4 Tools For Shipping Auto Parts
The tools outlined in this article will help make shipping auto parts a faster, smoother and more simplified experience. After all, shipping is a large part of the online sales process and can make or break the bottom line, so it is important to assure that your department understands the ins and outs.
Carrier Calculated Rates
When you setup your web store, you need to be aware of how shipping is calculated. RevolutionParts utilizes carrier-calculated rates based on the dimensional weight of the products in your brand’s catalog. This means that when you setup your shipping you will select your carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx, CanadaPost, DHL) and the software will calculate the shipping based on the retail counter rate of that carrier. Retail counter rate is the rate someone would be quoted that did not have a discounted rate with one of the carriers mentioned above. You have the option of inputting your account information and then the system can use your actual corporate rate to quote customers. You can still pad the shipping using a percentage or dollar amount, to assure your packaging and handling is covered.
Custom Shipping Methods
There are instances where you may require a custom shipping method and most systems allow for this. Some of those scenarios might include oversized shipping, local delivery and/or local pickup options. If your parts department allows local pickup or has a local delivery option then why not promote this on your web store? It is a selling point for customers and will create a differentiator in your local marketplace.
Shipping Managers
There are cases where paying for a quality shipping manager might be a viable option for your business. Shipping managers integrate with multiple selling channels (like eBay and Amazon) and allow you to print labels with the click of a button, instead of creating the label online and having to copy and paste a consumer’s information from one screen to the next. Commonly used shipping managers are ShipWorks and ShipStation, both of these help organize orders in one place to help track shipments, returns and other customer information.
Shipping Promotions
If you haven’t noticed already, using promotions to offer discounts on shipping is a great way to drive up sales revenue. Customers love free shipping and you can offer free shipping on orders where you know it won’t hurt your bottom line. Maybe offer free shipping on items like navigation systems, belts, air filters and other lightweight/high margin products. You can also print a note on the bottom of each packing slip telling customers that they can get 25% off shipping on their next order, which will encourage repeat business.
There are a lot of ways you can harness the power of sales so don’t hesitate to reach out to us for ideas!
