Daily E-Commerce Pulse Report (Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash)

Top 2023 resources on shipping

Best shipping resource in 2023.
Learn more about shipping to improve your e-commerce strategy.

10 Fulfillment Warehouses with Low or No Minimums for Small Businesses - Struggling with shipping as a small business? These 10 fulfillment warehouses have low or no minimums so they're small business friendly.
Topics: low, minimums, order, fulfillment, shopify, warehouses, small, minimum, shipping, orders, products, businesses, monthly, 3pl.
2023 Ecommerce Fulfillment Statistics: What the Data Tells Us - Today’s top ecommerce Fulfilment statistics provide us with some useful insights into the current state of the online shopping landscape. While there are multiple factors contributing to whether or not a digital seller is successful, few things are more important… Continue reading 2023 Ecommerce Fulfillment Statistics: What the Data Tells Us
Topics: online, ecommerce, tells, statistics, shipping, free, consumers, say, customers, fulfillment, delivery, retailers, fulfilment, companies, data.
3 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Tailor Their Ecommerce Strategy for Maximum Growth - Ecommerce continues to grow. Here are three things that entrepreneurs need to do in order to find success with it.
Topics: free, strategy, sellers, tailor, growth, ecommerce, online, smbs, consumers, maximum, customers, platforms, shipping, entrepreneurs, shopping, ways.
3 Ways to Offset Shipping Rate Increases - The U.S. Postal Service has announced a temporary increase in holiday shipping rates. Such increases from all carriers are inevitable. Merchants should adopt a shipping strategy to manage costs over the long term.
Topics: rate, season, zone, box, increase, offset, shipping, cost, increases, zones, package, customers, ways.
3 Ways to Reduce Shipping Costs - Lowering shipping costs is a surefire way to improve profits. Same-day delivery, free shipping, standard transit, click-and-collect — all are candidates for cost reductions.
Topics: costs, package, items, weight, lightweight, materials, rates, volume, reduce, shipping, ways, size.
4 Simple, Proven Ways to Improve Your Customers' Ecommerce Experience - Do you find yourself competing in a crowded ecommerce niche? Creating a little more wiggle room for yourself is easy.
Topics: create, ways, website, simple, improve, shipping, proven, experience, ecommerce, customer, robust, customers, store, product.
5 Content Marketing Ideas for May 2022 - The May 2022 installment of our long-running content ideas series suggests focusing on competitors, specialized reports, local content, product profiles, and "National Brother's Day."
Topics: brothers, shoes, day, industry, produce, products, content, marketing, example, shipping, ideas.
5 Often Overlooked Ways to Thrive on Walmart Marketplace - Learn how to grow your business by harnessing this emerging ecommerce platform to its fullest potential.
Topics: overlooked, customers, images, thrive, ways, product, walmart, marketplace, shipping, sure, strict, pricing, products.
7 New Year’s Resolutions for Ecommerce Companies - Clearly defined goals can help ecommerce companies make 2022 the best year yet. The goals or resolutions should be aspiring and engaging enough to encourage action. What follows are seven resolution ideas for 2022. Adapt these to your company and implement them throughout the year.
Topics: packaging, shipping, companies, customers, habit, resolutions, ecommerce, customer, goals, company.
About You introduces minimum order amount - From now on, fashion e-tailer About You only offers free shipping with a minimum order amount of 30 euros. Customers with smaller orders will have to pay 4,90 euros delivery costs. The new fees are already in effect in Germany, but will eventually be introduced in all markets. German fashion…
Topics: shipping, minimum, zalando, free, delivery, euros, order, introduces, company, fashion, introduced, costs.
About You limits free delivery - About You wants to introduce a minimum order value for free shipping in all of its markets this year. The German fashion platform is hoping to cut costs by having fewer orders with low values in the future. About You is currently testing the minimum order value in some of…
Topics: minimum, costs, order, limits, delivery, value, shipping, platform, consumer, online, markets, free.
Amazon Ramps Up Its Own Delivery Service - Amazon Logistics provides shipping services to third-party sellers regardless of the sales channel. The program, called Multi-channel Fulfillment, is available to merchants who use Fulfillment by Amazon.
Topics: ramps, logistics, shipping, amazon, shipments, delivery, program, mcf, sellers, service, thirdparty.
Amazon is increasing the annual price of Prime to $139 in the US - Amazon is increasing the price of Prime in the United States, the company announced on Thursday as part of its quarterly and full-year earnings release. The monthly fee is going from $12.99 to $14.99 and the annual membership is rising from $119 to $139, marking a 17% increase. The price change will go into effect […]
Topics: prime, increasing, amazon, members, wages, rise, shipping, techcrunch, transportation, release, price, annual, raised.
BDroppy Review (Nov 2021): All You Need to Know About the Fashion Dropshipping Platform - In this BDroppy review, we'll provide a clear look at the platform, all it promises, and if it does exactly what it's supposed to in comparison to the competition. Before you opt for a platform to run your online business… Continue reading BDroppy Review (Nov 2021): All You Need to Know About the Fashion Dropshipping Platform
Topics: dropshipping, nov, fashion, catalog, platform, features, amazon, bdroppy, shipping, product, know, plan, review, need.
Best 3PL Companies in Canada for Fast Ecommerce Fulfillment - The best 3PL companies in Canada allow for online stores to store their products in Canadian warehouse space, get those items packaged up nicely, and then quickly sent to customers all over Canada. As with all 3PL (third-party logistics) companies,… Continue reading Best 3PL Companies in Canada for Fast Ecommerce Fulfillment
Topics: canada, best, customers, products, ecommerce, companies, fulfillment, shopify, canadian, shipping, logistics, 3pl, fast.
Best Fulfillment Centers in Texas (Specifically Dallas) - Everything is bigger in Texas, so it makes sense that ecommerce warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment have become commonplace in the Lone Star state. Not only is there an incredible amount of space for fulfillment companies to set up warehouses in… Continue reading Best Fulfillment Centers in Texas (Specifically Dallas)
Topics: shopify, texas, ecommerce, network, pricing, inventory, centers, specifically, shipping, best, month, fulfillment, dallas.
