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As the cost of shipping continues to rise and supply chain issues persist, brands are hungry for ways to minimize expenses and offer a competitive edge that keeps customers happy.

For brands importing goods to the United States, the cost of shipping can be especially expensive. Different duties and taxes placed on products that cross international borders can quickly put a huge burden on small to medium sized eCommerce brands that are already struggling to keep prices low.

That’s why so many brands are taking advantage of a new law that cuts these costs entirely, while opening up new delivery strategies. That law is known as Section 321.

What is Section 321?

Section 321 is a law enacted by the US Customs and Border Protection that allows some products to be shipped from Canada to the U.S. duty free. For eCommerce brands, this offers a clear cost-cutting advantage, making it much more affordable to import goods to the U.S., even if those products originate from overseas markets like China.

What are the limits of Section 321?

Tax and duty free shipments sound appealing, but that special pricing won’t apply to every shipment across the board. Section 321 comes with a few parameters that brands need to meet in order to qualify.

Retail Value Threshold

While Section 321 sounds like a great opportunity to save major bucks on shipping, high-volume or high-value products likely won’t get the discount. The duty deferral only applies to products for $800 or less. Any more than that, and regular duties and taxes kick back in.

In addition to the price restrictions, some products are exempt from the advantages of Section 321. Certain chemicals that require a customs inspection, like cleaning supplies, are regulated differently. The same exemptions apply to products that fall under Countervailing or Anti-Dumping Duty laws.

Alcohol and tobacco products also won’t be able to apply for Section 321 declaration. In fact, any product regulated by certain government agencies, such as the FDA, USDA, or CPSA, are also outside the scope of Section 321.

Before you plan to cut costs under this regulation, be sure you have a clear understanding of your product’s retail price and whether they’re restricted by other laws.

Limited Shipment Amount

If your products are free and clear of additional restrictions, you still won’t be able to ship an unlimited amount of deliveries with duty deferrals. Section 321 caps the amount of shipments at one per day.

It’s important to maintain communication with your carrier or shipping partner to make sure they understand this limit. You could face substantial penalties if you or your carrier files multiple Section 321 claims on a single day.

How Section 321 Benefits Your eCommerce Brand

A brand that imports products from overseas and has them sent directly to the U.S. faces the typical hurdles of expensive duties and taxes. Canada, on the other hand, has more favorable trade relations with countries overseas, especially concerning imports from China, allowing their country to incentivize eCommerce shipping via Section 321.

It might seem like going through another international border would add time and expenses to an already overburdened supply chain. However, this regulation offers significant advantages for eCommerce brands that go beyond just the cost of shipping.

Quicker Deliveries

If you’re working with a fulfillment service provider in the U.S., coordinating your shipments so they go through Canada could actually result in faster delivery times.

Section 321 greatly reduces the amount of bureaucracy and paperwork required to transport items over the border. While you will still need to provide proof of value, the potential for delays is greatly reduced without the need to file taxes on every product you ship.  

Minimizing Shipping Costs

The main reason so many brands are taking advantage of Section 321 is because of its potential to minimize the cost of shipping from Asian countries. For example, an item shipped from China to the U.S. might carry a substantial import tax, with that cost priced into what the customer pays when they make an order.

Under Section 321, as long as the shipment meets the regulated standards, that expense is 100% eliminated, resulting in a lower price tag and higher profit margins for your brand.

Competitive Advantage

The combination of the two advantages listed above result in a more satisfying customer experience overall. Online shoppers have come to expect quicker delivery times for a lower cost, and Section 321 can help your brand provide that level of quality.

If you’re launching a new product in the U.S., or looking to expand your customer base, leveraging the benefits of this regulation can give you a significant advantage over your competitors.

Conclusion

In the modern supply chain environment, with congested ports during a surge of online shopping, Section 321 offers a way to take some of the pressure off your brand. With this regulation working to your advantage, you could cut the cost of deliveries while guaranteeing your customers a shorter wait for their orders.

To find out more about Section 321, click HERE. To find out more about ShipHero's fully outsourced fulfillment solution, talk to one of our Fulfillment Experts today.

When any industry experiences rapid growth, it tends to draw the attention of scammers and con artists looking to make a quick buck. Unfortunately, the recent surge in online shopping has shown that eCommerce is no exception.

At the onset of COVID-19, retailers and buyers alike were turning to digital marketplaces for the first time, creating a large pool of inexperienced internet users exchanging information and payments without knowing how to spot eCommerce fraud warning signs.

According to Statista.com, losses from online fraud climbed to $20 billion in 2021 alone, signaling a strong need for brands to make a stronger effort when protecting their customers from eCommerce scams.

What is eCommerce fraud?

eCommerce fraud is a criminal activity that involves stealing money or information from an online transaction. Also known as payment fraud, these scams typically target online retailers using misrepresentation, falsified orders or stealing customer information.

Whatever form eCommerce fraud takes, it always has a significant and negative impact on the retailer’s bottom line. In addition to directly impacting profit margins, a breach of customer data can permanently damage a brand’s reputation, with customers regarding them as an unsafe option and turning to competitors for their shopping needs.

Examples of eCommerce Fraud

eCommerce fraud takes many forms, and in order to properly protect yourself and your customers, it’s important to have an idea of what scams could be out there.

eCommerce Credit Card Fraud

As an emerging trend in online scams, card cracking is becoming a major threat for online brands and their customers. Card cracking involves stealing a customer’s debit card information under false pretenses, usually over social media.

