As an ecommerce business owner, you’re accustomed to two things: wearing a lot of hats and worrying about many other things. Shipping management is among the biggest headaches.
Today’s customers have exceptionally high service expectations and want their packages to arrive efficiently and promptly. But this can be a huge task, considering the complexities of ecommerce fulfillment. Fortunately, you can leverage a huge selection of ecommerce shipping software to get this done.
Let’s explore the basics of ecommerce shipping software, including how they work and the best options for savvy ecommerce business owners. But first, let’s understand the basics of the best shipping software for a growing ecommerce store.
What is Shipping Software?
Anyone running an ecommerce business knows that multiple factors can determine shipping rates. The top factors include the package’s dimensions and weight and shipping zones.
You can calculate the shipping data independently if you only process several weekly transactions. But the job can get tedious once you begin working on high-volume orders. Plus, you need to pay more attention to get your calculations right, as you could overpay for shipping. This is where ecommerce shipping software comes in.
In essence, shipping software is a technology that integrates with your online business platform to offer shipping estimates. The solution also aids in printing shipping labels right from your PC. The solutions automate your shipping services and are easy to use. They come in different pricing schemes, from flat-rate shipping to volume-based. All these make the tools valuable to your entire shipping process.
Ecommerce platforms have their unique value, but the general conveniences for your ecommerce business include:
- You can access up-to-date data from popular shipping carriers, eliminating the guesswork and ensuring accurate pricing information.
- The software presents vast shipping options, allowing you to compare and pick what befits your customers.
- The tools cut ecommerce shipping costs by ensuring efficient processes and increasing shipments¸ allowing you to save postage money.
- You’ll also save time as ecommerce platforms can print packing slips and shipping labels from your computer, relieving you from weekly post office trips.
- These ecommerce platforms enable seamless inventory management by ensuring adequate stock and enabling inventory forecasting.
- Ecommerce shipping software boosts customer satisfaction and trust by providing up-to-date shipping information and updates.
These ecommerce shipping conveniences will only come through if you invest in the best shipping software for your business needs. Fortunately, the next section will guide you on the most reliable shipping options to aid your supply chain.
How to Choose the Best Shipping Software for Your Business
With vast shipping software options, it can be difficult to make that crucial final decision on which ecommerce shipping platforms to prioritize. But paying attention to the following factors can help you determine the right ecommerce shipping options for your company:
Shipping Volume
Shipping software that doesn’t keep you updated with your monthly shipments will hurt your business. Therefore, compare each ecommerce shipping software’s pricing against the maximum shipments to determine the best rate for any shipping method.
Features
As you’d expect, shipping software platforms have varying features. Of course, some capabilities are standard, including email notifications, shipping label acquisition and printing, and tracking number management. But you should consider more advanced features like expedited shipping, freight shipments, inventory management, dropshipping features, and LTL (less-than-truckload) shipments.
Ease of Use
Choose easy-to-use ecommerce shipping software with a clear dashboard and detailed order information. Moreover, your choice should integrate with other tools to boost productivity in line with your shipping volume. Generally, you should easily conduct all shipping operations, from picking a carrier to printing shipping labels.
Integrations
You want to ensure your shipping platform integrates with your e-commerce tools alongside the vast marketplaces where you offer your products. This priority will restrict your search to shipping software solutions that optimize your shipping operations while ensuring seamless ordering.
Support
Finally, consider a shipping platform offering a comprehensive knowledge base that’s easy to navigate, alongside live support via email, live chat, or phone. Whichever method, the right ecommerce solutions strive to keep customers up to date.
Best Shipping Software for eCommerce
Focusing on the best shipping software can streamline your daily e-commerce business operations, aid your shipping calculations, and make label and packing slip printing easier. That said, here are our picks for the most reliable software tools for ecommerce shipping businesses looking to save money:
ShipStation
ShipStation is a multi-carrier shipping software suite that helps you manage every aspect of your ecommerce business fulfillment. The shipping solution boasts multiple useful features to streamline your shipping process. Its primary capabilities include reduced shipping costs, order consolidation, personalized branding, and inventory management and control.