Best Platform to Sell Online in 2023: An In-Depth Analysis -
Topics: best, analysis, products, indepth, wix, store, social, ecommerce, options, platform, online, shipping, sell.
Best Print on Demand Companies in India (2023) - The best Print on Demand sites in India provide would-be entrepreneurs with convenient and cost-effective way to start selling online. With the right platform, business leaders can add unique designs to a host of products, and sell them to customers… Continue reading Best Print on Demand Companies in India (2023)
Topics: business, demand, companies, best, india, products, print, solution, shipping, printing, range, customers, options.
Better Global Buying Experiences with Duties & Import Taxes at Checkout - Shopify’s new Duties & Import Taxes feature calculates and collects duties and import taxes directly at checkout, giving international customers total cost clarity on their purchase, with fewer surprises at delivery. This leads to fewer parcel refusals, fewer chargebacks, and a higher customer lifetime value.More
Topics: better, import, codes, buying, hs, tax, product, experiences, global, shopify, customers, taxes, shipping, duties, checkout.
Byrd Review: Who Are They? - Although finding the right fulfillment network and third-party logistics management solution can be a headache, it's essential to your eCommerce success. byrd is s a cloud-based logistics management solution designed to help businesses handle their inventory, track their orders, and… Continue reading Byrd Review: Who Are They?
Topics: review, fulfillment, ecommerce, shipping, customers, shipments, process, orders, customer, byrd, returns.
Canada Fulfillment Services for Brands Inside Canada (And Shipping there) - Whether your company is in Canada or you'd like to ship to Canadian customers, it's important to find a Canada-focused fulfillment service that provides fast shipping, high-quality storage environments, and affordable rates. The goal of this article is to identify… Continue reading Canada Fulfillment Services for Brands Inside Canada (And Shipping there)
Topics: fulfillment, shipping, shiphype, services, costs, inside, products, brands, shipbob, orders, canada, shopify.
Charts: Global Parcel Shipping Volume, Transit Times - Parcel shipping volume worldwide will grow dramatically. Statista estimates the volume to double by 2026. We chart that growth, transit times, and more in this piece.
Topics: transit, times, global, parcel, charts, parcels, longer, compared, shipping, shipments, volume, period, nov.
Charts: Shipping Backlogs; Container Prices - Increased demand for consumer goods, Covid-induced disruptions in container ship schedules, and a labor shortage at ports have produced longer wait times and supply-chain disruptions.
Topics: charts, container, shipping, prices, global, transport, wait, freight, ports, backlogs, fbx.
Drop Shipping or White Labeling: Which Is Right For You? - What is the main difference between these two business models, and is one better than the other?
Topics: sell, labeling, ship, dont, product, margins, products, shipping, drop, right, white.
Ecommerce Product Releases: June 2, 2021 - Here is a list of product releases and updates for late May from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on social commerce, product drops, live shopping, two-day shipping, fraud prevention, and long-term financing.
Topics: product, releases, help, sellers, million, ecommerce, shopping, platform, merchants, products, shipping.
Ecommerce Product Releases: May 17, 2022 - This installment of "Ecommerce Product Releases," our twice-monthly rundown of new services that could help merchants, includes digital currencies, checkout tools, freight logistics, and more.
Topics: digital, service, releases, product, returns, shipping, merchants, instagram, fulfillment, customer, ecommerce, platform.
Ecommerce Product Releases: November 15, 2021 - Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-November from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on shoppable video, B2B fulfillment, social commerce, shopper protection, and shipping enhancements.
Topics: google, product, integration, platform, video, announced, tiktok, shipping, releases, merchants, ecommerce.
Etsy opened offices in Mexico: Here are 21 strategies to provide a first class service - Good customer service requires more than just saying 'thank you' to your online shoppers.
Topics: etsy, customers, information, mexico, address, service, opened, order, shipping, class, provide, important, questions, business, strategies, customer, store, offices.
Eurora raises $40M for its AI-based system to automate EU e-commerce shipping compliance - The e-commerce market has boomed in the last several years, and with that so has the appetite of tax collectors to do their bidding: make rules that make sure their countries are getting a cut. That’s spelled more red tape and more customs hoops (and costs) for those shipping and receiving goods, and also delays […]
Topics: customs, vat, techcrunch, sure, raises, compliance, ecommerce, aibased, tax, platform, pandemic, shipping, automate, thats, system, eu, eurora.
Finding Dropshipping Companies & Suppliers for Your Ecommerce Store - Are you looking to start an ecommerce business without having to stock inventory yourself? Or are you wanting to expand…
Topics: companies, free, best, dropship, dropshippers, supplier, list, shipping, suppliers, dropshipping, business, wholesaler, product, products.
From movies to shipping, AWS is driving Amazon’s revenue diversification - Put simply: Most of Amazon’s operating income came not from selling stuff, but instead from selling compute and storage.
Topics: revenue, business, techcrunch, amazon, run, amazons, shipping, cloud, aws, billion, diversification, operating, selling, results, driving, movies, support.
Gelato Print on Demand Review: Is This POD Solution Worth Considering? - The print-on-demand business is on the up. So it’s undoubtedly a business area worth digging into a little deeper. In fact, the global print-on-demand market is expected to reach $10,810m by 2027. That's a projected growth of almost 34% per… Continue reading Gelato Print on Demand Review: Is This POD Solution Worth Considering?
Topics: options, print, demand, worth, gelato, products, considering, gelatos, review, product, shipping, sell, solution, order, pod, images.
Getting Started with In-house Fulfillment - Many emerging ecommerce businesses start in someone's garage or kitchen. They store, pack, and ship from a home base and control all the activities. But even established sellers sometimes opt for fulfilling in-house.
Topics: packing, packaging, order, stock, space, getting, started, cost, shipping, fulfillment, inhouse, inventory, software.
