Consumers today expect shipping to be included, whether from an e-commerce sale or even from a store. In turn, shipping costs are increasing for every company.
How can you keep shipping costs down, as consumer expectations rise?
1) Ship from the closest in-stock location to the customer
Don’t overlook the simplest option. Ship from the location closest to your customer. Whether that is ship from store, or from a distribution center, shipping from the closest location will help save you money.
2) Ship from a distribution center
Distributions centers have well-oiled picking, packing, and delivering processes. Staff is dedicated to handling shipping orders—and they do not have to deal with customers. DCs are usually located in a strategic location for distribution, so shipping from distribution centers might be a solution depending on stock availability.
3) Take a look at your carrier pool
Having more than one carrier means that you have to deal with more than one partner, and dividing order volume between them. Consider keeping only one carrier with a better contract. Or, pare down carrier options where it makes sense.
To learn more about Fluent Order Management, schedule a demo today.
Author: Mauricio Zanotta, Order Management Consultant, Emakina.NL
