Arguably, no other company has disrupted logistics management quite like Amazon–customers can choose same day shipping and receive their packages as quickly as the next day. Last year, Amazon, tested the first drone delivery in England, and with the advent of self-driving cars, same day delivery will likely become the norm. This has vastly changed customer expectations, and those without the right booking portal stand to lose out.
Why do retailers need to keep up? A recent Retail Week survey of 2000 shoppers said that 75% of consumers see delivery as a key factor influencing their choice of retailer and 64% said they’d shop online more if they had control over their delivery options. On the flip side, 68% of shoppers have been discouraged in some way due to the delivery options on offer.
Clearly, there’s a huge incentive to get the shipping operations part of the e-commerce equation right. Here are a few tips from our shipping logistics management experts to help you move towards same-day shipping capability:
Take advantage of multiple carriers
It might sound counterintuitive for logistics managers to increase the number of carriers they work with, but this is actually an efficient way to control costs, quality, and performance. Increasing your transportation base can only increase the likelihood that a vehicle will be available to transport your goods. It also gives operations managers the data to compare various carriers and choose the best one for a particular shipment, whether the focus is on cost, speed or reputation.
View the entire shipping chain
At every step of the supply chain process, there should be real time updates on the shipments and where they’re located. Having this kind of insight allows you to respond to any unexpected occurrences before they become serious problems. And don’t forget end users expect to be able to track their shipment too!
Shift to a 2017 shipping solution that’s web-based
Years ago, logistics management involved installing and configuring software on your PCs in order to track shipments. Obviously, that’s not how the world works anymore. Web-based solutions are becoming the standard, and for good reason. They allow you 24/7 access to real-time data, as well as access historical data. Ideally, they also enable you to speed up the administrative process. The faster you can generate consignments and create labels, the faster you’ll be able to get the shipment out the door. Ultimately, little improvements like that can go a long way.
Here at SmartConsign, we’re constantly thinking about ways to help our clients streamline their operations. If you’re ready to scale up your shipping, give us a call. We’re happy to help.