Her Company Is Worth $1 Billion. But It Began As a Way to Solve Her Own Shipping Problems. - Shippo founder Laura Behrens Wu has created a software similar to Expedia for the shipping industry.
Topics: way, company, store, problems, help, shippo, worth, billion, carriers, wu, shipping, online, behrens, carrier, solve, began.
Honest Messaging Drives Conversions This Holiday Season - The 2021 holiday shopping season is unpredictable for both shoppers and merchants. Supply chain interruptions and likely shipping delays have prompted many consumers to wrap up gift-buying earlier than usual.
Topics: shopper, order, items, messaging, conversions, holiday, shoppers, times, whats, way, transparent, shipping, drives, season, honest, carrier.
How Ecommerce Is Helping Those Facing the Great Resignation (Become Your Own Boss in 5 Steps) - […]
Topics: social, resignation, great, business, easy, start, helping, ecommerce, online, steps, facing, shipping, consumers, boss, product, store.
How Long Does Aliexpress Shipping Take? Your Simple Guide for 2023 - If you’ve ever purchased something from the world-renowned merchant, this is a question you’ve probably asked before. It’s not just a common question for consumers either. Dropshipping companies and ecommerce retailers also want to know when they can expect to… Continue reading How Long Does Aliexpress Shipping Take? Your Simple Guide for 2023
Topics: times, long, seller, delivery, simple, wait, days, tracking, order, youre, does, aliexpress, guide, shipping.
How To Choose an Ecommerce Fulfillment Service - If you're reading this blog post, you'll know that there are many challenges to running your own online store; one is handling the storing, packing, and shipping of your products. When you’re still a tiny business selling products from your… Continue reading How To Choose an Ecommerce Fulfillment Service
Topics: thirdparty, choose, inventory, order, orders, business, service, youre, ecommerce, shipping, fulfillment.
How To Sell on eBay in 2023 (Step-by-Step Guide) - Wondering how to sell on eBay in 2023? Follow our step-by-step guide, where you can also learn about how eBay can integrate with your Shopify store.More
Topics: product, orders, business, guide, month, listings, store, parts, stepbystep, ebay, shipping, products, sell.
How to Become a More Sustainable Brand - Sustainability has become a must-have, not a nice-to-have, for brands. But it's not always easy to figure out what to do, especially if you're a small business.
Topics: shipping, sustainability, brand, packaging, small, program, business, think, sustainable, brands, steps.
How to Create and Print Shipping Labels with WooCommerce Shipping - Keep it simple: 8 quick steps to print shipping labels in WooCommerce. Plus, see how to reduce shipping costs and work more efficiently with easy automations!
Topics: shipping, process, usps, rates, label, create, print, labels, orders, store, woocommerce.
How to Reduce Shipping Costs for Small Businesses: 7 Helpful Ways - Looking to reduce your shipping costs and compete with big retailers and ecommerce giants as a small store? Learn how in this guide. More
Topics: small, helpful, weight, reduce, shopify, businesses, packaging, costs, local, package, customers, ways, rates, shipping.
How to Set Up a New WooCommerce Store - Learn how to build the store of your dreams! From adding products to setting up shipping — skip the stress and master the basics to start selling online fast!
Topics: need, shipping, started, fast, store, site, woocommerce, product, tax, youll, set, products.
How to Update Your Site Design for the Holidays - Get your site in tip-top shape for the holiday sales season! Maximize conversions, increase revenue, & build long-lasting customer relationships. Here’s how.
Topics: design, holidays, products, holiday, customers, product, site, sales, page, checkout, update, shipping, gift.
How to Use Terapeak for eBay 2021 - The Terapeak research tool takes some of the guessing out of whether a product will sell on eBay. eBay acquired Terapeak in 2017, rolling the analytics tool into its Seller Hub and eventually making its product research function free to use. eBay sellers can look up individual products or product categories, discover sell-through rates, average prices, shipping costs, and more.
Topics: sold, shipping, price, listings, items, sales, sellthrough, product, metric, ebay, terapeak.
Is Dropshipping Legal? The Ethics and Risks of Dropshipping - Is dropshipping legal? This is a question you might be asking yourself if you’re planning on launching a store following the dropshipping business model. After all, dropshipping involves actively selling products created by a third-party manufacturer, with help from a… Continue reading Is Dropshipping Legal? The Ethics and Risks of Dropshipping
Topics: youll, ecommerce, business, dropshipping, shipping, legal, products, risks, need, ethics, youre, customers.
Is Dropshipping Worth It? Find Out the Truth About Dropshipping Success - It may sound surprising, but dropshipping has been a profitable form of business model for fulfillment since the 1960s, even before the internet was around. Mail order catalog companies like CompuCard partnered with larger retailers like JCPenney and Sears to… Continue reading Is Dropshipping Worth It? Find Out the Truth About Dropshipping Success
Topics: customers, dropshipping, dropshippers, business, truth, products, product, youre, success, shipping, worth, customer.
Is Last-mile Delivery Ripe for Disruption? - Competition, profit-taking, and emerging technologies may contribute to rapid and disruptive changes in last-mile package delivery worldwide. For online sellers, the "last mile" describes the final leg of a product's journey to a customer.
Topics: competition, packages, ecommerce, regional, package, lastmile, delivery, ripe, walmart, disruption, orders, shipping.
LetMeShip acquires ParcelParcel - B2B shipping software provider LetMeShip, owned by the ITA Consulting Group, is acquiring Dutch shipping platform ParcelParcel. LetMeShip can accelerate its expansion across Europe thanks to the acquisition. The software provider will now also offer more flexible business-to-consumer shipping solutions. The Germany-based ITA Consulting Group offers a business-to-business shipping solution…
Topics: acquisition, software, acquires, consulting, group, customers, ita, parcelparcel, letmeship, platform, shipping.
Make it Big Podcast: Delivering a Seamless Post-Purchase Experience This Holiday Season - Welcome to The Make it Big Podcast, a bi-weekly audio series about all things ecommerce by BigCommerce. In this episode,…
Topics: delivering, brand, loyalty, customers, things, seen, big, season, merchants, weve, podcast, experience, really, customer, holiday, shipping, postpurchase, seamless.