ShipStation also supports importing orders from over 60 sales channels and automatically applying preset configurations and shipping choices. The ecommerce shipping software keeps you updated on shipping status and tracking details, and you can customize packing slips, emails, and tracking pages for a lasting impression. You get all this $9.99 per user per month, but the shipping software also offers a 30-day free shipping software trial.
Ordoro
Ecommerce business owners looking to streamline their e-commerce operations across multiple sales channels can find immense value in Ordoro. The cloud-based software is among the most sought-after shipping solutions and offers several beneficial ecommerce shipping features, such as reduced carrier rates, shipping presets, inventory management, automation rules, barcode scanning, and no fees for Prime fulfillment by the seller.
Moreover, you can leverage the ecommerce shipping software’s higher-tier plans, which offer customized workflows, integrations, vendor portals, supplier management, and dedicated customer service representatives. Finally, the shipping solution is available in three monthly pricing plans: Express at $59, Pro at $499, and Enterprise at $999.
Shopify
It’s unsurprising that Shopify, one of the big names in e-commerce, has its shipping software for ecommerce businesses. If you opt for this reputable platform, you can access Shopify Shipping, offering vast capabilities from inventory management to pricing insights.
The Basic Shopify store package offers ecommerce businesses label printing, automated shipping cost calculations, and discounted shipping rates (up to 64%) for DHL Express, USPS, and UPS shipping rates at $24/month. On the other hand, upgrading to a Shopify plan provides USPS Priority Mail Cubic pricing and even greater rate discounts (up to 72%) at $69/month.
Finally, the Advanced Shopify plan includes all the features mentioned above, third-party shipping rate calculation, and integration with your shipping accounts. The software also offers discounted shipping rates, potentially reaching 74% at $299/month.
Shippo
Owners of small ecommerce companies can benefit immensely from Shippo. If you have a relatively lower volume of orders, you can sign up for the platform’s free plan, offering essential features to kickstart your shipping needs. In addition, this plan offers shipping labels at a pay-as-you-go rate of five cents each. On the other hand, Professional or Premier plans include shipping labels.
Shippo can also serve your international shipping needs, collaborating directly with multiple carriers to offer discounted shipping rates. The versatile shipping software for ecommerce offers integration options for over 85 shipping carriers and e-commerce platforms. Finally, the Professional plan includes branding on packing slips and automated workflows, with five user accounts available.
Easyship
Do you have a global clientele requiring parcel shipping? Easyship can be crucial to your ecommerce arsenal thanks to its discounted shipping rates for ecommerce businesses.
The first attraction to Easyship is its real-time shipping rates during checkout, which enable significant savings on international shipping costs. The shipping software for ecommerce has a cloud-based shipping management tool with a convenient, easy-access dashboard. In addition, the platform simplifies printing packing slips, and you can get automation capabilities with custom shipping rules.
Easyship links ecommerce businesses with over 250 shipping companies, create tax and customs documents and provides a free 30-day trial. You can also pay for shipping labels as you go. The Plus plan is $29 monthly and can accommodate up to 500 packages. But if you’re handling larger shipment volumes, consider the Premier plan at $49 monthly, offering 2,500 packages.
It’s Time to Get the Most from Your Ecommerce Shipping Software
Handling your ecommerce shipping on a separate platform from your ecommerce site can take time and effort. But your online store can leverage any of the above shipping solutions to streamline your shipping strategy, keep things organized, and maintain a satisfied customer base.
In addition to reliable shipping software solutions, working with reputable shipping partners can help you get the most out of your tools. Fortunately, you’re on the right website. So don’t hesitate to sign up with us for free and with zero obligation to see how much you can save on ecommerce shipping.
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