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What is multi-courier shipping software?
What are the benefits of using multi-courier shipping software?
3 important features every multi-courier shipping software needs
Shippo: a multi-courier shipping software
As the world continues to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, the upward-trending number of ecommerce sites will continue to grow, giving more opportunity for direct-to-consumer brands than ever before.
But, for merchants either looking to launch a brand or grow their existing online store, it’s no secret that shipping has become more complex and expensive.
While most business owners would rather spend their time building a business strategy, planning creative marketing campaigns, and launching new products, they often get caught up in the intricate web that is shipping.
Luckily, multi-courier shipping software solutions simplify shipping, so that brands can focus on what’s most important — growing their business.
Read on to learn how multi-courier shipping software can help you grow your brand by taking the complexity out of shipping.
What is multi-courier shipping software?
Multi-courier shipping software is like the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. It’s technology that works behind the scenes to provide you with everything you need to ship ecommerce orders, all in one place.
Ecommerce merchants quickly find that trying to compare rates using each individual courier’s website can be a time-consuming and fragmented process.
Instead, multi-courier software syncs to your online store to pull in real-time order information automatically, compare rates from a robust network of couriers, and present all of your shipping data together in a singular dashboard.
All you have to do is input the size, weight, and destination of where the package is going to compare couriers, service-levels, and rates.
From there, you can purchase and print labels, add shipping insurance, track orders, get ahead of returns, and more. As you scale and ecommerce your sales ramp up, having a multi-courier shipping software will be crucial in saving you time and money to focus on other aspects of growing your business.
What are the benefits of using multi-courier shipping software?
Right off the bat, one of the biggest benefits of using a multi-courier software is the ability to compare, purchase, and print shipping labels across a large courier network.
Being able to streamline the label printing process gives you the freedom of choosing a shipping option that best suits your business’s needs, whether that’s shipping speed, cost, or another factor.
Moreover, you’ll also have access to other benefits that combine to make shipping customer orders a much more streamlined process.
Reduces shipping costs
As mentioned earlier, being able to compare rates will allow you to choose the courier and service-level that makes the most sense for your business. If you’re simply looking for the cheapest rates, multi-courier software can provide significant discounts on shipping labels and reduce shipping costs overall.
For example, implementing a multi-courier shipping software such as Shippo can provide up to a 90% discount on certain shipments. Over time, these discounts can save online retailers hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, year over year in shipping costs.
Faster delivery times
Having the proper multi-courier software allows you to optimise your shipping strategy by offering faster delivery at the most affordable rate.
Today, most online shoppers expect their products to be dropped at their door in two days or less. With multi-courier shipping software, you can choose the courier with the fastest last-mile delivery option if that’s what matters most to you.
Since multi-courier shipping software services give you access to a robust courier network, you’ll be able to directly compare service levels all in one place.
For example, depending on the product and the destination, one courier might have a better option for local deliveries (e.g., regional parcel couriers) over a courier that specializes in international shipments (e.g., DHL).
Track orders efficiently
Multi-courier software helps you stay organised when it comes to shipping orders. Not only will you be able to track where your packages are, but you’ll also be able to track where your orders are coming from, how much you’re spending on shipping, and more.
With order tracking done all in one place, you can easily share tracking information with your customers or look up their order status quickly, which builds greater trust and confidence in your business.
You can also easily collect and analyse shipments, so you can optimise shipping performance.
Integrates easily with your supply chain
The best multi-courier software solutions connect directly with the rest of your supply chain technology stack so your end-to-end workflow doesn’t skip a beat.
You can connect multi-courier software to your online store so that all of your orders are centralised in one place, then compare and purchase the best shipping labels for each package.
Some multi-courier platforms also allow you to implement shipping automation rules, i.e., applying a certain courier and service-level to specific package weights or order SKUs. This enables you to print labels up to 50% faster by speeding up the process and reducing human error, saving you both time and money.
Minimizes human error
While we always do our due diligence when it comes to fulfilling orders, the truth is we’re only human and we’re prone to making mistakes, especially as our business scales and we have more orders to fulfil.
Maybe someone on the team didn’t have their coffee one morning and now your product is being sent to Manchester, England instead of Manchester, New Hampshire — but the point is, manually keying in data for every individual order can not only be time-consuming, it can also be a recipe for human error.
