Is shipping and handling the same as the freight
Shipping and handling are an important part of the logistics and complete eCommerce business. Right from giving the exact delivery method to offer proper shipping rate, any company must take care of many things to keep their customers satisfied. With the competition going at high speeds in the ever-evolving internet world, one needs to also keep in mind that overall costs must be under control. If you associate with the best freight delivery services in Utah, Corlett express you will be assured to get the best delivery service covering all your requirements.
What are the shipping and handling process?
Shipping and handling are the process of setting and packing orders and then delivering it to a customer. Shipping and handling could be seen as a set of charges mentioned on top of the orders. It incurs delivery charges like packing supplies, labor, stock storage, transporting and delivery.
Shipping implies the charges for postage and carriage to get the ordered package from the shipping carrier to the end person. It includes fuel and other charges linked to the traveled distance and time.
Handling implies the labor linked to accumulating inventory, packaging the order products with suitable packaging materials, creating the shipping label, loading this package into the vehicle and any other processes that take place in the warehouse. The handling costs increase if there are more processes involved in this time.
Freight delivery is the process of transporting heavy items, supplies or any bulky products from one place to another. Many product delivery companies are reliant on freight shipping services to retain their routine process on track. Freight transportation has a massive part in delivering all of the chosen products and supplies in huge quantities all over the globe.
What are the factors influencing shipping and handling?
As shipping and handling form the foundation for any eCommerce business, few factors are influencing them. If you do not get it right, it can cause disrupting your process, unsatisfied customers, negative reviews and revenue loss.
Below are the key factors that impact your shipping and handling:
- Type of Business:
Shipping and handling are affected by the type and size of your business and the resources required. If you handle the process on your own, then you will have to look at the order volumes, SKU’s and development estimates.
- If the order volumes are low, then it is better to keep the shipping and handling in-house instead of outsourcing. You will not need any warehouse or inventory management company to handle your complete process to a point where your business grows to such a large extent.
- If the SKU is high, then it may lead to high storage costs if there is no quick product turnover. But if your order volume shoots up, then you will have to invest in good infrastructure and outsource the shipping to a good company.
- Geographic limitations:
- Knowing the destination of shipping can help you to understand the type of shipping from. When your order volume is low and you are handling the process by yourself the storage would be confined to your location. But if your business is expanded to a larger extent then you will want to carefully establish your operations according to the location. It will decrease your average shipping cost and total timings.
- If the shipping distance is more, then the total cost is comparatively more. You may feel that paying some extra amounts for long-distance shipping would be better than functioning from multiple locations. But with expanded business, it will result in larger shipping and handling costs.
- Shipping from a favorable location would help you to reach your customers easily and help to increase your brand value. As your brand value increases and you operate from multiple locations, it will help you to reduce the handling costs. It is also evident to choose an outsourcing company that is favorable to your operating location.
- This will reduce a lot of transportation costs as you tend to ship for shorter distances. As you will have the stocks near your end customer, you can operate more easily by avoiding urban area traffic in reaching rural areas in the long run.
- Products sold:
The type of products you transport also has a huge impact on the shipping and handling process.
- If the goods transported are of hazardous type, heavy, fragile, handle with care type, temperature-reliant or needs to be frozen then there needs to be special care taken to package and transport such goods. You will have to package them with quality appropriate materials and have a sicker on possible visible areas to ensure that they are carefully transported. You may require a more proactive approach to your entire supply chain.
- How is the manufacture of these products conducted? How sooner are the products purchased will help you in having a perfect strategy for your transportation? Easy to handle items demand very less shipping and handling costs when compared to handle with care items as mentioned above.
- If you are having demand in bulk for a particular location, then you can have a deal with freight delivery company to get a discounted service.
- Certain products vary accordingly during the year depending on the seasonal demand. This may cause additional costs if you try to have your delivery chain. Instead, you can opt for having a reliable freight delivery service to finish your operations.
Bottom-line:
Finding an exact budget for shipping and handling is one of the hardest things faced by eCommerce companies. The eventual goal is to have the right balance that gets profit on your side but doesn’t prove costly for customers, encouraging them to go to more inexpensive competitors. If you are looking to concentrate more on your business part and give the transport task to a reliable firm then Corlett express freight delivery service in Utah should be your go-to option to reach new markets with ease and assurance of safe on-time delivery.