Nigeria’s Topship raises $2.5M from Flexport and YC to help merchants with international shipping - African merchants encounter many challenges when it comes to international shipping, ranging from logistics and customs to hidden and excessive charges. Digital freight forwarders on the continent have grown to tackle these supply chain issues. In some way, they are taking after the likeness of an $8 billion company and a market leader in the […]
Topics: help, raises, nigerias, flexport, topship, continent, yc, international, techcrunch, cargo, merchants, way, ocean, freight, shipping.
Onport "Instant On" Integration Supercharges Marketplace and Dropship Models Through the Integrations Hub - At Elastic Path, we are committed to empowering all brands to achieve their commerce goals through our innovative approach to commerce technology. Our focus on making Composable Commerce accessible to all brands is made possible through the Instant On integrations available in our Integrations Hub. These integrations provide a seamless connection to best-of-breed commerce solutions, allowing merchandisers to drive revenue and easily create unique commerce experiences. With this approach, Elastic Path is leading the way in revolutionizing the commerce industry. These "instant on" integrations are pre-configured with common data mapping and event triggers. With just a few clicks, merchandisers can customize their integration and leverage Onport’s Marketplace, Dropshipping solution to deliver on modern customer expectations, How To Leverage Onport in the Integrations Hub? Check out our quick demo to learn how to set up this "instant on" integration without a single line of code from within Commerce Manager, our business user tooling. {"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/mtDBYHGhRt2VWzb3KJaDCG.jpg?itok=biAta__E","video_url":"https://share.vidyard.com/watch/mtDBYHGhRt2VWzb3KJaDCG?","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":1},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive, autoplaying)."]} For more information, check out our documentation page to see how your brand can benefit from leveraging the "instant on" Onport integration. Who is Onport? Onport provides best-of-breed shipping and marketplace solutions by connecting your product catalog and order information in a central dashboard integrated with leading couriers. Enabling automation of your order fulfillment anywhere in the world across a multi-vendor ecosystem to be efficiently managed in a matter of clicks. Simplifying the workflow and saving time allows you to focus on your eCommerce success. Check Out Our Integrations Hub See how you can supercharge your store with other "instant on" integrations. Go to Composable Commerce Hub What is part of the Onport Instant On Integration? The Onport integration allows for seamless communication between Onport and Elastic Path Commerce Cloud. With this integration, product, inventory, and order changes in Onport and Elastic Path Commerce Cloud are automatically reflected in the other platform via webhook events. Brands can use this integration to efficiently manage their marketplace and dropship operations, with features such as product sync, order sync, inventory sync, and split order. This no-code integration enables brands to streamline their operations and improve customer experiences.
Topics: onport, instant, sync, elastic, path, brands, integrations, shipping, integration, flexibility, commerce, order, control, split, marketplace, dropship.
Packlane Review – Everything You Need to Know - There are multiple ways for online sellers to keep their brand at the forefront of their customer's minds, including social media, blogging, email and SMS marketing, loyalty programs, and more. However, a common oversight is to ignore the importance of… Continue reading Packlane Review – Everything You Need to Know
Topics: box, design, know, need, order, packlane, packaging, shipping, prices, review, youre, types, unit.
Policy Pages, Done Well, Enhance a Brand - Shoppers search an online store's policy pages for details on shipping, returns, and more. Rarely are these vital pages engaging. But they should be.
Topics: enhance, shoppers, information, pages, brand, process, shipping, policy, returns, privacy, company, page.
Post Brexit, U.K. Ecommerce Sales Remain Strong - January 2021 was the first month of the U.K. not belonging to the E.U. According to the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics, exports to the E.U. dropped 40.7% in January from December 2020.
Topics: merchants, customer, pay, eu, ecommerce, remain, strong, country, brexit, shipping, sellers, vat, uk, sales, post.
Prepare Your Shipping for the 2021 Holiday Season - Over the last couple of years, ecommerce business owners have seen their fair share of shipping and delivery woes. From…
Topics: shipping, return, best, business, fulfillment, options, easy, practices, delivery, customers, holiday, customer.
Printful vs Print Aura: Which POD Solution Should You Choose? - Printful vs Print Aura: Which POD solution is best for today’s business owners? On the surface, Printful and Print Aura have a lot of similarities. Both solutions are “print on demand” platforms, which allow companies to add their own custom… Continue reading Printful vs Print Aura: Which POD Solution Should You Choose?
Topics: shipping, items, options, vs, custom, products, aura, choose, pod, solution, printful, tools, print.
Printify Pricing (Aug 2022): How Much Does Printify Cost? - Printify is a print-on-demand (POD) service where users can design products to sell on their online stores, while also leaving all printing and fulfillment to Printify. This type of service cuts costs significantly for store owners, and it makes it… Continue reading Printify Pricing (Aug 2022): How Much Does Printify Cost?
Topics: aug, does, order, printify, premium, shipping, cost, free, product, pricing, costs, products, plan.
Printify vs Gelato (2023): Which Is Best? - Print on Demand (POD) is a popular and potentially profitable choice for wannabe entrepreneurs looking for a minimal/no investment business venture. Traditionally, you would have to invest in inventory and warehousing to kickstart your online store. However, POD is an… Continue reading Printify vs Gelato (2023): Which Is Best?
Topics: product, best, shipping, pod, sign, printify, gelatos, gelato, products, print, vs, free.
Printify vs Spocket (2023): What’s The Difference? - Do you want to profit from your designs without physically dealing with stock and managing shipping logistics? If so, dropshipping might be a suitable ecommerce fulfillment model for you. Fortunately, there are plenty of dropshipping platforms to choose from: and… Continue reading Printify vs Spocket (2023): What’s The Difference?
Topics: products, shipping, printify, sell, product, suppliers, whats, spocket, vs, shopify, ecommerce, store, difference.
