6 Reasons Small Businesses Should Use Shipping Software
How Shipping Software Can Make Small Business Shipping More Cost and Time Efficient
hipping isn’t the most attractive part of being a small online seller. In fact, often, it can be a bit of a nightmare. There are tons of tasks you have to do in your day-to-day that are shipping related. And they all seem to take ages. Plus, with ever-rising costs, shipping is getting more and more expensive!
But what if there was a solution? Something that would make shipping less time and money consuming. That’s where shipping software comes in. In this post, we’ll detail what shipping software is and delve into its many benefits for small retailers. Let’s get started…
What is shipping software?
Shipping software can also be referred to as a shipping platform. Essentially, it’s a software solution designed to make shipping simple. It gives users an easy way to manage orders, compare the best shipping rates, and buy and print discounted labels. And if you own a micro eCommerce biz - it enables you to do all of this from the comfort of your own home.
Do I need to pay for shipping software?
A lot of shipping platforms work on a monthly subscription basis. So most of the time, you will have to pay a small monthly fee. And while there are free platforms around, they tend to lack key features and functionality vs. paid software. A free plan is only really worth it if you’re only shipping around 20 packages a month.
6 benefits of shipping software for Small eCommerce Business Owners
1. See the fastest and cheapest shipping options available in real-time
Finding the most affordable shipping service for your package can take a lot of time. Sometimes, it involves hours of research off your own back (and tons of open tabs!). In other words - it's a real pain.
But you can forget doing that with shipping software. Once you’ve inputted the weight and dimensions of your item, shipping platforms instantly show you the quickest and least costly service available.
This can save you heaps of energy and make your shipping process way more efficient.
2. Get access to heavily discounted shipping rates
Post-COVID, shipping costs have continued to soar. And that’s had a big impact on small eCommerce stores in particular.
Enter shipping software - small businesses’ knight in shining armor. Shipping platforms receive large discounts on shipping rates with major carriers. Therefore, small businesses can shrink their shipping costs simply by using a software solution.
For example, Ship.com users can access up to 78% off UPS Ground and up to 84% off USPS retail prices. With these discounts, shippers saved nearly $2 million last year!
3. Order home pick-ups in seconds
If you’re a home business owner, daily post office trips are probably the norm. So you’ll know that the travel and queuing part is a big time-consumer. And if you use your car for the journey, it’s also a gas guzzler.
However, by using a shipping platform, you can avoid post-office trips completely. In a matter of clicks, shipping software allows you to arrange a home pick-up. It literally takes less than 10 seconds. In fact, this could save you up to 90 minutes per week vs. going to the post-office.
4. Save time with powerful order management tools
One of the biggest advantages of shipping platforms is their powerful order management features.
Most shipping software syncs with major eCommerce platforms. Like Shopify, Etsy, Square, and PayPal to name a few. This enables store owners to auto import order info from each buyer into the software. As a result, this saves hours on manual data entry. And it allows you to view customer info and print labels all in one place.
In addition to this, there are other awesome features like batch processing and order merging. With batch processing, shippers can print several labels, pack lists, and packing sheets all at the same time. Whereas order merging gives you the ability to combine multiple orders to create one shipping label.
Ultimately, these features make complex tasks simple and quick. Plus, by combining orders, you can save $ by using just one label.
5. Provide order tracking and update customers with ease
Order tracking is a huge part of eCommerce. Customers want to be updated on where their packages are. If they’re not, this could result in a negative shipping experience and turn them off a brand.
Fortunately, shipping software offers you an easy way of keeping your customer in the loop. Shipping platforms like Ship.com send automated tracking emails at each stage of the delivery process. This way, you can give your buyers the peace of mind they need. And you won’t need to do the heavy lifting!
6. Reduce customer support time with rapid returns
You and your shoppers definitely have at least one thing in common. You both want a hassle-free way to process returns. Well, the good news is that shipping software gives you a way to do this.
In just a few clicks, you can process a return using a shipping platform. And because it’s so quick, you’ll end up spending a lot less time on customer support.
Conclusion - shipping platforms are a BIG time and money saver
If you own a small eCommerce store, shipping software makes doing the most important tasks a whole lot quicker and easier. To add to that, shipping platforms give you access to the deepest carrier discounts around. By taking advantage of all they have to offer, small business owners can save tons of time and money on shipping. And shipping can go from nightmare to delight - just like that!
