1. Work with Mrs. Shippie for the lowest UPS rates
Online retailers with low shipping volumes often find themselves at a disadvantage when negotiating rates and service options for their e-commerce shipping. When you partner with Mrs. Shippie, you get comprehensive e-commerce shipping solutions from UPS, with great rates designed specifically for small and mid-sized business (SMB) shippers. Get discounts on lightweight domestic and international parcel shipping, including up to 77% off UPS® Ground shipments, up to 73% for UPS 2nd Day Air® and up to 72% for UPS Next Day Air® service and up to 83% off international services.
2. Add live shipping rates to your site
Live shipping rates are a way to automatically calculate shipping costs in real-time based on your customer’s location and the items they’ve ordered. By using live shipping rates, you can ensure that your customers are charged the correct shipping rate for their location, the weight of their package, and the shipping provider they choose. This provides the added benefit of reducing customer service inquiries regarding shipping costs and helps you avoid overcharging or undercharging for shipping.
Another advantage of using live shipping rates is that it allows you to offer more shipping options to your customers. With live rates, you can provide accurate pricing for different shipping methods such as standard, expedited, or overnight shipping. This can help you attract more customers who are looking for specific shipping options that fit their needs.
Additionally, live shipping rates can help you save time and money by automating the shipping process. Instead of manually calculating shipping costs for each order, live rates can do it for you in real-time. This can help you streamline your shipping operations and reduce the risk of errors or miscalculations.
3. Reduce the size of your boxes, trust me
The best way to cut down on shipping costs is to cut down the size of the shipping boxes.
Also, you need to understand when are poly-mailers a better option than a corrugated box. For example, if you are shipping a t-shirt or any other fabric, then padded poly-mailers can be a good choice. Poly-mailers do not take much space during shipping and will cost you less. You can also use Kraft mailers for shipping paper products like cards or documents.
Example: for the products of different size, keep different sized corrugated boxesrather than a one-size-fits-all box. Having boxes for specific products means you will have boxes with less void space in them.
4. Build shipping into the cost of your goods
Giving away shipping 100% free, which means you bear the full shipping cost from your margin, can hurt your business unless you charge a premium on your products from customers.
This is because shipping charges are dynamic and differ from location-to-location. Even the eCommerce giants, who get better shipping rates from shipping carriers, struggle to provide free shipping on all of their goods because it is still expensive.
In order to make optimal use of free shipping, you need to get the balance right.
Threshold-based free shipping or “condition-based free shipping,” where a minimum purchase limit is set, has seen good success among retailers.
In fact, 60% of eCommerce companies cite “free shipping with conditions” as their most successful marketing tool.
The reasons are obvious. On the one hand, it satisfies customers’ need for free shipping and on the other it increases the Average Order Value (AOV) of purchases by motivating customers to meet the threshold for free shipping.
You can also opt for shipping options that are less expensive or which have an extended delivery period. Based on the fact that free shipping is provided, customers who are not in immediate need of a product will still choose to wait it out.
5. Pay attention to service options
UPS SurePost is the most cost-effective service from UPS for those packages that weigh less than 10 lbs, but delivery will be relatively slow. You also do have to have a contract with UPS to utilize this service, which you can access by working with Mrs. Shippie for the lowest UPS rates available.