These scammers typically message social media users with the promise of easy money or direct deposits that they’re owed from a financial institution. Assuming these messages are legitimate, users gladly send over their debit card info expecting to make a quick buck. Instead, their information is either sold to other fraudsters, or used to buy items on the victim’s dime.

Card cracking can be tough to spot, but there are a few warning signs. If a new customer account starts making large volume purchases, or sends those orders to a number of addresses not tied to the card itself, it’s possible there’s a scammer on the other side of the transaction. Stolen card information is also commonly used in conjunction with other online scams, such as account acquisitions.

Account Acquisitions & Takeovers

Once a customer’s information is stolen, it can be used to either create a new account under a falsified name, or infiltrate an existing account to make purchases. This form of eCommerce fraud is known as account takeovers, and are often the result of substandard cyber security practices.

Hackers get access to these accounts by setting up phishing scams, which trick users into logging on to a copycat website and handing over their credentials in the process. Once this layer of security is breached, accounts can be accessed and customer information can be stolen.

As security protocols like two factor authentication become more commonplace, the tactics used to take over customer accounts have become more sophisticated. Rather than attempting a break-in for one account at a time, today’s hackers will use an army of online bots to attempt millions of these attacks each day.

How to Prevent eCommerce Fraud

With so many bad actors looking for ways to make money off of you and your customers, protecting customers from eCommerce fraud requires a little bit more than just a strong password. Let’s take a look at some of the steps you can take within your own site’s infrastructure to make sure hackers are stopped in their tracks.

PCI Compliance

PCI Compliance refers to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which sets a threshold of security protocols that online merchants should meet to safely process and store customer information. Meeting this set of standards helps ensure transactions can be made without the risk of scammers infiltrating the system.

Setting up protocols for PCI compliance can be complex, but most warehouse management software providers come with these protections included. If you’re new to the world of online data security, working with a reliable software provider might be the best way to protect your customer information.

Internal Security Audits

Even when using software providers to help protect your brand’s data, it’s important to keep online security top of mind. Regular housekeeping strategies like security audits can help identify weak points before hackers get a chance to take advantage.

Taking steps to frequently update software, change passwords and conduct sitewide malware scans can avoid future headaches and help keep your site’s reputation intact. Without these audits, hacked accounts can go undetected, allowing scammers to cause more issues over an extended period of time.

Understand the Warning Signs of Ecommerce Fraud

Even with reliable software partners and periodic security audits, hackers won’t stop trying to make a quick buck from an online store. eCommece fraud can take many forms, but there are a few warning signs that a scam could be underway.

Inconsistencies in data, for example, can sometimes point to fraudulent activity on your page. Accounts with addresses that don’t match their city, or mismatched names and emails can be a strong indicator that an account acquisition has taken place, or a user is misrepresenting themselves for a nefarious reason.

Other red flags might pop up when an account starts behaving unusually, or shipping items to multiple different locations. If an account that tends to buy one or two items at a time suddenly ships an expensive, large volume order, it’s a good idea to verify its legitimacy before the fulfillment process starts.

Conclusion

Although card cracking and account takeovers have become a regular occurrence in online shopping, that doesn’t mean your eCommerce store has to fall victim. By understanding the warning signs and taking preventative measures, you can protect your brand and your customers from eCommerce fraud.

If you’re looking for a warehouse management software provider that prioritizes data security, contact the experts at ShipHero today.

Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO

‍ShipHero

‍About the author:  Aaron Rubin the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.

Follow Aaron on Twitter&LinkedIn.

As brands continue to grapple with an unpredictable supply chain, there’s a renewed focus on optimizing the fulfillment steps that can actually be controlled. While carrier delays and raw materials suppliers might only be manageable up to a point, providing accurate and up-to-date inventory information in your warehouse is one way to ensure your fulfillment operations are running smoothly.

When inventory estimates are off, it can cause a cascade of issues. In addition to delaying fulfillment and frustrating customers, you could wind up paying excessive carrying costs on unnecessary products crowding up your warehouse.

When running a warehouse, reliable inventory management is central to efficient shipping.  That’s why so many eCommerce brands are taking a fresh look at how their inventory is tracked and prioritizing cost-effective strategies like cycle counting.

What is cycle counting?

Cycle counting is when warehouse staff periodically count a portion of the overall inventory, eventually counting everything in stock over a set period of time (i.e. month, quarter, biannually, etc.).

Rather than conducting a full audit every once in a while, cycle counting is done every day, usually as part of a staffer’s day-to-day responsibilities. Typically, brands prioritize what to count most often, based on price, location or SKU.

Advantages of Cycle Counting

One reason why cycle counting is so effective is the low-impact it has on regular warehousing operations. With only a small portion of your stock being counted on a given day, the rest of the fulfillment center can function as usual. Rather than using a physical count, which involves counting everything in the warehouse all at once, cycle counts take up far less staff bandwidth and won’t disrupt anyone else’s work.

Another advantage of cycle counting is how it can highlight unseen issues in your fulfillment process. With inventory counts happening continuously, you’ll be able to identify issues like supply shortages and overstocking before they worsen and impact the customer experience.

ShipHero & Cycle Counting

ShipHero’s enhanced cycle counting feature puts control and flexibility back in the hands of brands. Now, you can maintain visibility over your inventory management on your own schedule and at your own pace, which is essential for fulfillment success in the modern supply chain.