Pros & Cons of Dropship eCommerce - Dropshipping is one of the easiest, low-barrier to entry businesses provided you have access to the internet. If you’re not familiar with the dropship business model it’s relatively simple; you set up a virtual storefront and sell items at retail (without holding inventory), to which you forward for fulfillment by a wholesaler, and you in turn keep the profit. How Popular is Dropship? Dropshipping is still a viable business given that dropshippers have the leverage to earn more than 50% profit than those who keep their own inventory; and with eCommerce steadily on the rise even post-pandemic, there is opportunity to reach customers where they are with this method. Suppliers also stand to gain with 18% more profit selling their products to dropshippers. Sounds simple? It is and it isn’t. In this post we’ll take a second look at dropship and review the pros and cons as a business model. We’ll start with the pros: #1 Pro – Turn a Profit if the Product is Right You’ll want to do a fair amount of brainstorming and market research before venturing into the world of drop ship. The key to success is finding your product niche. With eCommerce heavily influenced by competition, you’ll need to stand out in the marketplace. Look at what’s trending; are there upticks in a particular industry such as health and beauty, driven by a social media influencer touting the next greatest skincare regimen? Is there a new craze in mobile accessories targeting the 18–24-year-old set? Current trends point to increased spend within women’s clothing, baby items, and tools (think specialized all-in-one kits for the home or car), with beauty products not far behind. #2 Pro – No Inventory Management Without the pressure of where to store product, you have freedom to test products without buying in bulk. Less overhead, less to worry about. Your biggest upfront expense is how you will host your virtual storefront, but more on that later. #3 Pro – Work with Trusted Vendor Partners A good partner is crucial to your success. You’ll want to work with vendors who offer ease of use, support, and speed, such as selecting a reliable Order Management System (OMS). We commonly work with Jetti and FluentCommerce for order management integrations specifically related to drop ship. We cover more top OMS providers in our blog for more insight as to Who’s Who in the market, and what questions you’ll need to ask to determine what provider is right for your business. #4 Pro – Speed to Market You’ll be off the ground and running in no time. With no physical retail space and inventory to manage and insure, your startup costs are minimal. Your focus with any dropship business as we’ve mentioned above is the product mix; you’ll want to focus on a niche market or what’s trending like fire in the market. It’s also a good idea to test products since you don’t need to purchase in bulk. #5 Pro – Scalability Dropshipping is highly scalable considering you can sell about anything and ship it to anywhere in the world, provided your fulfillment vendor has service there. And now for the inevitable Cons: Want to Learn More About the Top eCommerce Solutions? If your team is thinking about or currently evaluating an eCommerce software, you likely have many questions and possibly some concerns about different eCommerce software providers. Check out our guide comparing the top 4 solutions. Read the Guide #1 Con - There will be Upfront Costs You are essentially creating your own personal storefront, so you’ll need the platform to build it out and go live. Vendors like Shopify, WooCommerce, OpenCart, and Drupal are common in the market, with WooCommerce known for its economy especially when starting small dropship stores. A basic WordPress site could run between $1,500 - $3,500, however if you need advanced features, you’re looking at additional spend for plug-ins and customizations. From the Shopify side, it’s an estimated monthly charge of $30 to create and host a site, along with their selection of themes and branding tools. Building rapport with your customers begins with a name. Choose a domain name that fits your brand style and is memorable. The average domain cost is between $5-$20/year. If you need help selecting a name with a ring to it, try using a domain name generator to see what’s available. You’ll need to invest in advertising. As your business grows organically you may scale the budget back, but when you launch take full advantage of mobile and social ads to get your name out there. Ask Plenty of Questions Look at the basic features offered by a provider such as product, catalog, payment gateways, taxes, and shipping methods, and determine what you’ll require to get up and running. You may not even require additional plugins at this stage in the business. You’ll also want to consider ease of use with clean user interfaces, and the all-important scalability factor. I recommend looking at several vendors to compare your needs to go live quickly, and where you see yourself in a year. #2 Con – This is Not a Get Rich Quick Business Model If you’re looking for overnight success, dropshipping is not the right business for you. It’s not simply opening the virtual storefront and advertising while your fulfillment partner does all the work. A growth mindset will serve you well. Knowing what to sell and for how long is key to dropshipping success. Bear in mind again with so much competition you’ll need to stand out with the product and how you sell it in your store. This article offers tips on how to make your dropship offer unique and profitable. #3 Con – You Have Less Control of the Customer Experience In contrast to a B2C or D2C channel, you have little control over outcomes such as shipping and packaging; especially if you are drop shipping overseas. If there are customer complaints regarding shipping delays it’s out of your control to fix it, if not prohibitive. This is where finding a reliable fulfillment vendor is so important; you’ll need to build a relationship with them and know their limitations and strengths. #4 - Lack of Quality Control You’re selling a product sight unseen with little shipping control. The condition of the product once it’s received can be unpredictable. If you have concerns about a product’s initial quality, it’s recommended to order a sample to see and touch for yourself. This is also a perfect opportunity to create product imagery or content for your storefront to put the product’s best foot forward. Dropshipping May be Just the Right Model for You A fair number of pros and cons in the drop shipping model, however if you do your market research, keep an open mind, pick the right vendors, and strike while the iron is hot you stand to fare well.
Topics: storefront, need, business, pro, products, ecommerce, cons, product, shipping, pros, youll, market, dropship.
Sendcloud Review: Is It the Right Shipping Platform for Your Online Store? - Shipping is a necessity for ecommerce stores, but it shouldn't be confusing, overly expensive, or limited to only a few carriers. That's why we like to recommend partnering with shipping providers: companies that offer premium shipping software, partnerships with multiple… Continue reading Sendcloud Review: Is It the Right Shipping Platform for Your Online Store?
Topics: returns, support, sendcloud, shipping, review, platform, online, branded, api, right, return, tracking, store, plan, rates.
