. Even more appalling is the fact that there is a good possibility that 20% of your ecommerce orders fall under either of these categories.

Fuel surcharges: The most contentious and least surprising fee applied to a shipping invoice has been fuel surcharge for all service types including ground shipments. Adding to the complexity of validating your invoice charges, fuel surcharges keep fluctuating on a weekly basis.

Duplicate charges: Is it possible to bill a tracking number twice? Tracking numbers theoretically are unique. But in practice, the same tracking number could be assigned to two different orders. Although straightforward and low in occurrence (.07%), depending on the charges that are duplicated, the amount you could save from auditing for duplicate charges could be significant.

Image source: Disneyinstitute

Inspecting each shipping invoice and searching for errors is like playing catch blindfolded. You have no clue where or when you are likely to bump into an error. An automated auditing process, on the other hand, could systematically catch all possible errors and request refunds on your behalf. All you have to do is, say the word: “Audit”! ( And of course follow it up with a 2 minute sign up process with LateShipment.com)

Credits

https://parcelindustry.com 

https://ecommercenews.eu/primary-reason-orders-dont-arrive-time/

All charges mentioned are as published by FedEx/UPS

The post 10 Important Shipping Carrier Errors That Could Cost Your Ecommerce Business appeared first on Lateshipment.com Blog.

UPS and FedEx have recently started to charge a dimensional weight fee. Until recently, your shipping rates with these two carriers depended on package weight. Now, the package size matters. So, if you have been shipping light weight goods that occupy significant space in shipping trucks or planes, you will be expected to pay more now.  Dimensional weight pricing was applicable only with packages that are larger than three cubic feet. If you shipped smaller items, there was no change in your shipping rates. But that again has changed and now, every package is subject to dimensional weight rules.

FedEx had changed its dimensional weight divisor from 166 to 139 on January 2, 2017, for only U.S. ground and Express shipments. Now, in 2018, FedEx SmartPost is also added to the list of service levels with the 139 dimensional weight divisor. UPS has a dimensional weight divisor of 139 for packages bigger than 1,728 cubic inches or one cubic foot. And the weight divisor is 166 for smaller packages.

Peak Shipment Surcharge

UPS announced a new peak surcharge fee in June 2017. And then, UPS updated it twice to expand its geographic reach. There are also added extra charges for excessively heavy packages going to Puerto Rico, Hawaii or Alaska, as well as packages from Hong Kong or China.

General Rate Increases

UPS raised its air and ground service rates by 4.9%  in 2017. FedEx has raised rates differently for these services.

Negotiable Rates:

FedEx and UPS account managers have the authority to lower your shipping rates if you offer volumes. So, if you are a higher volume shipper, ask your account manager to lower rates. FedEx depends on several middlemen to deliver their goods. So, there are bound to be more taxes in their invoices.

DHL is a great choice if you are looking to ship internationally. Within the US, it’s not a viable option. This is because DHL is headquartered in Germany and not in the US. They excel in international shipping. So, choose DHL services if your shipments are predominantly in overseas markets.

The USPS has affordable options within the US. In fact, it is the most affordable choice among all four. There are no surcharges for fuel, remote areas, additional handling etc.  Their delivery speed is not excellent but it works well if you are on a budget. If you deal with non-urgent, small-scale and nearby deliveries, USPS is your best bet.

Related:

Weighty Matters: Tips to handle dimensional weight rates

Shipping costs of FedEx and UPS – Compare for best deals

How To Choose The Right Shipping Carrier?

5 Smart strategies to master International Shipping

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