Rolling out later this summer, this updated, user-friendly feature brings all the advantages of cycle counting to your warehouse. With this upgraded functionality, you can schedule custom counts as you need them, prioritize counts based on SKU or location, and automatically alert staff when recounts are required. You can also assign specific warehouse staff to counting duties all on a streamlined dashboard. The easy-to-use dashboard will also offer advanced reporting options, allowing you to truly measure the impact of cycle counting and inventory discrepancies on your operations.

To find out more about how ShipHero Software and cycle counting can take your inventory management to the next level, schedule a call with one of our software experts today.

Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO

‍ShipHero

‍About the author:  Aaron Rubin is the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.

Follow Aaron on Twitter&LinkedIn.

Online shopping might be more popular than ever, but that hasn’t made the delivery process easier. When handling your own fulfillment, running an eCommerce store can get complicated fast. Between keeping up with customer expectations, maintaining an organized warehouse and dealing with a variety of carriers, managing your own shipments requires reliable warehouse management software.

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as a simple download. The perfect warehouse management software for one brand can fall short for another, so it’s important to seek out providers with the capabilities that your brand needs to succeed. Let’s take a look at some of the must-have warehouse software features for eCommerce warehouse software.

Warehouse Management Software & Data Security

Nothing hurts an online brand’s reputation quite like a breach of customer data. With so many digital stores popping up every day, hackers and scammers are constantly finding new ways to take advantage of lackluster security systems and online vulnerabilities.

For someone without advanced knowledge of data security, building a solution on your own can be daunting. That’s why so many brands seek out warehouse management systems with built-in security protocols, such as cloud-based servers.

With your order information stored on your WMS’s cloud, you keep that information separated from your actual production. This keeps would-be hackers at bay if a breach into your systems should occur. Warehouse employees can access the system remotely with the assurance that the security architecture is professionally designed and able to keep customer information safe and secure.

If your internal systems crash or can’t be accessed, all that data is backed up on your WMS’s cloud, saving valuable time and information that would otherwise be lost. This infrastructure especially comes in handy when it comes to order tracking.

Order Tracking

One of the major warehouse software features brands look for in a warehouse management system is order tracking and reports. Being able to watch an order progress through the entire fulfillment process not only keeps your staff up to date, but it also gives your customers an added level of visibility that they’ll appreciate.

The ability to track a shipment and view reports in modern eCommerce has become an expectation for every eCommerce brand. Even with express shipping options, it’s important for buyers to know when exactly they can expect packages to arrive.

In addition to outgoing shipments, a quality tracking system also provides real-time inventory updates, so you're never unexpectedly out of stock. Customers also get the benefit of knowing when stock is low, potentially encouraging them to place the order before the inventory can run out.

Editing Orders

Another benefit of tracking orders for customers is that they can easily edit or pause a shipment when necessary. If they decide they need an item sooner than expected, the express shipping option can still be selected once the initial transaction has been made. If buyer’s remorse sets in, they can also cancel the shipment and get a refund without hassle.

Modern warehouse management systems allow for a more flexible shipping process. This means customers and warehouse staff alike can change aspects of an order right up until the last minute. If a carrier rate changes, for example, a WMS can automatically switch to a carrier offering a more competitive price.

The ability to edit orders directly in your WMS makes other aspects of fulfillment much easier, such as returns management.

Returns Management

Without a sophisticated returns management strategy in place, it doesn’t take much for a warehouse to become disorganized. A complicated returns process can leave customers feeling frustrated and underappreciated, while returning items take up valuable inventory space and drive up costs.

One of the most important aspects of returns is keeping customers informed on their status. When an item is returned, the customer is already a little dissatisfied. Returns give you a chance to directly connect with that customer, and work to make sure they’re happy enough to return for more purchases in the future.

This is where warehouse management software comes in handy. With a reverse logistics integration in your WMS, you can automatically inform customers on their return’s progress. Whether they expect store credit, an exchange, or a full refund, they’ll be instantly aware of when the issue will be resolved.

Seeking out a WMS with built-in returns management also takes the pressure off your warehouse staff. Items that are sent back can be anticipated ahead of time, giving you a better idea of inventory and storage space availability. This information can also be pushed to your online store, letting buyers know of any extra inventory that’s sitting in the warehouse.

Conclusion

With so many warehouse management software options available, it’s important to do the legwork and find a solution that best fits your needs. Data security, order tracking, editing and returns are essential for modern eCommerce brands, but finding an accountable and consistent provider can be a challenge.

ShipHero’s WMS boasts a top-rated customer support record, ensuring that you’ll never be left in the dark when it comes to getting your questions answered. If you’re looking for a warehouse software solution that can take your brand’s returns management to the next level, contact the experts at ShipHero today.

Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO

‍ShipHero

‍About the author:  Aaron Rubin the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.

Follow Aaron on Twitter&LinkedIn.

In recent years, retailers have expanded their online presence to capitalize on the rising trend of online shopping. Unfortunately, this surge of inexperienced retailers rushing into eCommerce has created new opportunities for scammers looking to take advantage.

With all the challenges that come with running an eCommerce store, the last thing you need is a breach in your data security. Not only does this affect your bottom line, but a relatively minor cyberattack could permanently damage your brand’s reputation, turning customers away no matter how satisfied they’ve been with your services in the past.

As an often overlooked aspect of online retail, eCommerce data security should be a top priority for any brand taking its first steps into the digital realm.