Sendcloud closes 150 million to grow its global presence - Sendcloud, the leading e-commerce shipping platform in Europe, has raised 150 million euros in a Series C funding round. The investment was led by Softbank, along with L Catterton and HPE Growth. The Dutch-based company will use the money to accelerate growth and continue its ongoing mission for international expansion.… Continue reading
Topics: presence, closes, company, raised, platform, sendcloud, million, global, delivery, united, shipping, grow, market, growth, parcel.
Sendcloud nabs $177M led by SoftBank to double down on SaaS — shipping as a service - E-commerce has undoubtedly seen a huge boost in growth in the last year and a half of COVID-19 living, with people turning to the web and apps to shop for essentials and not-so-essentials to keep their social distance, and using delivery services to receive their goods rather than picking things up in person. Today, a […]
Topics: delivery, nabs, 177m, services, ecommerce, way, techcrunch, customers, retailers, market, service, saas, growth, led, softbank, double, shipping, sendcloud.
ShipBob Alternatives for Cost-effective and Speedy Ecommerce Fulfillment - In the world of 3rd-party logistics (3PL) ShipBob reigns supreme. But does that mean it’s the absolute best fulfillment provider for every single ecommerce business? Absolutely not! That’s why we want to share some of the best ShipBob alternatives. The… Continue reading ShipBob Alternatives for Cost-effective and Speedy Ecommerce Fulfillment
Topics: costeffective, best, alternative, 3pl, ecommerce, fulfillment, alternatives, speedy, shipping, shopify, shipbob, stag.
ShipBob Vs Amazon FBA: Which Is The Best Ecommerce Order Fulfillment Solution? - There are many different order fulfillment solutions available for ecommerce businesses, and it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. In this article, we'll compare ShipBob and Amazon FBA, two of the most popular options, to… Continue reading ShipBob Vs Amazon FBA: Which Is The Best Ecommerce Order Fulfillment Solution?
Topics: solution, amazon, products, businesses, inventory, fba, customer, best, fulfillment, shipping, vs, ecommerce, order, shipbob.
ShipBob nabs $200M at a $1B+ valuation to help e-commerce companies run logistics like Amazon’s - E-commerce saw a massive surge of activity and growth in 2020; and while we may hear a lot about how big companies like Amazon got even bigger during the COVID-19 pandemic, that rising tide also lifted a lot of smaller boats. And that, in turn, has had a big impact on the wider e-commerce ecosystem. […]
Topics: online, amazons, round, shipping, help, amazon, shipbob, customers, run, companies, logistics, valuation, techcrunch, growth, ecommerce, nabs.
ShipBob vs Shipstation: Which Is The Best Ecommerce Order Fulfillment Solution? - When it comes to ecommerce order fulfillment, there are two leading platforms that stand out above the rest: ShipBob and ShipStation. But which is the best solution for your business? To help you make the decision, we’ve put together a… Continue reading ShipBob vs Shipstation: Which Is The Best Ecommerce Order Fulfillment Solution?
Topics: solution, businesses, inventory, software, shipstation, best, fulfillment, shipping, vs, ecommerce, order, shipbob.
ShipBots Review: A Family-owned, Highly-flexible Ecommerce Fulfillment Company - ShipBots is an order fulfillment service for ecommerce stores with standard storage and shipping needs. It also offers unique fulfillment options for subscription boxes, retail, Amazon FBA prep, merchandise, and apparel. In the booming industry of 3PL (3rd-party logistics), is… Continue reading ShipBots Review: A Family-owned, Highly-flexible Ecommerce Fulfillment Company
Topics: customer, storage, shipping, warehouse, ecommerce, shipbots, familyowned, inventory, fulfillment, highlyflexible, review, online, company, order.
Shipium gives e-commerce retailers Amazon-like supply chain tech - E-commerce retailers of all sizes can have that supply chain coordination layer that enables them to provide fast and cheaper shipping, too.
Topics: shipping, amazonlike, tech, supply, ecommerce, shipium, technology, chain, gives, company, retailers, techcrunch, million.
Shipping Trends: How To Deliver on Your Customers’ Shipping Expectations in 2022 - Key learnings from our Future of Commerce report solve shipping challenges and offer new shipping strategies and processes that can positively impact your business in 2022.More
Topics: deliver, costs, customers, shopify, free, options, shipping, cost, order, trends, ship, product, expectations.
Shippo Review (2023): An Easy-To-Use Shipping Solution For SMB Merchants - In today’s Shippo review, we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at a popular shipping and fulfillment service for today’s growing ecommerce market. As an all-in-one shipping solution for management, partnerships, label printing, and insurance, Shippo aims to provide business owners with… Continue reading Shippo Review (2023): An Easy-To-Use Shipping Solution For SMB Merchants
Topics: solution, fulfillment, service, shippo, access, tools, review, platform, merchants, labels, support, customer, smb, easytouse, shipping.
Shopify Is Eliminating the Climate Impact of Merchant Shipments Over BFCM - For the second year in a row, Shopify is addressing the environmental impact of the global Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping weekend by purchasing enough frontier carbon removal to counteract the carbon emissions that come from shipping every single order on our platform.More
Topics: shipments, bfcm, removal, merchant, carbon, companies, impact, world, eliminating, climate, shopify, emissions, technologies, shipping.
Shopify Markets Pro Review (2023) - Like many in the ecommerce world, we saw Shopify Markets Pro announced during Shopify’s Winter ‘23 Edition. And just like all ecommerce professionals, we were excited to see what new international selling features were provided for Shopify users. In this… Continue reading Shopify Markets Pro Review (2023)
Topics: taxes, merchants, review, pro, tax, product, features, shipping, duties, markets, shopify.
Shopify acquires shipping logistics startup Deliverr for $2.1B - Shopify today announced that it will acquire Deliverr, a San Francisco, California-based e-commerce fulfillment startup, for $2.1 billion in cash and stock. The deal, rumors of which were reported in April by Bloomberg, is the largest acquisition in Shopify’s history, and Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke says that it will enable the company to […]
Topics: fulfillment, techcrunch, delivery, startup, retailers, billion, inventory, chain, logistics, deliverr, acquires, 21b, platform, shopify, shipping.
