PartnerShip customers recently had the chance to participate in the FedEx 2015 Pro Bowl Package sweepstakes, sponsored by FedEx. By enrolling and shipping through a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, association members had the opportunity to win a number of great prizes. PartnerShip would like to thank the customers that participated in this promotion and congratulate our winners.

Congratulations to the following PartnerShip customers who won one of the fabulous prizes:

• Art from National Shrinkwrap 
• Kevin from Prestige Mold Inc
• Nelson from Helmuth Repair Inc
• Troy from Gardners Books Service Inc
• Richard from House of Shoes

Throughout the sweepstakes, PartnerShip customers who participated also received significant discounts on select FedEx^® services. Even though the sweepstakes is over, our customers are still saving money, and association members who qualify for a PartnerShip-managed shipping program can also take advantage of these savings. If you’re not sure if you qualify for one of our small package shipping programs, contact us and we’ll find the solution that’s right for you.

Nicole is a valuable member of our truckload team, the newest department at PartnerShip. With her help, our truckload business has been steadily growing and expanding. She’s been working here for a year and a half and is one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. We asked Nicole a few questions to help you get to know her. Check them out below!

What do you do for PartnerShip?
I am a carrier procurement representative for our truckload team. I find carriers who can move full and partial truckload shipments and negotiate the best price possible for our customers. I track the truckload freight to help ensure a smooth shipment and also help establish new truckload carriers on a daily basis.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve helped a customer ship?
I have helped a customer ship customized cardboard caskets. They are true works of art and definitely a very unique product.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m very much an outdoors girl. I love camping, hiking, and biking. Every summer we go on as many camping trips as we can. I love to watch the sun set while sitting around a campfire with family and friends.

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
I would have dinner with my Grandfather. He passed away before I was born. He came to the United States when he was 17 years old from Yugoslavia. He had spent 4 years in a refugee camp and could barely speak English when he arrived in the US. He worked hard and went on to become a doctor and build a life for himself here. I would love to learn more about his story and our family culture.

Do you have any nicknames?
Nic. Everyone in my family calls me Nic and always has.

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?
Backstreet Boys. No contest.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
My coworkers make me laugh every single day. There is a definite sense of teamwork here at PartnerShip and we are always there for each other, no matter what. My colleagues have become a second family to me.

If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
Happiness Is Being With The Ones You Love.

Tell us about your family.
I am married to my best friend Brian, who also works here at PartnerShip. We have a beautiful, silly, happy 2 year old daughter named Callie. We also have two cats, Buster Brown and Gypsy. I feel very grateful to have the wonderful family that I do.

Small Business Trends recently posted an interesting article about benchmarks you should be using to evaluate your ecommerce strategy. Shipping is a significant component of the online retail process, and many of these benchmarks touch on this. Here are a few questions you should be asking yourself about your ecommerce shipping strategy. These benchmarks are based on data from the E-Tailing Group’s 17th Annual Mystery Shopping Study, which surveyed 100 top retail websites for their best practices. To get some insight from the customer side we also took a look at the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper Global Study, conducted by comScore. 

How easy is your shopping cart to use and edit? Is make-or-break information such as shipping costs presented before the end of the process? Can the customer save key information securely?

It’s a good idea to be transparent about your shipping costs upfront. 63% of consumers say it’s important to provide estimated delivery date and shipping costs early in the shopping process. Not doing so could lead to cart abandonment. In fact, 50% of consumers abandoned a cart due to lengthy delivery times or when no delivery date was provided.

98% of retailers surveyed offer the ability to pre-populate information from a customer’s profile, including shipping address, credit card info, and billing address, which allows shoppers to check out faster. Additionally, 51% of shoppers say it’s important for retailers to “remember me” by not only saving order information, but also saving unpurchased items in their cart from a previous session as well.

How long does it take to receive orders? What types of shipping options do you offer and for what prices?

The average delivery time is 3.42 days for the top retailers in this survey. Shoppers are surprisingly willing to wait for most deliveries but also want the option for expedited service. 85% of online shoppers will wait 5 days or more for delivery, while 7 days is the average time shoppers are willing to wait for delivery.

How easy are returns? Is there a charge for returns or are shipping costs covered?

64% of retailers provide prepaid return shipping labels to make it more convenient for customers to make returns. 68% of shoppers say free returns shipping is key to a positive returns experience. On top of that, 52% of consumers want to see a return label right in the box. Taking these extra steps can influence a customer to pull the trigger on a purchase and also positively impact their overall satisfaction.

These benchmarks are a good starting point to assess where your ecommerce site ranks among some of the top retailers in the industry. If you’re looking to improve your online store, evaluating your shipping processes can be very beneficial. PartnerShip is here to help you determine the best way to manage your shipping and be more efficient. Click here for a free shipping analysis.

There is a wide range of equipment available for your shipment to ensure proper transportation and delivery. Keeping the trucks and trailers straight that are carrying your freight can be a tough task for even the most experienced shipper - which is why we created a brand new Truck and Trailer Equipment Guide for our customers. This white paper contains measurements and visuals for dry vans, refrigerated units, flatbeds, and the tractors that pull the trailers.

Click the link below to download the white paper and learn more about what carries your freight from point A to point B.

Download the Truck and Trailer Equipment Guide Today!

As always, the shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to lend a helping hand and answer any questions you have about freight shipping. Give us a call at 800-599-2902 or email sales@PartnerShip.com.

If you do any shipping, you’re probably familiar with the standard packaging materials – bubble wrap, pallets, boxes, etc. But you may not be familiar with some of the not-so-standard uses for these items. Here are a few of our favorite repurposing projects.

1. Bubble Wrap Artwork 
Everyone loves popping bubble wrap, but have you ever considered using it for another form of stress relief? Creating art can be therapeutic and throwing bubble wrap into the mix can result in some pretty cool pieces like this cover art by Wired magazine. They made this unique piece by injecting colored liquid into plastic bubble wrap.

2. Shipping Tube Rain Stick 
If you have kids, this is the project for you. Rain sticks create a musical raindrop sound and are pretty easy to make with a shipping tube. You can fill the tube with dried beans, let your child decorate the outside, and then let the fun begin. Check out the step-by-step instructions here.

3. Gardening with Packing Peanuts 
Filling the bottom of pots with foam peanuts is a great way to make plants easier to move and improve drainage. They are cheaper and lighter than soil, making them quite handy when tackling your household gardening. Check out this picture for an example.

4. Pallet Furniture 
It’s nearly impossible to escape all of the DIY pallet projects floating around the internet, and it's hard to pick just one favorite. Creating furniture like tables, chairs, and shelves definitely seems to be the most popular. So why not create an outdoor oasis with this multifunctional material? Here are a few ideas to get started.

5. Cardboard Cat Condo 
As any cat lover can tell you, boxes are irresistible to cats. Instead of buying an expensive cat tree that they might not even use, use cardboard boxes to build a customized one, like this two-story cat condo. You can let your creativity run wild to build a palace that your feline friend will love.