Common Risks to eCommerce Security

According to a study by Juniper Research, eCommerce losses due to online fraud will exceed $206 billion over the next few years. With all that value on the line, brands simply can’t afford to ignore the real threat posed by scammers online.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common forms of fraud that online brands typically run into.

Phishing

Even though it’s one of the most well-known types of online fraud, phishing continues to cause problems for any business conducting business online. In a phishing scam, fraudsters pretend to be a real business, organization or individual and send email requesting sensitive information. Usually, these emails direct to a copy of a familiar website, where users unknowingly enter their passwords and usernames to the scammer’s system.

Phishing scams not only pose a threat to your organization internally, but can target your customers as well. By intercepting an end user’s information, someone can log into your online store under another customer’s name and use their information to place orders that will eventually need to be refunded.

By making sure your staff and customers are both aware of this threat, costly phishing scams are relatively easy to avoid. By ensuring your staff understands the risks and warning signs, you can ensure greater eCommerce security with just a bit of extra vigilance.

Denial of Service (DOS) Attacks

One of the more serious and potentially harmful types of eCommerce security risks is known as denial of service attacks, or DOS attacks. As a potential result of something like phishing, DOS attacks involve a complete shutdown of your online store, either for your staff or your customers.

By flooding your servers with orders with the aim of crashing the site, or by cutting off online accessibility altogether, DOS attacks effectively shut down your store for a period of time. As retail trends continue to shift operations to the online world, DOS attacks pose a serious, but preventable, risk to eCommerce.

Spam

As one of the most common web-based nuisances, spam is well known as an annoying and ever-present aspect of working online. What is overlooked, however, is the serious threat spam accounts pose to a healthy and functioning website.

In addition to emails, spam can take the form of comments, excessive contact form entries or even completed orders. In addition to hurting your online reputation, succumbing to a spam scam can slow down your page speed, potentially frustrating legitimate customers looking to buy your products.

Infected links in spam messages are typically thought of as a risk when clicking through emails, but as technology evolves, so does the form spam takes. Social media messages are now a common avenue for spam accounts. By latching on and taking over someone’s account, spam messages can continue to spread to other users in the network, collecting each user’s data along the way.

How to Ensure a Secure eCommerce Store

There are plenty of eCommerce security threats floating around online, but by taking a few simple steps, you can rest assured your online store is safe and your customers data is protected.

Privacy

The most crucial principle when it comes to sharing data online is privacy. It might sound obvious, but preventing unauthorized third-parties from accessing this information is essential when running a healthy and secure online store.

Firewalls, antivirus software and other privacy strategies like encryption are key to building an online store that customers trust and feel safe interacting with. Without privacy protections in place, word can quickly spread that your site is insecure, turning customers away before they even visit your digital marketplace.

Authentication

As a pillar of digital data security, authentication is a must-have for anyone conducting business online. Authentication is a layer of security that ensures all parties involved in a transaction are really who they say they are.

By implementing tools like two-factor authentication, which requires customers to login twice or enter a secure PIN, websites can weed out potential fake accounts or bad actors posing as someone else.

Your online store will also need to authenticate before a purchase is completed, so customers can be confident their private information is going to the right place and will be protected.

Integrity

Authentication confirms a transaction is actually occurring between two parties online, but it won’t protect the data once it is shared. In order to make sure the data remains unaltered, online brands use integrity protocols to ensure the information can’t be changed.

Data integrity protects the validity of that data throughout its entire lifecycle, not just during the transaction. Not only does this keep scammers from accessing valuable information, but it also makes managing the data much easier. The ability to search, trace and track data is essential in modern eCommerce, and prioritizing integrity certifies that that information is accurate and unchanged.

Conclusion

eCommerce data threats can sound scary and difficult to understand, but by taking steps to establish privacy, authentication and integrity in how you manage data, you can greatly reduce the risk of scammers and keep your information safely locked away.

Establishing these safety protocols can get complicated, which is why so many retailers turn to third-party service providers who can expertly implement data protection infrastructure. It’s also important to prioritize data security when partnering with software vendors.

Warehouse management software providers like ShipHero, for example, helps guarantee store and customer information is protected and accessible while tracking shipments throughout the delivery process.

Talk to our software experts today and learn more about how our warehouse software is built for eCommerce brands to stay safe and optimized for the modern supply chain.

Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO

ShipHero

About the author:  Aaron Rubin is the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.

Follow Aaron on Twitter&LinkedIn.

One of the important lessons learned from the recent supply chain upheaval has been that the old ways of logistics just aren’t sustainable. Everything from inventory management to customer experience is being looked at with a fresh set of eyes, looking for solutions that can keep deliveries flowing while giving customers a reason to come back for more.

A key point of frustration for eCommerce brands has been the heavy price of cross-country shipping. With products sent to customers all over the world, packages make multiple stops at different warehouses and distribution centers, all with their own rates and processing fees. As the item approaches its final destination, these expenses start to stack up, potentially driving away sales to competitors with cheaper shipping rates.

Rising shipping costs show no signs of slowing down, and eCommerce brands eagerly seek out new ways of getting their products from point A to point B in a way that’s reliable and cost-effective. With all the pressure to find alternate delivery methods, some brands have adopted parcel zone skipping as a way to reduce the cost of last mile shipping.

What are Delivery Zones?

Delivery zones are the geographic areas a carrier ships packages. Typically, the more zones a package passes through, the higher its shipping cost.