Skydropx taps new funding to expand logistics automation across Latin America - The company is now profitable and grew over 300% in revenue last year. It now serves over 50,000 customers and makes more than 1.5 million deliveries a month.
Topics: fulfillment, skydropx, taps, funding, ecommerce, customers, automation, saw, delivery, company, logistics, expand, america, latin, zambrano, techcrunch, shipping.
Sourcing Products For Ecommerce 101: How to Get Unique and Marketable Stock - Many moons ago, merchants embarked on long journeys to far away lands. Traveling in caravans, sailing on schooners or riding…
Topics: products, business, inventory, small, guide, ultimate, need, source, product, online, suppliers, store, sourcing, shipping.
Sustainable Packaging Is a Competitive Advantage - Consumers concerned about waste in landfills and oceans are demanding sustainable product packaging. Environmentally responsible packaging can be just as cost-effective as conventional methods but may require a change in thinking.
Topics: using, shipping, uses, consumers, competitive, packaging, advantage, recycled, provider, materials, sustainable.
Text Commerce Is Upfront Permission to Sell - Text commerce is the process of obtaining payment and shipping info from shoppers upfront as well as permission to send offers. The model can solve multiple hurdles for merchants.
Topics: service, text, wine, shipping, sell, payment, upfront, permission, ecommerce, address, coffee, business, messages, commerce.
The 14 Point Ecommerce Launch Checklist (Mar 2022) - When you start an ecommerce site you realize that there are loads of items that need to be checked, cross-checked, and tested to ensure that your customers have a quality user experience. From the website design to a sleek, quick… Continue reading The 14 Point Ecommerce Launch Checklist (Mar 2022)
Topics: payment, checklist, launch, product, site, website, point, mar, customer, page, pages, customers, shipping, ecommerce.
The Best Shopify Shipping Label Apps for 2023 - Finding the best Shopify shipping label apps to support your fulfillment process can be an excellent way to save some time when you’re running your online store. Producing shipping labels is a crucial component in getting your items to customers… Continue reading The Best Shopify Shipping Label Apps for 2023
Topics: orders, apps, label, labels, options, shopify, plus, best, free, features, month, shipping, shipments.
The Buyer’s Journey Doesn’t Stop at Checkout: Understanding the Five Steps to Creating Frictionless Purchase - There’s a reason that ecommerce has become a multi-trillion dollar industry — to the tune of a projected $6.5 trillion…
Topics: checkout, experience, shipping, purchases, creating, store, customers, holidays, site, bigcommerce, shoppers, frictionless, help, customer.
The Complete 2021 Guide to Preparing Your Ecommerce Store for Holiday Magic - The holidays are coming yet again. Last year, we were prepping for an unprecedented year. Many were spending holidays apart…
Topics: prepare, shopping, customer, steps, shipping, customers, holiday, sure, shoppers, products, experience, guide, tips, ecommerce, marketing.
The Truth About Dropshipping: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method that does not require a business to keep products in stock. Instead, the store…
Topics: does, business, shipping, actually, sales, ecommerce, supplier, cons, order, work, dropshipping, dont, products, product, pros.
The Ultimate Checklist for Every New Ecommerce Site (Oct 2021) - When you start an ecommerce site you realize that there are loads of items that need to be checked, cross-checked, and tested to ensure that your customers have a quality user experience. From the website design to a sleek, quick… Continue reading The Ultimate Checklist for Every New Ecommerce Site (Oct 2021)
Topics: checklist, ecommerce, link, items, page, site, shipping, product, support, pages, checkout, ultimate.
The holiday shopping season is coming: How are growth marketers preparing? - With just 22 days left until the holiday shopping season begins, we spoke to several growth marketers to find out how 2021's supply chain meltdowns are impacting their campaign planning.
Topics: season, supply, techcrunch, growth, marketing, going, marketers, preparing, theres, coming, holiday, chain, things, q4, shipping, shopping, far, retailers.
This shipping company may become Amazon Prime's rival - Cainiao is an Alibaba subsidiary logistics company that plans to take any product anywhere in the world in 72 hours and for three dollars a month (approximately 60 Mexican pesos).
Topics: prime, company, fast, founded, amazon, primes, rival, shipping, aliexpress, world, subscription, logistics, deliveries.
This startup solves the management of shipments in your ecommerce or physical store and helps you save up to 70% in logistics expenses - The SkydropX statup has the mission of making shipping management easier for ecommerce and all types of entrepreneurs, giving them access to very competitive parcel prices.
Topics: delivery, parcel, shipments, startup, platform, solves, shipping, tool, save, helps, expenses, logistics, skydropx, entrepreneur, management, store, physical, package, business.
