Order Ship Guide for Seller: Definition, Factors, Processes and 5 Easy Steps to Ship Order Consignments in 2024

Shipping is one of the most important aspects of eCommerce as it enables orders to be dispatched from their storage location and transported to their customer’s doorsteps. Customers also understand the significance of having a good shipping experience, with a majority in almost every survey suggesting that they would only return to an eCommerce store if they provided a solid shipping experience. Additionally, upwards of 70% of customers in most major studies specify that a firm’s decision to provide free and ultra-fast shipping affects their purchasing habits positively.

Therefore, the impetus is for sellers to capitalize on this sentiment and give customers what they want. Shipping entails a variety of different procedures. In this blog, we will take a look at the meaning of order shipping services, the factors that affect the ability of companies to ship order consignments, the departments involved in the shipping process, and the 5 steps to ship order parcels.

What are Order Ship Services?

Order ship services refer to the process of delivering products purchased online to the location of the customer that ordered them. It is a critical aspect of eCommerce as it directly impacts the customer experience and can affect their decision to make a repeat purchase from a particular online store. There are several elements to order ship services that businesses must consider to ensure that the process is smooth and efficient. These include:

• Packaging
• Carrier facility
• Rates 
• Order tracking 
• Returns management

Factors That Affect a Company’s Ability to Ship Order Consignments

Delivery Destinations

​​Your consumers can originate from anywhere in India if you operate an online store. Thus, if you only have one warehouse, providing quick shipment throughout India will be highly expensive. Conversely, if you have several warehouses spread scattered in different regions of the country, you can drastically lower shipping rates while also offering exceptionally increased delivery speed. Some companies like WareIQ also offer intelligent inventory placement to store your products closer to your customers or major transport hubs.

Courier Service Rates

Shipping firms provide you with an accurate estimate of delivery charges depending on factors such as package weight and dimensions, shipping preferences, delivery speed, and the pickup and drop location. You can compare quotations from various courier services to find the option that fits your requirements and your budget. Also, it is ideal to take your profit margins into account so that even if you need to pay for shipping, you can also turn a profit. You can also include shipping charges in the cost of your goods in order to save money.

Packaging Services

If the packaging experience you provide to customers is an important aspect of your brand image, providing a personalised unboxing experience is key. You can do this by including additional components such as a marketing insert, personalised note, or making use of a custom-branded box. You can even think about using eco-friendly shipping & packaging and other high-quality materials to demonstrate how concerned your company is about your customers and its environmental footprint. Thus, whenever you ship order consignments, you must take into account the level of special packing and its price.

Shipment Dimensions

The overall dimensions of your orders are crucial since volumetric weight, a pricing method used by most major shipping companies, is used to determine delivery charges. The size of the package is also taken into account while calculating the shipping cost because it determines the amount of usable space it takes up and leaves available for other parcels. To determine a rough estimate of shipping costs, you must weigh and measure your purchases. Because of how shipping rates are calculated, larger packages usually cost more to ship than smaller ones. However, if you bundle many orders together in the same consignment, it can work out cheaper.

Customer Expectations

Customer expectations must be taken into account when developing a delivery strategy that works best for your eCommerce firm. In most cases, clients absolutely prefer speedy and free order ship services. You can also make your delivery alternatives more enticing to your customers by having various offers that will enable them to get free shipping or qualify for ultra-fast delivery. Also, you can choose expedited shipping options to get purchases to customers even more quickly. To determine which solutions will work best for your company, it is crucial to compare shipping providers and their shipping services.

Which Aspects of the Business are Involved in the Order Ship Process?

Order Processing Staff

The order processing staff refers to the members of the company that process orders whenever they come in and are also responsible for locating them within the warehouse, packaging it, labelling it and preparing it for dispatch. Depending on your arrangement, this task could either be the responsibility of your company or that of a logistics company that handles order fulfillment and shipment on your company’s behalf.

Shipping Company

Once the order has been dispatched, the onus is on the shipping company to ensure that the consumer receives the item in good condition and in a timely manner. Shipping duties are usually carried out by large courier services such as FedEx, DHL or BlueDart. You can utilise order tracking to send updates to your clients, so they are informed of the whereabouts and the expected arrival date of their purchases while they are in transit or moving through different stages of the delivery process.