While the general structure of shipping zones is similar across carriers, they aren’t the same for every delivery. A package’s origin is designated as Zone 1, with the zone numbers increasing as the delivery destination gets further away. For example, if you shipped an item from San Francisco to St. Louis, San Francisco would be considered Zone 1, and St. Louis would be considered Zone 7.

This is why online brands can provide benefits like free shipping to customers in their warehouse’s immediate area. Without the need to pass through any outside distribution centers, shipping costs can remain low. When sending parcels across the country, however, delivery zones can become a hurdle when trying to keep up with customer expectations and competitor prices. That’s why so many brands are looking into zone skipping as a more affordable fulfillment strategy.

What is Zone Skipping?

Rather than shipping individual parcels, zone skipping involves consolidating your many ready-to-mail packages into a single truckload, then sending the shipment to a specific zone as one. From there, the individual items can be distributed to customers at a closer proximity, with the shipping cost reflecting only one delivery zone.

If you’re sending products from California to customers in New York, you can send the items directly to the New York area. Customers then pay for shipping in a single zone, instead of paying for a cross-country shipment.

By sending an entire shipment or orders to a single zone, you avoid the financial burden of multi-zone shipping. For brands struggling to keep up with the low-cost shipping options offered by competitors like Amazon, zone skipping presents a distribution method that can provide an avenue for a lower cost of shipping.  

Not only does this lower the price for your customer, but the closer your items are to their doorstep, the quicker they’ll be able to arrive. Since the order is already in the customer’s delivery zone, they can expect the parcel to arrive in a matter of days.

When to Consider Zone Skipping

While zone skipping is a great way to get products to customers quicker and for a smaller price, it might not be an ideal solution for every eCommerce brand. Let’s take a look at when online retailers should consider zone skipping as a feasible fulfillment strategy.

Cross Country Shipments

If you’re regularly sending orders to customers on the other side of the continent, zone skipping offers clear opportunities to help your brand excel. However, if your primary customer base exists locally, or is just a zone or two away, sending orders to that delivery zone might not be worth the investment.

To determine if zone skipping is the right choice for your brand, you’ll need to calculate the cost of shipping grouped packages combined with the expense of delivering each product to its destination. If that amount is less than sending each item individually, then zone skipping might be worth looking into more.

Large Order & Product Volume

For zone skipping to make financial sense, you’ll need to ship enough products to fill an entire container. If you haven’t built a substantial enough customer base in the zone you're shipping to, you might be paying to move products that will just sit on a shelf.

However, if your order volume isn’t high enough to justify a full semi-trailer, carriers might be able to accommodate a pairing of your shipment with another brand. By consolidating the two shipments, the container can be filled enough to make the trip cost effective. This service might not be available with every carrier, so it’s important to check whether zone skipping is possible with your specific shipping partner.

Product Tracking Capabilities

One of the major disadvantages of zone skipping is that it makes tracking packages a little more complicated. Since you’re sending items to another location before their final distribution, your carrier might not be able to provide the most accurate information about when the delivery is likely to be completed.

That’s why it’s important to have quality reporting and visibility tools in place before you opt for zone skipping. That way, you and your customers will never be left in the dark when it comes to where products are on their delivery journey.

Conclusion

Parcel zone skipping keeps the cost of shipping low while cutting down on delivery time. This dual advantage has made it one of the more popular fulfillment strategies as brands continue to grapple with supply chain challenges.

If your online store has a cross-country customer base with a high order volume, parcel zone skipping might be the shipping solution you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for a fulfillment partner to help optimize your delivery process, contact the Fulfillment Experts at ShipHero today.

One of the easiest ways for fulfillment centers to run into trouble is through an inefficient returns process. Your outgoing fulfillment can be as optimal as any brand on the market, but without a way to communicate and complete returns, warehouses can quickly become overwhelmed and disorganized.

While a product return might mean the customer is dissatisfied with what they received, returns offer a key opportunity for brands to showcase their quality customer service and encourage them to return in the future.

Conversely, an overly complicated returns process leaves buyers feeling unappreciated, frustrated and unwilling to visit the online store again. By creating an easy-to-use returns management process, you can ensure your customers walk away feeling positive and satisfied with their buying experience

Communication & Returns Management

Making returns management easy usually comes down to communication. Whether it’s explaining the process to the customer or keeping your staff informed of new protocols, clear and concise communication helps avoid many of the mistakes that come from reverse logistics.

Internal Communication & Returns

Establishing an effective approach to internal communication is central to a healthy, functioning returns management process. Rather than sending a one-off email to warehouse staff, or alerting only the shift manager about an incoming return, modern eCommerce brands need a centralized software program that can track returns and keep everyone on the same page when it comes to how they should be handled.

A software partner like Returnly, for example, provides brands with easy-to-read feedback about the status of return, when it’s expected back at the warehouse, and why the customer decided to send it back. With this data readily available, your staff can better understand how to process returns while getting a thorough look at why the return was made in the first place.

Customer Communication & Returns

The main focus of returns should always center on making the customer’s life easier. The best way to do this is by being upfront and clear about how they can send an item back if they're not satisfied.

Whether they expect a repair, refund or store credit, customers need updates and information on the status of their return and how long it will take to be resolved. With a reverse logistics program integrated into your Warehouse Management Software, you can achieve all of this without putting additional strain on your staff.