Multi-courier shipping software automates manual processes so you can focus on other important tasks without having to stress about potential mishaps.
Eases international shipping
It’s no secret that we live in a global economy where merchants from anywhere can sell their products across the world, but the laws and regulations regarding shipping vary from country to country — making international shipping a complex process.
One of the best features a multi-courier shipping service can provide is a way to ensure your packages are able to adhere to compliance standards and pass through customs with just a few clicks.
The icing on the cake is that because international couriers are included in their network, they can also provide your business with the most cost-effective shipping labels for any international orders.
3 important features every multi-courier shipping software needs
If you’re looking to take advantage of the benefits offered by multi-courier shipping software, there are a few features that cannot be overlooked.
1. Shipping labels
Comparing, purchasing, and printing the right shipping labels for all your ecommerce orders is the most important feature of a multi-courier shipping software.
There’s no need to go to the post office or visit individual courier websites to efficiently deliver orders to your customers — all you need is a reason to ship and a reliable printer.
The multi-courier shipping software cream of the crop will also give you the option to automatically generate return labels with shipping labels — even if the return label isn’t used by your customer, simply having the option gives them reassurance that purchasing from your ecommerce store will be a smooth, seamless, and easy process.
2. Multi-courier support
Every new software comes with a bit of a learning curve. When looking for a multi-courier software solution for your ecommerce business, having quick, reliable support is a must.
Having insightful, knowledgeable human support will help you make the most of the software by navigating you through the process, end-to-end.
Whether you need help understanding the specific requirements of a courier or troubleshooting an integration issue, a reliable support team can help you at any step of your order fulfilment journey.
3. Automation potential
You’ve heard the phrase “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” But what if you could teach a multi-courier shipping software to fish? Automation is what makes multi-courier shipping software an effective solution.
Here’s how it works: you set the parameters for the software to abide by, and it will follow the rules every time. So whether you have a preferred courier or always want to select the cheapest shipping option every time, you can simply save those preferences using the software’s shipping automation features.
With the best multi-courier shipping software solutions, you can set up “if-then” label generation rules based on factors such as order weight, SKU, order quantity, or shipping destination.
For example, if your company sells shirts, you can set up automation rules so that shirts delivered to a specific postcode are always assigned to a specific courier.
Shippo: a multi-courier shipping software
Shippo is a premium multi-courier shipping software designed for ecommerce businesses, online marketplaces, and platforms. It works by integrating shipping with multiple couriers through their API and web application.
To see first-hand how multi-courier shipping software can save you time and money, sign up for a free Shippo account and instantly connect your store with a network of 85+ couriers.
Shippo + ShipBob
Did you know ShipBob’s fulfilment technology leverages Shippo? ShipBob is a tech-enabled 3PL with premium technology, an international fulfilment network, and best-in-class customer support. If you outsource fulfilment to ShipBob, you can take advantage of Shippo’s rate shopping and also set up automation rules.
If you’re looking for an end-to-end retail fulfilment solution, click the button below to learn more about ShipBob.
Multi-courier shipping software FAQs
Here are answers to the top questions people have about multi-courier shipping software.
What are the benefits of multi-courier shipping software?
The most compelling benefit of multi-courier shipping software is the ability to compare rates and transit times from across all couriers large and small, around the world, simultaneously.
Other advantages include lower rates sourced from master account access, shipment tracking services, simplified returns, and data and analytics dashboards to keep track of shipping spend and other key fulfilment metrics.
What is multi-courier shipping?
Multi-courier shipping offers access to multiple courier options at once so you can compare rates and find the best price, transit time, and/or service-level to meet your specific shipping needs.
Which are the best multi-courier shipping software options?
The best multi-courier shipping software options provide an all-in-one shipping solution. This means they:
- Connect you to the best shipping rates across couriers.
- Help you track your shipments and shipping costs.
- Integrate seamlessly into your workflow.
- Scale along with your business.
- Provide experienced, reliable, and quick customer support.
How do multi-courier shipping solutions work?
Multi-courier shipping software connects almost all aspects of the broader shipping ecosystem. These solutions sync directly with your ecommerce store so you can view your order info, compare and purchase the best shipping labels from a wide range of couriers, track your shipments, notify customers of their shipping status, easily enable returns, and more.