Tips for Showing Holiday Shipping Cut-Off Dates & Offers - Holiday shopping season is well off and running and before you know it, you'll need to calm the "will it get there on time?" fears of last-minute shoppers. Great online stores address this anxiety by making holiday shipping cutoff dates easy to find on home pages and product pages. Let's look at some examples and tips: Ulta provides a guide for addressing holiday shipping including package delivery times. Straightforward, uncluttered, and easy to find on their site: Similar to Ulta’s guide, Harry & David provides a clear call to action (CTA) linking to specific holiday gifts and an offer: American Eagle dedicates homepage banner space with a CTA to ensure timely delivery by the 24th: In a season rife with supply chain issues and a national labor shortage, some retailers are pushing gift cards and curbside pickup to assuage shipping anxiety. Curbside pickup service remains steady since the pandemic began, while other shopping behaviors have waned. Studies show curbside pickup, BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later), and BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup In Store) saw dramatic increase this year, with curbside up 190% in North America alone. Following holiday shopping behavior trends, top retailers encourage curbside pickup, in-store pickup, and third-party delivery options. Adding to the convenience factor, e-gift cards are promoted as an alternative since shipping is a non-issue, and it provides more flexibility to the receiver to pick out the perfect gift at their leisure. This retailer clearly states the terms of the “Christmas Delivery Guarantee.” Great use of the word deadline to convey urgency and the chatbot feature on the bottom right for shoppers who have questions in real-time. For those choosing to ship with USPS, they’ve put together resources under the Quick Tools tab to provide clear guidance on dates and services they offer, including at-home shipping labels and package pickup. Additional kudos for including gift-giving holidays such as Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Best Buy offers their own Holiday FAQ linked from their homepage to address shipping and returns, and how to stay safe while shopping amid continued pandemic precautions: Another winner with Old Navy’s prominent, eye-catching holiday homepage messaging including a CTA to download their dedicated app for the best shopping experience: Target calls out their holiday price match offer, along with a link to a Holiday Best deals guide (smart copywriting!) For those selling handmade goods this holiday season, Etsy provides a comprehensive how-to playbook for managing orders and shipping: Shipping Cutoff Tips: Use clear wording like "Shipping Deadlines," "Shipping Cutoff" or "Order By December ___" rather than just "Shipping Details" or "Shipping Info." Make sure the information is easy to find on the home page and product pages. Include where you ship on your detail page. If different states or countries have different cutoff dates, make this clear. Clearly state any restrictions. If different products have different shipping times, make sure to make that clear. Include all shipping options: standard, expedited, and express. Remember that Christmas is not the only holiday of the season. Bonus: Offer a guarantee on your schedule. If the order arrives late, issue an e-coupon or gift card, and pay for shipping. Show holiday return policies on home page. Remind last-minute shoppers about electronic gift card options. Check out a complete list of shipping cut off dates (domestic and international) for major carriers.
Topics: shipping, delivery, offers, curbside, pickup, clear, including, different, provides, shopping, cutoff, showing, tips, dates, holiday.
Trend Report: This is What Will Matter for Small Businesses in 2022 - Our Future of Commerce report has invaluable insights into what you should be focussing on in 2022 as a small business owner. Plus, find out what customers will be looking for as they shop. We have the data to future-proof your small business. More
Topics: trend, businesses, data, plan, business, valuable, shipping, matter, small, report, online, invest, customers.
Unlock Retail Growth in Latin America: 6 Ways Mercado Libre Can Simplify Cross-Border Selling - By now, most merchants are aware of the exponential growth happening in retail e-commerce sales worldwide — data from Statista…
Topics: libre, marketplace, sellers, ecommerce, america, mercado, selling, shipping, successfully, latin, sales.
Walmart lures consumers to its Walmart+ subscription with early access to Black Friday deals - Walmart+, the retailer’s low-cost alternative to Amazon Prime offering free shipping with no minimums, free grocery delivery and other perks, is now adding one more reason to become a subscriber: early access to Black Friday deals. The company announced today it will allow paying Walmart+ subscribers to gain early access to its Black Friday events […]
Topics: access, black, prime, walmart, amazon, deals, techcrunch, shopping, shipping, subscription, early, consumers, free, members, lures.
Want More Revenue? Improve Users’ Checkout Experience - Don’t lose customers at the last second! A few changes could boost your revenue overnight — really! See the best ways to streamline checkout & maximize sales.
Topics: users, experience, site, woocommerce, improve, customers, product, shipping, revenue, page, checkout, payment, store, account.
What is Dropshipping? Drop Shipping 101 for Beginners (in 2021) - What is dropshipping? We cover the pros & cons of dropshipping plus the margins, risks & profitability of drop shipping in 2021 and beyond
Topics: products, drop, beginners, business, customer, shipping, online, customers, supplier, updated, dropshipping, product.
What’s Better: Free Shipping or Lower Prices? - What’s the best strategy for your store? Can you afford to offer free shipping? Can you afford not to? Examine the pros, cons, & best-practices to boost sales.
Topics: price, best, strategy, product, zero, business, costs, offer, lower, prices, shipping, whats, customers, free.
White-label SaaS shipping startup Outvio closes $3M round led by Change Ventures - Outvio offers online stores of any size a post-purchase shipping setup, which seeks to replicate an Amazon-style experience where customers can also return packages.
Topics: outvio, retailers, fulfillment, stores, experience, startup, led, shipping, ventures, saas, techcrunch, tools, closes, online, solutions, round, whitelabel.
Why Print on Demand Is (Probably) the Quickest Path for Anyone Who Wants to Sell T-Shirts - If you’re looking for a low barrier to entry to entrepreneurship, then the $10 billion custom t-shirt industry might be for you. Thanks to a growing ecosystem of print-on-demand companies, it’s relatively easy for anyone to design (or outsource design) shirts and sell them online. In this guide, we review our favorite print-on-demand companies and how to get started. More
Topics: shipping, shopify, printondemand, print, orders, wants, sell, etsy, probably, products, quickest, path, business, woocommerce, demand, shirts, days, tshirts.
Zero-waste online supermarket GerneOhne launched in Germany - New online supermarket GerneOhne wants to prove there’s another way to shop for groceries. Since the first of July, customers across Germany can order plastic-free packaged food online and have their groceries delivered to their homes. GerneOhne, which translates to ‘Gladly without’, was founded by Eduardo Castaneda, Sergey Gladyshev and… Continue reading
Topics: shipping, zerowaste, gerneohne, orders, products, reusable, launched, germany, startup, payment, whitepaper, supermarket, online, glasses.
Zonos banks $69M to develop APIs for democratizing cross-border commerce - Zonos automatically classifies goods and calculates an accurate total landed cost on international transactions.
Topics: need, reid, 69m, banks, cost, techcrunch, customers, trade, maclean, commerce, crossborder, develop, apis, zonos, democratizing, shipping, fees.
clicOH’s shipping technology provides Amazon-like logistics to e-commerce companies in LatAm - The company delivers a package every 20 seconds and services customers of all sizes, from AB inBev and Red Bull to small Shopify merchants.
Topics: technology, shipping, provides, funding, latin, saravia, round, companies, amazonlike, latam, company, america, techcrunch, clicohs, logistics, ecommerce, novillo.