With a software partner like Loop Returns, customers can easily start the process through an easy-to-use portal, which also displays order return eligibility as well as viable product exchange options. By following the clear instructions on Loop’s portal, returns or exchanges can be easily requested with the click of a button.

Returns Automation

Customers want a fast, easy returns process that can be handled in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. With expectations so high, it’s important to make sure your buyers feel seen and heard when sending an item back.

If you’re already struggling to make your returns management efficient, automation might be the solution. Solution providers like Loop Returns build returns portal for your brand, meaning customers can start the process without the help of a staff member.

These portals also automatically enforce your returns policy. If a product has been washed or worn, for example, Loop can approve, reject, or flag it for manual review based on your customizations. While this process helps shrink the returns timeline, it doesn’t mean giving up control over the process. You’ll still be able to set parameters for returns based on whatever factors you choose, while connecting the other digital tools your team uses in the warehouse.

Automated returns come down to simplification. By optimizing the process with a software provider, you can minimize frustrating customer touchpoints and keep your staff aware of incoming returns.

Exchanges

In order to make returns management an easier process, you’ll need to simplify exchanges. In the past, customers would be required to seek out exchangeable products themselves, email the company asking for the exchange, and wait a long time for the request to be processed and approved.

Today, customers expect their exchanges on a much shorter timeline. Automation allows brands to predetermine which products are eligible for exchanges and push those items to the customer’s interface. Rather than having your customer service team deal with the back and forth of exchange requests, automation tools present customers with options right away, allowing them to complete the request in a matter of seconds.

By encouraging customers to make an exchange through an intuitive portal, your brand gets to retain revenue from the original purchase instead of issuing a refund.

Conclusion

What was once seen as a frustrating and unfortunate point in the customer experience, returns are one of the few opportunities eCommerce brands have to directly interact with customers.

By prioritizing coordination in the warehouse, communicating with customers and implementing an automated returns system, buyers can walk away from your online store with a positive feeling that will keep them coming back for more.

If you’re looking for a warehouse software solution that can take your brand’s returns management to the next level, contact the experts at ShipHero today.

Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting Today

Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO

‍ShipHero

‍About the author:  Aaron Rubin the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.

Follow Aaron on Twitter&LinkedIn.

Without the benefit of face-to-face interaction with buyers, eCommerce customer service presents a valuable opportunity for brands to connect with their customers and assure them that they’ve made the right purchasing decision.

Since every online brand is a little different, there’s no single secret to ensuring customer service excellence. But, by learning from the methods of other eCommerce stores, you can find the right blend of strategies that support your buyers when problems arise or questions need to be answered.

By rethinking the fulfillment process, monitoring online reviews and prioritizing convenience, you can take your brand’s customer service to the next level.

What is eCommerce Customer Service?

Traditionally, customer service is thought of as a number you can call when you have a question about a product or service. Since the advent of online shopping, customer service has expanded to include everything from how a user interacts with your site, to how they eventually receive an order.

For an eCommerce brand to be successful, customers need to be supported throughout every step of the way. Digital stores that provide clear and up-to-date information on available products, pricing, and order tracking tend to leave their customers more satisfied and willing to return in the future.

Making it easier for customers to complete a purchase and have their questions answered sounds like common sense, but in the fast-paced world of eCommerce, building that infrastructure can be easier said than done. Automations, order management and performance tracking can be a lot to deal with, so some brands have turned to third-parties that can upgrade their customer service protocols quickly.

Partnering with these third-parties helps your brand build a helpdesk that optimizes customer service and drives profits. By providing services like messaging, self-service and live statistics, these companies can turn eCommerce customer service into a cost-effective branch of the business.

Fulfillment & Customer Service

One of the easiest ways to boost your customer’s shopping experience is by making a few quality adjustments to how your orders are fulfilled. Let’s take a look at some of the recent trends in fulfillment and how they can take your brand’s customer service to the next level.

Multiple Delivery Options

As the volatile supply chain continues to cause problems in warehouses all over the world, brands have begun to explore alternative delivery options to take some of the pressure off their staff while ensuring the customer can still get their order on time.

For brands with a brick-and-mortar location, in-store pickup has become a reliable and time-saving fulfillment solution that allows customers some flexibility in how they choose to receive an item. However, not every online retailer has the benefit of a real-world location.

That’s why so many online brands have purchased additional retail space or underutilized warehouses to offer their customers a pickup option.These rented facilities, known as micro-fulfillment centers, help get products closer to their destination while limiting the expense of last-mile shipping. If a customer lives close enough to one of these locations, they’ll have the option to pick up the order themselves during regular business hours. For an extra layer of flexibility, many fulfillment centers now offer a parcel locker option that can be accessed 24/7.

Providing these extra delivery options helps avoid the cost of postage, labeling and carrier fees that can really stack up and drive away customers before they place an order. With customer expectations higher than they’ve ever been, supporting their purchases with multiple delivery options could be the key to ensuring they’ll come back for more.

Customized Buying Experience

One of the most important developments in eCommerce customer service has been the emphasis on a personalized buyer experience. At this point, customers expect online stores to present them with custom content that’s most relevant to their previous purchases and guides them towards items they’re most likely interested in.

By offering features like product recommendations, price comparisons and personalized interfaces, retailers are employing what’s known as an omnichannel marketing strategy. An omnichannel approach gives your customers specifically tailored content that’s designed to help them make informed purchasing decisions while boosting the amount of products sold.