3PL Partner

Most logistics services are usually provided by a 3PL partner. When an online retailer works with an external logistics company, the firm handles the entire process of delivering orders straight from the fulfillment center where the inventory is kept, to the customer’s doorstep. 3PLs usually provide the services necessary to give your customers a good experience, such as same-day shipping, order tracking and more. They are also responsible for last-mile delivery, where once the package reaches the same city as the customer, an on-ground delivery partner will collect it and transport it to the customer’s location. 

5 Simple Steps to Accept and Ship Order Packages in 2023

Step 1: Select an Appropriate Shipping Plan

Gathering all the pertinent product information is the first stage because shipping regulations for various product types can vary drastically. For instance, the packaging and shipping of garments will differ from the packaging and shipping of perishable products such as food items. Also, transporting commodities such as cleaning supplies and sanitisers will be regarded as perilous materials, and if you manufacture and sell vitamins and supplements, you may require special permissions and other documents. Therefore, it is important to choose a plan that fits the type of product you are shipping.

Step 2: Use High-Quality Packaging Materials

You must choose the proper packaging for the products you are delivering based on the category they fall under. Certain products, such as electronics and other easily-breakable and high-value items, may require additional packaging, while others only need the bare minimum. Two very important factors must be taken into account during this stage to protect your products while they are in transit and give your customers a fantastic unwrapping experience – package your products attractively and with high-quality materials and make sure your shipping provider handles them with care.

Step 3: Identify the Fastest and Cheapest Shipping Alternative

You need to determine which shipping service can deliver the order the fastest while also ensuring that costs don’t skyrocket. This can be done only after evaluating the quotations from several courier providers. Certain companies like WareIQ have partnerships with multiple shipping companies and have advanced services like a smart courier allocator that uses AI to automatically assign the fastest and most cost-effective solution on a per-order basis. This keeps your customers happy while also maintaining low expenditure.

Step 4: Attach an Order Label

You can create a shipping label after selecting the appropriate delivery option for your orders. If your company wants to print its labels in-house, you’ll probably require a specific printer that is suitable for the task. If not, many 3PL companies provide labelling and printing services so they can take care of the entire process. Adding order labels is important because it contains all the necessary information related to the order so that in the event of an unforeseen incident, the product and its value can be easily determined by glancing at the label.

Step 5: Dispatch the Parcel

Giving your order to the shipping carrier so they can deliver it to your customer is the next and final stage in the shipping procedure. This will be done after the relevant items have been located, packaged, labelled and prepared for dispatch. The items will be kept ready at the warehouse’s dispatch points so that they can be easily accessed and loaded onto the delivery vehicle, from where they will be transported to the customer’s city and final location.

Conclusion: Ship Orders Quickly and Cost-Effectively With WareIQ

Order ship services can make or break an eCommerce firm by dictating the type of experience that customers have with it. It is additionally important to provide customers with order ship procedure because that is usually the last interaction they will have with your business before they ultimately receive their order, so you shouldn’t leave them with a bad taste in their mouths in regard to your company. Providing a good shipping experience is simple enough if you cover all the basics, like providing free shipping, ultra-fast delivery and a pleasant unboxing experience. If you need assistance with these services and other eCommerce-related facilities, WareIQ should be your go-to option.

WareIQ has emerged as one of India’s leading eCommerce fulfillment companies since being founded in 2019. We provide the entire gamut of eCommerce operations from inventory storage to order ship services. Some of the ways our shipping procedures are better than the rest are listed below:

Nationwide Storage Network

We have a vast network of fulfillment centers and dark stores located in every major metropolitan region of the country and provide inventory placement recommendations that ensure your products are located within proximity of your customers.

Partnerships With Multiple Shipping Companies

We have partnered with the leading shipping services in the country and also provide a smart courier allocator that automatically assigns the quickest and most cost-effective option for every order.

Ultra-Fast Shipping

We provide ultra-fast same-day and next-day shipping through our WareIQ Rush platform, which ensures your customers will always receive their orders on the expected date and time.

Customizable Packaging

We provide customizable packaging where every element of the package can be tailored to your requirements and preference to ensure your customers have the best possible unboxing experience.

Branded Tracking

We offer branded tracking facilities through highly customizable order tracking pages where you can include whatever information and design elements you want to showcase.

Ship Order: FAQs

Supercharge your fulfilment with WareIQ now, contact our team.