Global ecommerce sales are currently topping $3.5 trillion and cumulative data anticipates a 276% increase in global retail over the most recently tracked period. If you’re just starting out your ecommerce business, the first thing to learn is that global sales require global presence. This, of course, does not entail setting up multiple brick-and-mortar stores or international warehousing, but it does require a strategic and well-thought-out approach to shipping.
Why should you care about ecommerce shipping? As per BigCommerce’s 2017 survey, shipping price and speed are two of the top three most influential factors driving customer purchases. Moreover, 45% of customers have abandoned a shopping cart because of unsatisfactory delivery options, 38% say that negative delivery experience is a deal-breaker, while 66% of shoppers claim they’ve decided not to make a purchase because of higher shipping costs.
The stats speak for themselves. If you’re not dropshipping or you’re still too small to transition to 3PL (third-party logistics) fulfillment services you’ll have to store, manage and ship the products to your customers by yourself. Regardless of the type of products you sell, if you’re just starting out, order fulfillment can be a very scary undertaking with a shipload *wink wink* of variables to consider.
So, where should you begin?
Continue reading "Ecommerce Shipping – A Step by Step Guide for 2023"