As customers visit your site and interact with the omnichannel interface, they’ll be able to find the products they’re looking for more easily and will be encouraged to purchase similar products.

Returns Management

Product returns might mean someone is unsatisfied with their item, but they still present a key opportunity to connect, communicate and problem solve with your customer base.

In the crowded field of online shopping, ensuring a fast-paced and efficient returns management process can help your brand stand out from the crowd. With the recent advancements in fulfillment tech and warehouse management software, building an intuitive returns process is easier than ever.  

Providing upfront and clear instructions on how to complete a return can sometimes be the difference between a stress-free product return and a frustrating experience for the customer.

Rethinking how your brand handles returns and implementing changes can be time consuming, so many online stores outsource this side of the business. Third-parties like Loop Returns help clients optimize their warehouse returns process and provide an easy solution for customers that need to send an item back.

For a scaling online store, returns can be an unwelcome issue to deal with, but anticipating and supporting a customer’s decision to make a return can help ensure their satisfaction in the long run.

Customer Reviews

Social proof and online word-of-mouth can make or break an online store. With so many customers turning to user reviews before making a purchase, there’s a reason so many brands pay close attention to how they’re being talked about online.

From inside a company, it can be difficult to tell where your customer service approach needs the most improvement. The often brutally honest feedback gained from a customer review can be a great resource when thinking about what aspect of your customer experience could use the most focus.

Conclusion

As more and more customers get their shopping done online, customer service has become a competitive advantage for eCommerce brands. With the right blend of communication, fulfillment efficiency and feedback processing, brands can stick out of the crowd and turn their customer service approach into a profit-driving branch of the business.

If you’re looking for a fulfillment partner that can help keep customers happy from the moment they place an order, talk to the fulfillment experts at ShipHero today.

Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting Today

Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., COO

‍ShipHero

‍About the author:  Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., is the COO of ShipHero. She is responsible for planning and executing the overall operational, legal, managerial and administrative procedures, reporting structures and operational controls of the organization. Barnett’s greatest strengths are leadership, risk mitigation, change management and a passion for business transformation. She is known for her expertise in delivering operational excellence and an ability to provide guidance and mitigating risk. Her leadership of ShipHero is grounded in a servant mentality, always doing the right thing for our stakeholders. Her passion for ShipHero comes from the ability to drive operational excellence throughout the organization impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and partners.

Follow Maggie on Twitter&LinkedIn.

Receiving a package in the mail is always exciting, and for online retailers, it’s one of the few opportunities to make a memorable connection with customers.

As a result, brands have gotten creative when it comes to the moment of unboxing, investing in inventive designs that distinguish their product from the others on the market. With the goal of building the ultimate unboxing experience, eCommerce sellers have created one of the hottest retail trends of 2022.

What is unboxing?

Unboxing is a relatively new focus in eCommerce marketing that refers to the design and packaging of a product. When customers receive something in the mail, the process of opening the item for the first time can be made into a fun and captivating experience.

What started as a stylish way for brands to stand out from the rest of the crowd, the unboxing craze has grown into a near necessity when marketing a new product. In addition to building customer loyalty, distinct and creative packaging can open new and lucrative marketing opportunities.

As unique branded packaging became the norm, online content creators started making videos that feature themselves opening these packages for the first time, giving their audience a glimpse of what to expect when they place an order. Unboxing videos, as they came to be known, have since become a fixture for brands marketing their products online. For online retailers, unboxing videos are a great way to tap into a new pool of potential customers.

Benefits of Branded Packaging

Aside from just looking good, specialized packaging that sticks out from the crowd has a ton of benefits for an emerging eCommerce brand. Let’s take a look at how a focus on unboxing can bring an online store to the next level.

Marketing Opportunities

Online retailers don’t get the marketing opportunities offered by having a physical storefront where customers can be invited in to do their shopping. Without a brick-and-mortar extension of a brand’s identity to help build customer connections, digital retailers are more constricted in how they can express what their products are all about.  

Aside from the product itself, the box that it comes in is one of the few chances you’ll have to make a lasting impression on a customer. For example, Anthem, an Italian based apparel company, brands itself as an eco-friendly clothing option that embodies surfer culture. In order to sync their packaging with this brand identity, Anthem’s products come in a biodegradable bag, sporting an off-white, sandy color.

This packaging reinforces Anthem’s core values and emphasizes the qualities that drew those customers to the store in the first place.  

Long-Term Savings

When opting for a basic product packaging setup, most brands settle for a one-size-fits-all box. While this might be convenient, it’s not an optimal solution in the long term.

Customized packaging means your products are delivered in a box that fits the exact dimensions of the item inside. In a time when shelving space is hard to come by, this approach helps ensure that valuable warehouse space isn’t wasted.

For retailers selling fragile items, custom packaging that's designed to protect your product specifically can help avoid damages and warehouse returns.

Leveraging Influencers

Providing a fun unboxing experience also opens up the opportunity to explore avenues of social media marketing that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Working with influencers to promote a product is easy, but actually getting their fans excited about a product is another challenge.

Unboxing videos, as we discussed above, allow customers to see a trusted content creator’s live reaction to an item and can make a big difference for shoppers who are on the fence about completing a purchase.

In addition to unboxing videos, influencers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter make a living by featuring products in their social media posts. After displaying a product for their audience, they typically provide links that direct to where the item can be purchased, allowing the customer to make a purchase easily.

Live shopping and unboxing streams are a popular extension of social marketing, where a host opens items from an online store and provides customers with an idea of what to expect when the item arrives. If an exciting product arrives with eye-catching packaging, an Instagram or Facebook live stream can excite potential customers about what your brand has to offer.

Upgrading Your Product Packaging

Designing and implementing a new product design sounds like a lot of work, but there are plenty of third-party services that can put together a stellar unboxing experience for your customers. These creative design agencies build customized packaging that speaks to the brand identity and helps it stick out from the competition.

With the added benefit of a quality warehouse management system in your toolbox, adding customized packaging to your process won’t be a hassle. By simply including a few automation rules to your shipping strategy, you can easily integrate new packaging details and start sending out orders with a brand-new look.

If hiring outside help isn’t an option, simply including a few extra tokens of gratitude can make your product’s unboxing more memorable. Merchandise like stickers, coasters or greeting cards won’t add much extra weight to the shipment, and can make for a fun surprise when a customer opens the item.

Conclusion

Packaging is too often overlooked as just what carries an item from point A to point B. Rather than seeing it as just another tool, brands are approaching their packages like a blank canvas that can highlight what makes their brand special and heighten the customer experience when it finally arrives in the mail.

If you’re looking for a fulfillment partner to help optimize your delivery process, contact the Fulfillment Experts at ShipHero today.

Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting Today

Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., COO

‍ShipHero

‍About the author:  Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., is the COO of ShipHero. She is responsible for planning and executing the overall operational, legal, managerial and administrative procedures, reporting structures and operational controls of the organization. Barnett’s greatest strengths are leadership, risk mitigation, change management and a passion for business transformation. She is known for her expertise in delivering operational excellence and an ability to provide guidance and mitigating risk. Her leadership of ShipHero is grounded in a servant mentality, always doing the right thing for our stakeholders. Her passion for ShipHero comes from the ability to drive operational excellence throughout the organization impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and partners.

Follow Maggie on Twitter&LinkedIn.

As the average person's shopping habits continue to evolve, so do the ways brands get products in their customers' hands. The eCommerce industry has exploded in recent years, with companies constantly seeking out affordable, creative and effective ways to stand out from the competition while offering a convenient buying option. The option to buy online and pick up instore, known as “BOPIS,” has allowed brands with brick-and-mortar locations to bridge the gap between their online and real-world storefronts. As BOPIS becomes more commonplace, online retailers are feeling the pressure to offer a pickup option as well. Parcel lockers, a major feature of ShipHero Fulfillment Canada, are one method of expanding delivery options and allowing customers to get their orders in the way that best suits their lives. eCommerce shippers without the advantage of a brick-and-mortar storefront can have orders placed in these easy-to-access units, making life easier on the customer while saving on last-mile shipping.

What Are The Advantages of Parcel Lockers?

The growing popularity of in-person pickup is obvious when you consider the benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages parcel lockers provide and what benefits they might have in store for your brand.

Customer Convenience

One of the major advantages of parcel lockers is the added customer convenience they provide. While in-store pickup only allows customers to collect their orders during regular business hours, parcel lockers can be accessed 24/7, allowing buyers to retrieve a package at a time that suits them best. Allowing customers to arrive at the warehouses themselves also eliminates the need for last mile shipping, one of the more expensive steps in the fulfillment process. Avoiding the cost of postage, labeling and carrier fees can mean major savings for customers, encouraging them to continue using your brand as an affordable and convenient buying option.

Parcel Security

Outdoor storage lockers are exposed to the elements, but their contents won’t be. ShipHero Fulfillment Canada’s weatherproof outdoor locker system is designed to withstand the climate extremes of Canada, ensuring your items remain undamaged and shielded from the elements. If you’re shipping perishable items, the inside of storage lockers are temperature controlled. This provides an ideal storage solution for eGrocers that need their fulfillment partners to make sure their products are kept fresh.

Visibility

One of the key expectations for customers and shippers alike is visibility. Partnering with a fulfillment 3PL that offers top-tier reporting and visibility gives you a better grasp on the progress of your shipments. That information can also be pushed to your customers, keeping them up to date on when to expect the item’s arrival.

B2B Distribution

Not only do parcel lockers make receiving orders easier for customers, but partnering businesses can also benefit from this feature. If you’re shipping component parts across Canada, for example, ShipHero Fulfillment Canada can facilitate those customers picking up the item at the time and location that works best for them. With parcel lockers as one of your brand’s delivery options, business customers can place an order online, select the dropbox nearest to them, and be automatically notified when the package is ready for pickup. Once it’s ready, those lockers are accessible 24/7.

How Do Parcel Lockers Work?

For any eCommerce delivery strategy, visibility is key. Clear and consistent communication with the customer can minimize the risk of misships and costly returns, while supporting your buyers and giving them a reason to return in the future. When an order is placed and pushed to ShipHero, buyers and sellers are provided with a comprehensive report of the package and can track its progress as it moves throughout the fulfillment process. When a customer opts for a parcel locker pickup, they are sent a barcode and pin code that grants them access to the locker at the specified location.

Conclusion

Big brands aren’t the only ones that can offer a pickup delivery option. Now, thanks to parcel lockers throughout Canada, exclusively online stores can give their customers the convenience of a 24/7 pickup option. If you’re looking for a fulfillment partner to help optimize your delivery process, contact the Fulfillment Experts at ShipHero today.Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting Today